How many carats is your engagement ring?

[hardrowtohoeallbyyourself]

I’m looking for a halo engagement ring and had in in my head I wanted at least a carat but most of the ones in our price range are less than 0.75.

Anyone mind telling me how many carats theirs is and would it be really nosey to ask how much it cost?

I’m not sure how much we should be expecting to spend and what we should expect to get for it.

As you're in Glasgow I'd suggest going to the independents in Argyle Arcade and there's also a guy in Mitchell Chambers (above Revolution/what was previously The Tunnel on Mitchell Street) who is good at sourcing the stone and making the ring for you. A friend got all her rings from him and much cheaper than DH paid for mine from a larger chain.

Should add we paid £2000 for my ring but it’s insured for £3400 which is what it’s valued at

0.9ct halo ring with emerald cut main diamond and smaller cushion cut diamonds. Was £2000 though it was on sale, not sure what it was full price.

damnthatanxiety as far as I can see I’m the only person on this thread that has said that so far so assume your comment is aimed at me. I’ve attached a photo of mine (excuse the skanky nails). All I meant was that if it was any bigger it would protrude over the band, so it would need to be wider or not sit nicely on the wedding ring. Anything bigger than what I’ve got wouldn’t be practical for me to wear. Don’t worry, I love my teeny stone.

I’m with PP on going to Hatton garden, or the Birmingham diamond district.
I got mine in Dubai, 1.54 D VS1, platinum band, with half diamonds and my wedding ring (the same) for 7.5k.

Didn't get one!!

£4K/ does your partner get to spend that much on himself as well?

I do think that when buying a ring people do need to think about exactly what it is they’re shelling out £££ for.

I had my rings valued when I got divorced and they weren’t worth even 10% of what my h had paid for them. Also, one of them had tiny diamond chips in around the central stone (which wasn’t a diamond) and because one of them was missing I was offered scrap value only for the ring. Over £1200 of ring and they offered me £65 for it.

I swore then I would never buy expensive new jewellery again ever.

Mine is 0.6 carats in one stone and set on a plain white gold band. Not sure on cost, maybe £750?

My wedding ring (which doesn't fit since I had DS so I wear a plain white gold one at the moment) is 0.4 carats in several very small stones on a white gold band. It cost about £300 as I was there when we bought the rings of course

Omg can I see please @StrawberryDreamX? I’ve been pretty convinced about round halo but the emerald cut ones are catching my eye as well recently.

Thanks for the Glasgow suggestions!

Mine was 1/3 carat in 18k gold. It cost about £400 in 2003 and I got £50 for it when I pawned it a few years later. Apparently the diamonds have no value and it's only the weight of the gold they pay for.

A GIA certificate will be useful if you ever lose or have your jewellery stolen

I think mines approx 2 ct, centre stone then a few small ones on the band. I have very narrow fingers and it takes up the width so quite big but I love it. You really need to go and try lots on to get a feel of what looks good. Be wary of high street chain own diamonds as often not great quality.

I’d definitely look at antique - I think the cuts and settings are often much nicer.

Mine is 2 carat ascher from a vintage jewellers.

It cost about 10k almost 20 years and would have been significantly more if it had been bought “new”.

I'd definitely recommend seeing the diamond in person and not just ordering online. Bear in mind the same carat of diamond can look very different depending on shape, and that different shapes sparkle different amounts. I was initially looking at a 0.9 cushion cut one in Hatton garden but it didnt sparkle as much as the halo stones which I thought might look funny. I then switched to a 0.8 carat round central stone which looked bigger than the other one and sparkled more. It was E VS1 and GIA certified (not all diamonds are certified. GIA is the most highly accredited certification but there are others. GIA diamond have the serial number etched on the diamond which the jeweller should be able to show you so you know it's not fake and you get a certificate with a description of its flaws etc) As another poster said, diamond with the same clarity vs2, vvs1 etc can look different depending on the type of inclusion (defect) they have. For example some can appear very cloudy but others are not visible to the naked eye.

Forgot to say, mine was 4500 with a diamond set platinum band (half way) and was made by a workshop to order.

So you went for the halo in the end mum2b?

My ring cost one hundred quid so nowhere in the scale of any of these on this thread!! Not jealous at all... :D

Agree with the pp saying go second-hand - the mark-up on new jewellery is about 300%, so if you buy a new diamond it loses most of its value as soon as you take it away from the shop. Engagement rings are about on a par with new cards in terms of instant depreciation and diamonds are especially bad! You will get much better value for money going second-hand or buying at auction.

I've used the RingMaker, who are based in both Glasgow and Edinburgh, before:

www.theringmaker.co.uk/

💍

Try RYAN Gauld, he is on Facebook, his business is calked I Do, he is based just outside Glasgow

Has anyone bought a secondhand or vintage diamond ring and then had it reset?

Mine is a 1.41 solitaire. It's an Excellent cut I colour, eye clean si2. I got mine from James Allen in New York. Did absolutely loads of research on the stone and just had a cheap setting. Recently had it reset into a halo. I did most of my learning on pricescope, an American diamond forum. I would highly recommend if you are interested in getting a nice, good quality stone and getting the best value for money, particularly if you are looking for something bigger than your budget appears to stretch at a high street jeweller.

Blimey, feeling seriously cheap, and incredibly non-blingy. I had no idea people spent so much these days. I have a diamond and sapphire band which was £750 in 1990, and then a plain gold wedding band for about £90.

Maybe the thought of spending the value of my car on a ring is just alien to me

Same here. I am at the prices of some of the rings.

Oh Ryan Gauld looks promising!!