Should I buy this Engagement Ring

[TheRussiansAreComing]

I need the advise of MN please. Looking to ask my partner to marry me and would like to know if I’m on the right track with what I am thinking of choosing. I’m thinking of a white gold or platinum pave band with a 3 carat Emerald cut lab grown diamond.
Is a lab grown diamond ok, or is this cheap?
Will 3 carat look too big to be believable?
is Pave popular?

She has recently started to wear her late DM’s wedding ring which is a plain ish gold band.
Will it matter if it’s next to white gold / platinum.
OH is over 50, with a younger contemporary taste.
If she didn’t already have a gold band, I think white gold would be her preference.
I think she would prefer a solitaire over a cluster.
Does anyone have experience of purchasing from 77 Diamonds?

A lab diamond is not a fake diamond yall.

Maybe buy an inexpensive ring that is pretty but costume jewellery (accessorise or similar) so she has something to wear in the meantime, and then choose the ring together. Also, have a sneaky look at the rings she already owns, so you have an idea of the size.

Aww that makes sense! He is brilliant. I think OP should only opt for that ring if he knows his DP would wear a ring with a stone that big.

I picked my ring! If you don't want to ask her ask someone she's close to that would know what she likes (sister/mum/friend).

If I was getting a diamond (I didn't because I wanted a sapphire!) I would have gotten lab grown.

If you have the option go for platinum over white gold. White gold requires a lot of maintenance with regular recoatings. It was used as it was cheaper than platinum (hypoallergenic and easy to care for) but recent gold prices mean they're now not that far apart.

I would propose with a haribo sweetie and then give her an envelope with a hand written iou one engagement ring of choice !

It's a lovely ring but most women would prefer to
Choose ! Good luck !

Get a place holder and allow her to choose her own ring, she has to wear it so it's fair she gets a say.

For what it's worth, I'd go for platinum over white gold. It wears better and there is less risk of an allergic reaction. My wedding and engagement bands are white gold and they give me a rash if I don't keep up with the re plating.

I’ve just got engaged….buying a ring is a very personal thing.

the ring your suggesting is lovely but ! 3 carat is wayyyy too big and pave band can be a pain as you can lose stones easily

Lab grown is perfect and what I’ve got, no ethical dilemmas

personally I’d although prefer to choose my own.

my partner proposed with his grandmothers engagement ring and then we chose the real one together later

Oh and id always go for platinum over white gold as white gold will tarnish over time

Propose with a haribo ring then let her choose!

I love this idea!

...I don't think the OP has any intention of changing his mind, and letting her choose.

Going by the comments made.

Not sure why people keep referring to lab diamonds as fake diamonds…they are exactly the same stone as mined diamonds but without the cruelty. A jeweller can’t tell the difference without testing. I think people are getting this confused with cubic zirconia or moissanite.

Nope. Looks ridiculously fake and won't have any sell on value. As others have said, ask her plus exploring vintage. On personal note, we chose my ring and I absolutely love it and wear it every day. I think that's what counts in the end!

Harsh much ? He has t been back to say !

OP I agree with letting her choose.
Also lab diamonds as stated are real diamonds, but as with earth there are different colours/clarity etc. I unfortunately lost my engagement ring and in the process of having a new one made, mines a lab diamond and only a caret but was almost double the one you posted as I want the best C/C etc.
Like any diamond buy in the flesh not online.

I'm that age group and prefer actual artisan jewelry, veering towards avant-garde. This ring wouldn't be my taste at all. (In fact, the only diamonds I own is a rough diamond necklace - tiny entirely unpolished stones with just an edge here or there that gives a sparkle. So so beautiful.)

That sounds lovely, @GrumpyPanda — I’m not usually one for diamonds. Do you have an image of something similar?

OP, I’m the same age range, love jewellery, but dislike both diamonds and platinum/white gold — they’re not to everyone’s taste. I agree with pps that choosing someone a ring is pretty presumptuous.

It looks too big to be worn every day. Is it fake? I'd rather choose my own, and have smaller but real.

I agree

Couple of comments:
She may be wearing the yellow gold ring because you haven't proposed to her and when you get married she can have a wedding ring of the same colour as her engagement ring. If she is wearing it for sentimental reasons she can always get it resized and wear it on another finger.
Very large stones always look fake. NOBODY can afford a 3 carat diamond in real life (apart from the ultra rich and I'm assuming that's not you) so it would always look fake.
I agree with the previous suggestions to propose with a temporary ring. But either make it something extremely temporary like a plastic ring, or make it a nice dress ring she can continue to wear on a different finger once she has chosen the real ring. That ie, something that does not look like an engagement ring.

Diamonds are actually not that rare and exclusive and as another jewellery designer has said, lab created diamonds are real. There are rarer stones that are much cheaper. Their value is perceived, not actual, as anyone who has tried to sell an unwanted diamond ring will tell you.

I am probably going against the grain here because my dh proposed with the ring and I love it!

He had it made for me. He knew I loved that jewellers work & he knows my taste in jewellery so he was confident & ge absolutely got it right. I am now in my early 50s & we got married when I was in my early 30s & I still look at that ring & admire it daily.

I have zero interest in lab grown diamonds. I have 0.75ct solitaire in the best quality diamond & it is a really beautiful stone.

My rings are a mix of 18ct white & yellow gold. The white gold is so beautiful. Its never been coated & never will be. Its a soft warm grey rather than the cold surgical look of platinum. White gold suits my skin tone beautifully

I was having my rings cleaned & serviced recently & the jeweller who made them told me that white gold is now the most expensive dur to the palladium content

I had to up the insurance value as my rings are now valued just under 3 times the amount at the time of commissioning

They're v heavy with a lot of gold.

I would a million times prefer one excellent quality smaller diamond in a beautiful bespoke setting than 3 carats of lab diamond

@LadyPoison I think it entirely depends on the quality of the stones & the metal used from what my jeweller says

The "chips", those pave stones, are a couple of ££ each yet you'll be charged a small fortune to replace them - mostly the work involved to do it. I pay £3 for one and I only buy a couple at a time. Buy in bulk like the big manufacturers and they'll be cheaper still.

The metal? Well it's a couple of grams usually. A solitaire platinum ring would have a scrap metal value of maybe £50/60. A better quality ring with more metal may weigh a gram or two more. Scrap value £100.

The market is flooded with second hand rings which is why you get next to nothing for them regardless of the original price.

If she normally wears yellow gold then I’d go yellow gold, not white gold or platinum.
I don’t think there is anything wrong with lab diamonds. I have a moissanite engagement ring. It’s more ethical, cheaper and you get better clarity and size for your budget.
Having said that, 3 carats is too big. It would look fake and obnoxious (but some people really like that style!). Especially if she has quite small hands. I was worried my 1 carat looked too big to begin with as I do have quite skinny fingers.

I just found it incredibly irritating that after 90% of the responses said they'd prefer to choose their own ring, all he refers to is maybe tweaking details..

It didn't seem he got the kind of responses he was going for.

Now I'll go back and see what he said!