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.

Please don't judge people that can spend this amount of money on an engagement ring. As long as they are not getting it to debt for it, it really doesn't matter.

We might well end up not spending that much! When it comes to it I might be sensible.

@hardrowtohoeallbyyourself mine is indeed second hand. I actually bought it off eBay but from a diamond dealer. It came with certifications etc, it’s a high street ring, a solitaire in an open mount setting, and is a little over 0.5ct. I paid very little for it (under £500) so from a value point of view I wasn’t so fussed but the insurance value is nearly 10x what I paid for it!

I wanted an ethically sourced, fairtrade ring and that's what I got. It's a 0.3 ring diamond in a white gold band (not rhodium plated, it's a type of white gold alloy that is a warm silver colour without plating). The ring is exactly my style both ethically and aesthetically. Not a big carat obviously but I didn't want that (honest )

I think it cost about £1350 and I bought DH an engagement watch too.

PS If I hadn't been able to find an ethically sourced new ring I think I would have tried to find a second hand one.

www.ernestjones.co.uk/webstore/d/3830888/neil+lane+14ct+white+gold+0.21ct+diamond+vine+wedding+band/

This is mine

I originally bought it for the diamond - I thought I would have it re-set, but when I tried it on I decided that I really liked it. It’s been on my hand almost a decade now, and I still really like it. I get lots of compliments and comments about it. It’s a reasonably good stone, good colour, cut and clarity. It does have some inclusions but it’s an example of a stone that has been put in a setting that matches its qualities very well.

Mine is less than 0.7 - something like 0.65 I think. Excellent cut and clarity and from a Canadian mine. We sourced the diamond then had a jeweller design and make the ring from recycled platinum. All in I think it was roughly 5k.

I think it’s worth thinking about getting a jeweller to make something as from my experience you get more for your money

Mine is 0.6 but because I have small fingers, it actually looks bigger.

It was second hand and cost about £2k. It’s insured for £6k.

I lost mine shortly after receiving it.
My daughters is a fair sized 3.4 carat, conflict free, cushion solitaire. He spent quite a bit on it as he wanted to design the setting himself. The only reason we know the size and price is because he showed us to check she’d like it before commissioning it.

1.5 carats for the engagement ring and 1.10 for my wedding band.

Wow some cracking deals on eBay!

This looks really special but I’ve only had a cursory look at the pictures: www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Edwardian-18ct-Gold-Platinum-1-07tcw-Old-Cut-Diamond-Engagement-Ring/153775129650?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item23cdb64432%3Ag%3AAugAAOSwm5NeBJjs&LH_ItemCondition=3000

Oh that’s quite something!

I was recommended to an independent jeweller at Hatton Garden. His company is tucked away in a building so not even a shop front. He is making me a princess cut channel set eternity ring which will be my wedding and engagement all in one. From what I can work out you can pay 25% less this way than going to a High St jewellers. Or more ring for your budget depending on how you look at it. We also took the opportunity to trade in some old items that are no longer worn and that made a nice down payment.

If you fancy a trip "doon the watter" try our local jeweller.
He is fabulous, and has made rings for several people we know.
www.timothyjsharp.co.uk

I have a halo style ring (v similar to the Tiffany Legacy). DH bought it from Platinum Jewellers in The Birmingham Jewellery Quarter. The main stone is 1 carat. We paid £3200 in 2011 which was probably a third of the high street price!

Mine was DH's great-grandma's. It is an Art Deco emerald cut diamond- set in platinum and I just love it. No idea what size it is or what it is worth.

Purely Diamonds if no one has mentioned them already

2.09ct solitaire which cost quite a lot. However, it's wasted on me because as time's gone on and children have come along, I find it too big and showy :/

I on't have one, we couldn't afford an ethically sourced one and I wouldn't be able to look at it if I thought is was sourced through exploitation. I think now I would have got a created stone (in fairtrade metal) as they are really like the natural ones but we have been married over 20 years, the options weren't as good then.

Mine is a vintage 'old cut' 0.3ct solitaire with a really delicate tapered white gold band.

It was £300 from an antique shop, we chose it together and it's the most perfect ring I've ever laid eyes on. Even now, all these years later, I still find myself staring at it and checking it out on my hand.

I think ultimately an engagement ring is such a personal thing and there's no one ideal size of stone. You have to think about the size of the stone in the context of your ring size and how wide your finger is and how thick the band is and what kind of band-to-stone ratio you want.

For example, my ring is a size J with quite a thin band and I think the stone looks exactly right, proportionally speaking, but you'd need a bigger diamond to keep the same visual proportions on a wider (or thicker) band.

Definitely don't count out second hand and vintage though, there's a whole treasure trove out there and our day spent exploring antique shops with my DH to find the perfect ring is one of my favourite memories.

1.5 carat. I know the shape isn’t to everyone’s taste but I love it.

My husband designed mine and had it made, it's very dear to me. It's 1ct and beautifully sparkly.

I have a carat round centre stone and a pair of 0.3 pear shapes set at each side. All VVS1 colour F. We bought the ring when we were on holiday in Dubai 11 years ago for £5k set in white gold.
We decided it would be more durable to have the ring made from platinum as the gold claws were quite soft so had the whole ring re made by hand copying the original exactly in platinum for another 5k. The current insurance value has now risen to £26,000.