Help me find an engagement ring please!

[binthere]

DP is taking me engagement ring shopping next week. I’ve tried a few on down our local high street jewellers and think I have a rough idea.

I’ve narrowed it down to a yellow gold band, solitaire, lab grown oval diamond preferably between 0.5 and 1 carat. I like the two toned look of the yellow gold band & white gold/platinum setting.

These are what I’ve found so far:

https://www.purelydiamonds.co.uk/engagement-ring-single-stone-oval-yellow-white-gold-pdl503yw

https://www.queensmith.co.uk/engagement-rings/bardot-18k-yellow-gold-oval

https://www.warrenjames.co.uk/jewellery/9ct-gold-real-diamond-lab-grown-oval-solitaire-1-00ct-9lry035

https://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk/design/floral-shank-engagement-rings-clrn0743601

Appreciate it’s not a very interesting ring but I love the simplicity.

Not entirely sure on budget, I’d rather he didn’t spend more than £1000 to be honest. Would you prioritise the carat weight, clarity, colour? Happy to have a smaller stone & not overly worried about inclusions etc. Is 18k better than 9k for everyday wear? Which of these, if any, would you be more inclined to purchase?

Also open to looking online if anyone has used Blue Nile etc.

Thank you!

I like them all, but like the gold setting of number 2

I have a 1.3 carat solitaire without any inclusions. It is super bright and sparkly. If I'm honest a 1 carat would have been plenty big enough, but I've had it 25 years so not going to change it now.

If I were shopping for a ring today I would look at a rub over setting rather than cathedral. They look more modern, and there are no claws so won't catch or scratch on anything.

Prioritise clarity & colour! A clean, sparkly white coloured smaller stone always wins over a larger included yellower toned one.

I’ve been looking specifically for the gold band & white gold prongs which is pushing the price up quite a bit as most are set with yellow gold & platinum.

Here’s link 2 with the dual tone. Do you think the ring would look better with the full gold?

I’ve got no clue what I’m looking for!

I wouldn't rely on my taste! I just happen to like the yellow gold setting.

Thank you. How low would you go with the clarity and colour? Is there much difference between a D and an F for example? I’ve been looking online from VVS1 to VS2.

The Warren James one linked states between VS1 - S1 and colour F-G. Would this be noticeably yellow or included?

Do not buy a diamond from a high street jeweller - they will be poorer quality than what you can get in a diamond merchants or a manufacturing jeweller. Have a look at London diamonds. He’s very good at explaining what you need to look at.

That sounds like a lovely ring :) I’ve actually tried on a rub over setting and didn’t think it suited me unfortunately.

We’re just outside of London so we’ve decided to have a look in Hatton Garden. Can anyone recommend any specific shops please?

We got my engagement ring from Blue Nile about 12 years ago - a platinum solitaire.

I chose the style etc and then DH did a lot of research into clarity, carat etc and he spoke with Blue Nile to narrow down the best choices for the budget. They are also a bit cheaper as you are buying direct - I think mine cost £2400 but the valuation certificate is £3300.

QVC has a range of lab-grown called Firelight diamonds. They're all certified and you can try it for 60 days before returning if you decide it's not for you.

If you're looking at lab-grown for ethical reasons, you could look instead at antique/estate diamonds. I have a 1.2ct Old Mine (like Taylor Swift's) and a 2ct Old European as well as my original Brilliant cut. If you like big flashes of colour, an antique cut will be right up your street.

Try an independent jeweller for these cuts, but for inspiration, you can check out Jewels by Grace online and Instagram. Goodoldgold.com also has an enormous range, but both are USA-based. GOG has an education section with loads of info on lab-grown and everything else you need to know about buying diamonds. They have a good range of diamond videos on their YouTube page, too.

Pricescope.com has a Show Me The Bling section where people have posted photos of their diamonds (lab-grown, antique and modern). There's a forum with links to good lab-grown sellers, too. If you click through to August Vintage there, you can find a page (search lab) with pricing for a diamond the size and 'C' that you're looking for. The dollar price is in line with the UK pound price.

Don't buy from a High Street jeweller. They just don't sell good-quality diamonds. Hatton Garden has plenty of choice, but beware 'filled' stones. Several jewellers there sell them, but they don't last and will frequently crack and discolour where the fissure has been filled. Also, beware of fluorescent stones. You can't see them under shop lights, but they turn blue under UV light. There's nothing wrong with them and often face 'whiter' than they really are, but they should sell for up to 25% less than non-fluoro. I have both blue and red fluorescent stones. You really can't tell unless you use UV light on them, though if you know what you're looking for, you can see it show up under very strong sunlight.

Don't rush it, either. Every single diamond is different, and you'll know 'the one' when you see her. Good luck with both your search and your life together.

These are all lovely rings but I agree with others you will get more for your money by going to an independent jewellers. I have a 0.8ct pear diamond which 'looks' like a 1ct because of its clarity/cut but it cost less, it was sourced by the jeweller for this reason to meet the budget we had.

If you want to see more designs for price ideas, a friend raves about Taylor and Hart - covent garden shop and online - they purchased both the engagement and wedding rings from there and I believe had an offer where you can get the rings cleaned for free once a year. I've also heard good things about Jessica Flinn Jewellery for more unusual designs.

Firstly- Congratulations!
How delightful your fiancé is actually taking you to choose a ring which for both of you quite an investment.
I love the idea of diamond on gold but my biggest advice is:
Go to a jeweller that isn’t a high street chain and an expert in his field, makes and repairs in house. They can advise what works best with a wedding band too if you intend to wear the rings together all the time.

I’m never going to knock my husband on his choice he bought without me from a friend in the family who was a jeweller (he was on a tight budget). His brother took his wife to choose from a selection the friend had put on a cushion but she chose one in the cabinet which was out of my brother-in-law’s budget (he felt he couldn’t say he couldn’t afford it). My husband didn’t want that mistake.
I loved the ring (relief all round) but the design began to wear on the wedding band and one of the cluster stones (all diamonds) fell out from years of rubbing against two soft metals.
He then bought me a replacement solitaire (same friend) and I discovered it needed a lot of maintenance, yearly checks on the claws and even then one day at the hairdressers I got stuck in the loo and in trying to fix the door handle I lost the stone! I was okay it was found on the black floor by the apprentice with good eyesight.
After 45 years I have finally stopped wearing my engagement ring(s) all the time and make sure I don’t wear any rings doing the gardening!

Have a wonderful day finding your diamond within budget (and don’t break the bank)!

Will you be doing a show and tell later???

Bloody hell, I had no idea lab grown diamonds were so cheap! Explains why I have recently seen so many huge diamonds on newly engaged couples. It was rare to see large diamonds before, looks like the market will be flooded with them. Those are all pretty rings. (Goes off to buy self some lab grown diamond earrings…..)

This was so so helpful, thank you! I did take a look at QVC on your recommendation but didn’t quite have the style I was after.

I spent a long time looking through Price Scope too, really informative website :) thanks again

With an oval, you should prioritise cut first - if not perfect, you can see a ‘bowtie’ shape in the base from too many angles. Not an expert, by any means, but remember this from when I was looking ages ago.

Did you choose an oval in the end Platinum? We went shopping yesterday and the jeweller did explain this to me. He steered me away from a specific elongated/high ratio oval because the bow tie effect would be more noticeable.

No, I got a round brilliant - far away from my original plan, but it was the best for me in the end.

Ring number 2 is stunning, the gold band is the perfect size to accentuate the stone. Number 1 ring has a wider band and it takes away from the stone.

but the best bet is to go and try rings on, sometimes when you have tried a ring on you decide you don’t like it and prefer certain styles on your hand.

so enjoy rings shopping and congratulations to you both x

Id find a shop that sells second hand - you'll get more for your money

we have two jewellery shops in town that have second hand as well as new and they are much bigger rings for under the counter so to speak.

I have a good sized diamond ring, originally rub over but it came loose so I had it re-set in a more traditional clawed setting and the stone is now more sparkly and looks larger. I agree about the claws catching, but like the look of the stone in the setting more.

I agree with others, you usually get much better value from an independent jeweller and they can make you exactly what you want to a budget. So if you want a big stone and are less worried about the clarity they'll do that, or a smaller stone that is more perfect if you prefer that. They'll get you a selection of stones in to look at too. You might find that if you see the bare stones there is one particular shape or size that seems right for your hand.
If you're happy to look at second hand rings you often get good value, but I always think that it's harder to really assess the value in terms of the colour and clarity. Sometimes the people selling them are not so expert in this - though it's possible that the stone will come with a certificate which solves this problem.

Is there a reason you want the setting to be in white gold rather than platinum? My wedding band, engagement ring and eternity ring are all white gold and whilst I do love them they do tarnish and need replating every couple of years. Platinum retains its colour and is stronger than white gold so the setting is less likely to be damaged. If I was you I'd definitely go for yellow gold band and platinum setting.

Lab grown is fine, and you will get more diamond (carat) for your money, but it is actually different in crystalline structure and refraction (if this matters to you).

If you are looking at lab grown for ethical reasons, you could consider antique or Canadian diamonds. My engagement ring is a Canadian diamond solitaire.

Have it made. Find a proper jewellery to design one that will be unique. High street jewellers just churn out the sane old stuff,year after year,inoffensive but boring.