Jarrett

Ok, I'm proposing to my girl at Christmas. I have been looking at Engagement rings for some time now, and am going to make my choice this week. I'm looking at anywhere between 1-3 thousand bucks to play with here, as I figure it's only right that I allow myself to spend as much on the engagement ring as I did my Eclipse :)
Anyway, I'd like to get some input into what some common sizes, caratwise are, and just generally what some of you married types did when YOU where about to pop the question. ANY input would be greatly appreciated.
-Jarrett
Btw, Do you know how hard it is on a soldier's income to buy an engagement ring, christmas presents, and 2 plane tickets in one month?
Good thing I'm a saver :)

Tootsall

Wow! Congratulations, Jarrett. Looks like you're going to be a busy little boy for the next few months!

Engagement ring? You mean she has no idea? She hasn't managed to drag you (kicking and screaming) through jewelry stores pointing and oogling at them all yet? YOU MEAN SHE DOESN"T EVEN CARE ABOUT DIAMONDS!!???? Holy Guacamole!

My opinion....diamonds are a crap shoot. It should be YOU she wants, not the ring. Give her what you can afford, looks decent, and best expresses your feelings towards her. Otherwise just hand her your chequebook and send her "shopping"!!!!

Wow...you are just going to have to let us know how this one turns out....or we'll be asking your buds.

Jarrett

Well, unfortunately, the Army has had us seperated since last June. I have seen her since then once for 5 days and will be with her for 2 weeks at Christmas. She has sent me pictures of rings she likes online, but it's hard to compare online rings and real rings for me. Hopefully, if the Army doesn't decide I need to stay in Iraq longer, I will be able to actually be in the same country as her next August. If they DO decide I need to stay in the desert, I'll see her approximately February - March 2005.
Fortunately for me, I know we can handle the wait, it's just going to suck. A LOT.
I'm not religious but I know God has to have a hand in this somewhere right?
-J

Skip

Jarrett,

First off, same $ as your Eclipse, please tell me how to get one for $1,000. I'll order several.

As far as diamonds: Research the 4 C's (color, clarity, carat, and C-trumpet, whoops, I mean cut), and my suggestion would be similar to buying a trumpet - get the best you can for the $. A smaller, D, clear diamond will be a better investment than a larger one with impurities, etc. Happy hunting.

Skip

Thevor

Jarrett, first congratualtions, second good luck finding a ring. Its a bit tougher than you'de think. Not to discourage you, but approach buying the ring with the same tenacity as you would buying a new trumpet. Most men don't take the ring as seriously as our female counter parts.

I replaced my wifes wedding set this last year. After 20 years it was time.
I tend to learn as much about my purchases as possible and Skip is correct the 4 C's are very important (color, clarity, carat and cut) The first thing with diamonds is that not all stores rate their diamonds equally. The major chains here, Zales, Kay Jewelers & Fred Meyer Jewelery seemed to have different standards. The private Jewlery stores, didn't necessarily have a better selection and the most notible thing was their prices were anywhere from 20% to 30% higher.

First, decide the style of cut (my favorite is the Princess cut) that will narrow your search considerably. fortunatley for me, my wife is very petite, so a large ring looks akward. What style does she like? I was able to keep this secret by letting my wife wander into the jewelry stores. I ho-hummed as usual. I was paying very close attention to what she was picking out. It was a sacrifice to "go shopping" but the surprise was worth it.

Second, decide what you are willing to sacrifice for your purchase. In other words, if you want a big diamond and your budget is $3000. Then you'll have to buy a diamond that is limited in color or clarity. If you want a high quality diamond, you'll have to sacrifice size for under $3000.

Remember, most people see the ring from arms length. They don't get out the jewelers loop to examine for the occlusions. So if a ring has a few flaws I wouldn't sweat it. Especially if you can't see it from at a glance.

With all that said, I ended up purchasing a custom design ring with a 3/4 carat Princess cut ring with 1 carat of princess cut stones on the band in a channel set for $4500 (my insurance company insured it for $7000) The amazing thing, in all my research, the best quality, fairest rating, the clearest diamonds for the price was at Fred Meyer Jewelry (yep at a grocery store jewelry). It was during the Thanksgivng Sale which ends up being a hugh discount.

Let me know by PM if you have any more questions.

Best wishes,

Thevor

Anonymous

Jarret. I hope the little lady doesn't frequent this site!



TM

eclipse trumpets

Hey Jarrett

I think you can stop worrying about this ring situation!

I just this minute got off the phone having been speaking to LISA for the last 20 minutes or so.

This is gonna make your problem that much easier!

Lisa: Leigh if you could have seen Jarrett's face when he got that lovely,
much cheaper than it should be Eclipse trumpet.
He sounds fantastic playing this trumpet! i couldnt imagine him
playing anything else EVER again.
It is for these reasons that i would love nothing more than for Jarrett
to spend the money on another Eclipse trumpet for himself (or the
new flugel that is to be launched soon)
This would make me far happier than any ring i could ever have.


Leigh: But Lisa you cannot be serio.....

Lisa: Dont try and change my mind Leigh! please try and let him know
how strongly i feel about this, and start building his new horn asap!

Leigh: Well ok Lisa if you're sure?

Lisa: Are you kidding? Hearing Jarrett play his second Eclipse is all the
engagement gift i will ever need.

Leigh: Ok Lisa nice chattin, i'll do my best for you both.


So you see Jarrett it seems clear that you dont have a tough choice at all!

I am just glad i was able to help!

Regards

Leigh

Thevor

I found this, hope it helps. It might help with the education process.

http://store.fredmeyerjewelers.com/e...mond&page=Main

Thevor

Just read Leighs post. Start off on the right foot and do what she says. Don't show up empty handed though.

Jarrett

Wow, lots of responses, thanks alot!
Leigh, I just called Lisa and she said the exact same thing. Put me down for a Medium Red in Clear scratch, JUST LIKE ROB's. That horn is awesome.
But seriously, I've been searching, studying the 4 C's for some time now and I realized that the quality of diamond is REALLY the selling point. I've found 1/3C Diamonds that were far more expensive than lesser quality 1CT diamonds. It's amazing.
I was lucky enough to be blessed with a great memory and remember about a year and a half ago we had a conversation about her ring choices, so I know she likes Platinum or White gold bands and the Round solitaire type cut. This narrows it down. Anyway, thanks for all the insight, I will check out the link that was posted and look around. Oh yeah, she told me she doesn't care what ring it is, but I suspect that comment is one of the *red flag* type comments that your supposed to ignore. Anyways, Thanks for the help, I will tell you what I get.
-Jarrett