Another 'Help Me Choose an Engagement Ring' Thread...

[stumblymonkey]

Okay...so of course I will make the final decision but which ring would you go for?

Ring 1: Sapphire & two diamonds £3.5k

Ring 2: Three diamonds and a diamond band £1.5k

The photos aren't brilliant and don't do either ring justice (plus I have fat fingers so obviously they don't fit!).

The sapphire one is the one that makes my eyes light up. I love it because the sapphire makes it not the norm but still classy. The diamonds are really good quality and sparkly. It's expensive though and part of me thinks it's worth it for a ring I'll wear every day for the rest of my life. The other half of me thinks that extra £2k would come in handy.

The second one is nice. I like it. I just don't LOVE it like the sapphire. But it's £2k cheaper which is a lot of money!

WWYD?

I'd get one like the sapphire but would source it more cheaply than a jewellers shop. It looks much nicer on you.

Agree with PP. Ring 1 is lovely but not 3.5k lovely. Would look for something similar but less spendy.

Def the sapphire - but I'm sure you could get it at a better price.

I agree, the sapphire is lovely.

Consider second-hand. Half the price of new and often better quality.
Best place to look is your independent local jeweller. There are also some trusted online sellers such as carolefranks.com and berganza.com but do be careful about others unless you are sure thay are genuine. Some also say that it's best to see a purchase in real life, to see whether it suits you.

Where can you source rings cheaper?

Hatton Gardens? I don't like the idea of buying online...

I got mine at Hatton Garden but to be honest although there was more choice and generally better quality I didn't find it any cheaper. I would say as you are looking for a quite classic style you could get a much much better price by looking at second hand and vintage/antique. Try Ebay or go somewhere with lots of second hand jewellers like the Lanes in Brighton.

Ring 1 is beautiful

I've tried eBay but although I'm often an eBay shopper I don't want to buy an engagement ring from there as I think you can only tell once you try the ring on and most offer no returns...

I love the sapphire one but I think it's overpriced. If I've read the label correctly the diamonds are .33 carat each?

Congratulations OP.
I feel they are both really overpriced. You could get similar styles bigger for the same money.
Are they from a high street chain?
I always feel high street chains give VERY poor value for money when it comes to engagement rings.

Second hand, Birmingham jewellery quarter (haggle) or Hatton Garden if you go straight to the makers not the shop fronts (hard to find but there if you look - plaques on normal buildings and a bell to ring)

"The second one is nice. I like it. I just don't LOVE it like the sapphire. But it's £2k cheaper which is a lot of money!"

Read that back to yourself. What you're saying is that you are considering spending £1,500 on something you don't love. That's bonkers by anyone's standards, surely?!

Ditch option 2. If you don't love it, spending £1500 on it and wearing it for the rest of your life would be insanity.

Option 1, or similar sourced from somewhere cheaper.

I agree that ebay is not the best idea. So, for second-hand, go to your nearest town /city and find the poshest independent jeweller. Or, as previous poster suggested, to an antiques centre such as The Lanes in Brighton. Most places there will belong to reputable jewellery associations. Many will have websites, as well, so that you can look before you visit. Here, for example, is the site of an independent jeweller in Edinburgh www.jamesness.co.uk/ but there will be other similar shops not far from where you live.

Sapphire! I tried on one really like yours! I went for a sapphire one in the end but a different style.

This is mine. All stones are .6 of a carat. Platinum setting and band. 1940s. £1500.

Definitely the sapphire - it's almost identical to my own engagement ring, but mine is more a royal blue (yours looks very dark in the pic?). Got mine 6 years ago for less than you were quoted for the other ring, 0.33 carat for each diamond & 1.4 carat sapphire. I adore mine!

My engagement ring is similar to the sapphire one, but only cost a fraction of that from Ernest Jones. I can't remember exactly how much it cost but I doubt it was even a tenth of the price! That was 10 years ago now... I have no idea how jewellery prices have changed.

The sapphire looks too dark to me, OP, almost black (though it might be just the way it looks on my screen) . But very dark sapphires are not as prized as cornflower blue ones. I.e an intense but mid blue.
Have a read of this
www.gia.edu/sapphire-quality-factor

The sapphire one is beautiful but it sounds like you can't comfortably afford it - if you love both I would go for the cheaper one. Or as PP say try and find a cheaper sapphire option, depends on your jewellery bargaining skills

I'd get this one. Real diamond made in a lab. No one will ever know.
www.brilliantinc.co.uk/tilly-3363.html

Agree with previous poster that the sapphire looks very dark. Those are the cheapest. Absolutely fine if that's the colour that you like, but it does suggest that the ring is rather expensive.

Modern sapphires are often heat-treated: www.mardonjewelers.com/blog/what-is-the-best-color-for-blue-sapphire-part-4/

Older (second-hand) sapphires may well be brighter/deeper/lighter coloured, for a cheaper price, and natural.

I agree the sapphire looks very dark. It may be just the photograph though. Think of Kate Middleton's sapphire as a guide.

Here you go OP, for 1K, very similar to 1:

www.fraserhart.co.uk/18ct-white-gold-sapphire-and-diamond-ring-5.html

I agree that that seems a lot to pay for the sapphire ring and if you shopped around, you'd find a much better deal.
Look at vintage jewellery, lots of jewellers shops have secondhand collections.
eBay is good, look for reputable sellers and items that come with appraisals. ALWAYS pay by PayPal as you can get your money back if disappointed/not as described. People don't realise now that eBay offers pretty much no reason/no quibble money back guarantee on all items (if bought with PayPal, can't stress that enough!!) if at least look if I were you.