ENGAGEMENT DIAMOND RING - what size?

Curiousgirl · #1 05-19-2002, 09:17 AM

Hi y'all,

Just curious as to what is the average SIZE of the diamond for an engagement ring, and women's views on what is an acceptable size to them.

What size ring did you give (if you're a guy) or receive (if you're a girl)?

If you haven't given or received, what do you think you will give or expect to receive?

Just talk purely on diamond size please. I already know that what's most important is the guy's personality, etc. etc. etc.

(I know that we had already :
"engagement rings" with KillarneyRose and erniegurl00)

AGDLynn · #2 05-19-2002, 11:48 AM

My darling hubby gave me a solitare that he allowed me to exchange for a totally different design. I tend to bang my hands alot and I used to wear the AGD badge as a ring which didn't work out too well..kept being afraid that I would knock the top pearl off.

My engagement ring is now sort of like an anniversary ring, it's flat with 5 rows of 2 diamonds each with 2 ss's inbetween. I've never seen one like it, even at Kay Jeweler's where we got it. I was going to use it as my eng./wedding band but decided to get a plain wedding band.

I've gotten lots of compliments on it.

ZZ-kai- · #3 05-19-2002, 12:27 PM

The size of the diamond obviously falls on the amount of money you have to spend. For example, you could get a 1 carat diamond for $3,000, but it will more than likely be a yellowish color and probably have carbon spots in it. However, for the same $3,000 you could get a slightly less-in-size diamond which is near flawless (no discoloration, great cut, is clear and still resonably large)....and probably set in platinum.

I was in this perdicament when I bought my fiances ring. I chose to go with the second option: near flawless diamond (.68 carat) , set in platinum and reflects much light, rather than a large and gaudy yellow diamond. Don't forget, the larger the diamond you get, the more difficult it is to match a 'wrap' or a 'band' to it.

In a nutshell; quality over quantity, just like rush!

Good luck!

PS, I also bought mine from Kay's and DO NOT BE AFRAID TO BARGAIN with them, I talked them down over $1,000.....they're salespeople, if they want your business, they'll meet your budget.

Finer Woman10-A-91 · #4 05-19-2002, 01:33 PM

cut
clarity
color
carat

This should help.

http://www.tiffanys.com/html/catalogs/default.asp

TriSigmaTX · #5 05-19-2002, 04:12 PM

My oval is a .80. It's the perfect size for my finger, and it's set east/west.

IS 2
F in color

This was perfect for me and I didn't expect anything more...don't need it. He chose the diamond first and designed my ring himself, so you can bet no one will ever have my ring. It's set in platinum.

volgirl2376 · #6 05-19-2002, 08:52 PM

I discouraged my ex-bf from platinum (when we were seriously discussing marriage) because it scratches SO easily - and it wont last the number of years you hope to be married! If you are a white metal person (as I am) - go for white gold, it will last so much longer!

On the same idea of diamonds - do you think its tacky for a single girl such as myself to wear diamonds - especially if they are of a larger carat weight? My aunt passed down to me a 3 stone anniversary ring that is a total of 3.30 carats - and it is beautiful...but is it ok to wear diamonds if im not married?

XOAlumXO · #7 05-19-2002, 08:56 PM

I think it's perfectly fine for a single girl to wear diamonds- I do!! I just don't wear it on my left hand.

AOX81 · #8 05-20-2002, 07:50 AM

To tell you the truth I'm not sure how big my diamond is. My band is white gold, the diamond in the middle is a round cut, and it has two smaller diamonds on the side.

I would have truly preferred just a band because my ring gets caught on EVERYTHING!!! I told that to my husband and he kind of got upset. I tried to explain to him that I loved the ring that he picked out for me but I'm just not very careful. I'm surprised I haven't broke a prong on it yet!

LexiKD · #9 05-20-2002, 09:45 AM

In a perfect world: 2.1 +

Tiffany please, I have a thing for the blue box & white ribbon!

Disclaimer: Sounds snobby right? Well, coming from a single girl, I can always dream...right?

juniorgrrl · #10 05-20-2002, 09:50 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by LexiKD
In a perfect world: 2.1 +

Tiffany please, I have a thing for the blue box & white ribbon!

Disclaimer: Sounds snobby right? Well, coming from a single girl, I can always dream...right?

Right on!

I was telling my mom how my bf and I can't go into a mall jewelry store w/o being bombarded by salespeople thinking we're ring shopping. She asked "what does he say to all that?" I replied "nothing - he knows better than to get my ring from a mall jewelry store anyway!"

KarenC725 · #11 05-20-2002, 09:59 AM

My perfect ring is about 1 carat total. I have small fingers so anything big and bulky in a single stone will not look good on me.

Here's one for you: what are your feelings on a platinum setting and a CZ stone???? (disclaimer: obviously not what I have since I'm not married or engaged but i want to see if anyone agrees with me on this)

SigmaChiCard · #12 05-20-2002, 10:04 AM

Should I one day get married I intend to give a ring that is not absurd, and is wearble. I know it's all fun to give a ring that is like a million dollars so that the bride to be can wear it for a few months then put it in a box and look at it once a year, but wouldn't it be fun to have one that is not so insanelyt large that should the bride wish to wear it on random dress-up occassions, she could. I know nothing of size numbers, but I would first go for purity (which I presume is clarity), it'll have to be platinum, the cut I'm uncertain of, but the color would have to be very, very clear...I assumed that 'c' would go with clarity hand-in-hand.

BearyCuteAPhi · #13 05-20-2002, 02:20 PM

Well I haven't received one yet but we have been seriously talking about it. What my boyfriend did is...He told me to go to adiamondisforever.com and design the ring that I would like and then he did the same. We each made a couple of rings and emailed them to each other. I really do think it was a great idea! Our rings were very similar, so I know when I do get my ring Iwill love it. As to size around 1 carat is good enough i think.

Ronnie

Good Luck!!!!

KappaStargirl · #14 05-20-2002, 02:29 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by volgirl2376
I discouraged my ex-bf from platinum (when we were seriously discussing marriage) because it scratches SO easily - and it wont last the number of years you hope to be married! If you are a white metal person (as I am) - go for white gold, it will last so much longer!

That is absolutely not true, says my metallurgist father. Gold is actually a soft metal and can be scratched without too much effort. Gold can also be damaged by the acids in paper, which is why I'm getting a platinum ring. Platinum is tough and much more rare than gold, which is why it costs more. It's more resistant to the elements and is more difficult to shape into jewelry, which is why PT jewelry is more expensive. It will also last longer. The prongs on a PT ring will not get worn down as quickly as gold, which is VERY important in keeping your diamond safe.

As for carat size: KappaStarboy is aiming to get something between 1.25 and 1.5 because...well, yeah, I want a big rock, darn those two X chromosomes, but those are the sizes that look good on my hand. I also wanted an emerald-cut until I tried on rings, and found that round looks much better! The setting and the size of your hand can affect the way the stone is viewed by others...when in doubt go with a 6-prong Tiffany-style setting, it looks good on everyone. Also, the ring is what I'm going to wear the rest of my life, I told him that I don't care if we get married in Vegas by an Elvis impersonater, but I want an amazing ring to cherish forever.

As for average size, I believe I read somewhere that the nationwide average size of an engagement ring is 1/3 of a carat, but DeBeers of course has that "If you don't give her at least a carat you shouldn't even bother" campaign going, because once you hit a carat diamond prices skyrocket due to the rareness of good quality stones that size.

volgirl2376 · #15 05-20-2002, 10:24 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by KappaStargirl

That is absolutely not true, says my metallurgist father. Gold is actually a soft metal and can be scratched without too much effort. Gold can also be damaged by the acids in paper, which is why I'm getting a platinum ring. Platinum is tough and much more rare than gold, which is why it costs more. It's more resistant to the elements and is more difficult to shape into jewelry, which is why PT jewelry is more expensive. It will also last longer. The prongs on a PT ring will not get worn down as quickly as gold, which is VERY important in keeping your diamond safe.

I think I will take the proof that every piece of platinum I have had for only a few years has a zillion scratches on it and girl I work with who *had* to have a platinum ring had to replace it for the same reason...and we have cushy internet jobs that dont put a ton of wear and tear on our jewlery lol