How do you guys feel about upgrading your engagement ring?

[Tolstoi123]

I would also recommend keeping the original ring and use the upgraded one for more fancy/special occasions!
I really appreciate having a smaller, sentimental e-ring that I can wear all day everyday, and having other pieces that come out just at night .

 

[Tolstoi123]

And yes I also will be on the side of getting a huge lab diamond instead of a Tiffany one!!

 

[BigAkoya]

Oh my goodness. .83 to a 3.15. What a dream!! Did you get used to the size right away? That is so cool. Having two dates on the band is a unique idea. Your hubby is so sweet!!

Hi! When I first got the ring, I could not stop staring at it. I was so happy and thrilled. I got used to size pretty quick though.
I know you are thinking of other options such as a Soleste/yellow diamond.

For what it's worth to share...
I looked at yellow diamonds too as well emerald cut diamonds. I really looked at many options for this upgrade as it was going to be a big purchase, and I wanted to get it right.

The Soleste was nice and fashionable, very on-trend now. The emerald cut was stunning, with its step-cut; so mesmerizing.
In the end, I choose a large single solitaire. Why?
Because above all else, I wanted it to be about the diamond, the big sparkle and shine. I did not want a "halo ring" (Soleste) or side stones (emerald ring with baquettes) to take away from the diamond.

I ended up with the round cut because of all the diamond cuts I looked at, by far, the round by far sparkles the most and sparkle is what I wanted. The yellow diamond was nice, but I felt it was more about having a "unique color" vs. a sparkly diamond. The emerald cut was fabulous, and I love emerald cuts gemstones such as Colombian emeralds. However, not for diamonds. An emerald cut diamond is so beautiful to me, but the sparkle that I wanted for a diamond was not there. Emerald cut stones are more elegant than sparkly as you know.

So... after looking for over a year, I ended up with the Tiffany round diamond, super sparkly, and the diamond is the star.
It may be boring to some people (yawn... just a plain old round diamond ), but I love it and still love seeing it on my finger.

One last thought... if you keep your current ring, based on your comments, it seems you will have less budget for your upgrade.
So... do you want two smaller rings or do you want one big ring? For example, will you be happy with your current 1ct+ ring and a 1ct+ Soleste ring? For me, the answer is no. I would gladly trade it in to get one larger ring. Upgrading to me is not getting a second same-size ring. Upgrading is going bigger, at least for me.

I know everyone has their preferences, but for me, I only need one engagement ring. I wear the same ring over and over again, and I love it. If I am ever in a location where I should not wear bling, there is no need for me to wear a "smaller" ring... I just don't wear any rings.

Just my two cents and hope this helps.
You have gotten a lot of great input here from everyone to help you make your decision... take your time... I had a lot of fun doing research and looking at various stones/rings/etc.

And... congratulations to you on your soon-to-be new ring!

 

[hyhbb]

Hi! When I first got the ring, I could not stop staring at it. I was so happy and thrilled. I got used to size pretty quick though.
I know you are thinking of other options such as a Soleste/yellow diamond.

For what it's worth to share...
I looked at yellow diamonds too as well emerald cut diamonds. I really looked at many options for this upgrade as it was going to be a big purchase, and I wanted to get it right.

The Soleste was nice and fashionable, very on-trend now. The emerald cut was stunning, with its step-cut; so mesmerizing.
In the end, I choose a large single solitaire. Why?
Because above all else, I wanted it to be about the diamond, the big sparkle and shine. I did not want a "halo ring" (Soleste) or side stones (emerald ring with baquettes) to take away from the diamond.

I ended up with the round cut because of all the diamond cuts I looked at, by far, the round by far sparkles the most and sparkle is what I wanted. The yellow diamond was nice, but I felt it was more about having a "unique color" vs. a sparkly diamond. The emerald cut was fabulous, and I love emerald cuts gemstones such as Colombian emeralds. However, not for diamonds. An emerald cut diamond is so beautiful to me, but the sparkle that I wanted for a diamond was not there. Emerald cut stones are more elegant than sparkly as you know.

So... after looking for over a year, I ended up with the Tiffany round diamond, super sparkly, and the diamond is the star.
It may be boring to some people (yawn... just a plain old round diamond ), but I love it and still love seeing it on my finger.

One last thought... if you keep your current ring, based on your comments, it seems you will have less budget for your upgrade.
So... do you want two smaller rings or do you want one big ring? For example, will you be happy with your current 1ct+ ring and a 1ct+ Soleste ring? For me, the answer is no. I would gladly trade it in to get one larger ring. Upgrading to me is not getting a second same-size ring. Upgrading is going bigger, at least for me.

I know everyone has their preferences, but for me, I only need one engagement ring. I wear the same ring over and over again, and I love it. If I am ever in a location where I should not wear bling, there is no need for me to wear a "smaller" ring... I just don't wear any rings.

Just my two cents and hope this helps.
You have gotten a lot of great input here from everyone to help you make your decision... take your time... I had a lot of fun doing research and looking at various stones/rings/etc.

And... congratulations to you on your soon-to-be new ring!

Thank you so much. You have been so helpful and gave me so much valuable input.

Yes, many people here have suggested me to keep the original engagement ring, which a part of me wants to, but it's true, I might not have a need for a smaller ring for occasions where I do not need bling. If I'm travelling, maybe I shouldn't be wearing anything valuable to me that I could potentially lose or misplace to begin with.

The good thing with the upgrade for Tiffany is that there's no longer a time limit, so I could really take my time to decide. I feel like in a sense, I'm kind of all over the place right now. To be very honest, I do feel that I'm not yet ready to part with my ring. And if we don't have the budget to both keep the ring and get a larger Tiffany ring at the moment, I'm thinking perhaps I should wait it out and entertain the idea of upgrading for our 10th wedding anniversary. That's still a couple years away, which is plenty of time. By then, I'm confident that keeping the original engagement ring might be an option, or perhaps I will feel more ready to part with it and feel it's time to just trade it in for something larger once and for all.

As for the soleste, it's actually something that's been on my mind for quite some time. I love the Tiffany soleste. Not as much as the Tiffany setting, but I have seen many double halos, both in person and in pictures, and I'm generally not a fan, but I feel like Tiffany does the double halo like no other. I think i would be very happy to have a soleste piece, not as an upgrade but more of an anniversary gift. And with the soleste it's a case where I do feel like bigger isn't better. It looks most beautiful and delicate (to me) if it's between 1-1.3 CT.

 

[htx1234]

We considered upgrading mine (1.37) but didn't go through Tiffany because 1.) sentimental reasons and 2.) the price difference alone would allow me to get an entirely different ring. Even going from a G (mine currently) to around a 2.2 I was going to be a 30k difference.

 

[Jakemeister1000]

My wife originally had a 1 Ct princess cut stone that we got from a 2nd floor diamond seller on Rodeo Drive (we had a wholesale connection). It was an ungraded stone and had lovely fire. She chose from three similar stones. We had it put in an engraved platinum setting that was custom made. It seemed so big at the time.

15 years later, our same wholesale jeweler came across a lovely stone of someone trading up and flipped it to us. That's what she wears now.

It's a 2.25 Ct D color, brilliant, and beautiful. Don't be shocked but it's graded SI2, which sounds filthy but all of the occlusions are white and unless you are looking closely, are invisible. Our jeweler refers to stones like these as "jeweler's diamonds," meaning that they cost less and look great because unless you have a loupe they look super. Being a great cut and being colorless, it's set on an actual Tiffany knife edge mount. All I can say is that she loves it. Like 100x more than the one she got when was engaged. I would never try to find one of these on Blue Nile. You need to know a jeweler who can source these so you both can make sure it's a good one.

She's not terribly sentimental to say the least. We melted the old mount and turned it into a pendant setting for the old stone.

 

[Aliceinred]

My husband surprised me with a new engagement ring on our 7th anniversary. I kept the stone from my original Tiffany set engagement ring and had it bezel set and set into a band flanked by baguettes. I now use the “original” diamond ring as a wedding band.

 

[DaintyDiamonds]

Of course this is just my opinion, I don't know you personally, but having read your posts:

I think older you will want current you to keep the ring. It was there during your ceremony, and it represents your husband working hard and saving up to give it to you. The fact that he remembered you wanted a larger diamond shows what a gem he is. I know a larger diamond is your dream yet you do have a Tiffany ring, that's very special! You married your dream man and your ring is where you both were then. That's why I think you should keep it as a representation of that. In the long run the size of the diamond and material things have less importance than the sentimentality behind and within them. An "upgrade" can have that too, but it wasn't what he gave you and what you wore the day he proposed.

 

[Rhl2987]

I would love to hear what OP decided to do!

Lots of great advice in this thread. I have never owned a Tiffany engagement ring but have “upgraded” a handful of times in the last 6 years. My original ring was a 2 carat oval, G VS1, with trillion cut side stones. In the last couple of years, I’ve discovered a love for antique stones for their rarity and incredible cuts. I’ve since had 4 larger diamond rings, ranging from a 4.2 carat old euro to a 7.5 carat old mine. I sold 2, one is with my Mom, and one is with me. I did not lose much at all when selling these, basically the setting cost, because I have great dealers. My original engagement ring is still with me. I would have an extremely difficult time parting with it because of its sentimental value. My husband designed it and it is the only ring he purchased for me. It is tight after two babies so I only wear it occasionally. Once it fits again I will wear it more often.

I want to ask, is there enough of a noticeable difference between a 1.3 and 2 carat stone that you’ll be happy with the 2 carat for a long while? Is your goal forever with the 2 carat or just a handful of years until you upgrade again? If it were me, I might wait until I had the funds for a larger upgrade so there is a more noticeable difference between the center stones, and then keep both.

 

[Yodabest]

I would love to hear what OP decided to do!

Lots of great advice in this thread. I have never owned a Tiffany engagement ring but have “upgraded” a handful of times in the last 6 years. My original ring was a 2 carat oval, G VS1, with trillion cut side stones. In the last couple of years, I’ve discovered a love for antique stones for their rarity and incredible cuts. I’ve since had 4 larger diamond rings, ranging from a 4.2 carat old euro to a 7.5 carat old mine. I sold 2, one is with my Mom, and one is with me. I did not lose much at all when selling these, basically the setting cost, because I have great dealers. My original engagement ring is still with me. I would have an extremely difficult time parting with it because of its sentimental value. My husband designed it and it is the only ring he purchased for me. It is tight after two babies so I only wear it occasionally. Once it fits again I will wear it more often.

I want to ask, is there enough of a noticeable difference between a 1.3 and 2 carat stone that you’ll be happy with the 2 carat for a long while? Is your goal forever with the 2 carat or just a handful of years until you upgrade again? If it were me, I might wait until I had the funds for a larger upgrade so there is a more noticeable difference between the center stones, and then keep both.

There is a noticeable difference jumping up a whole carat. If it were me personally, I’d wait and uograde once but keep both rings.

 

[darkangel07760]

Twice married woman here!
When I first got married, my ex bought me a simple solitaire and to be honest he really didn’t put much thought into it. I am not concerned about the size of the stone, but I would have liked something more “me” and less generic. I ended up completely upgrading my ring. The setting and the stone. I chose it and loved it much better. But, it didn’t have a special feel to it because I chose it and it just didn’t feel right.
Fast forward to me and my current husband and he took me completely by surprise. First off he chose a natural black diamond, and the setting is to die for! He got it custom made and figured it all out on his own. My only (tiny) complaint is that I would have preferred rose gold over white gold, but honestly I love both metals. I could never upgrade; it is so beautiful and he made it happen without me having a clue! So therefore I am a sentimental fool and will never upgrade.
Buuuut I do hope that one day I will get an anniversary band to add to the stack lol!!!

 

[minted5]

I personally find the upgrade of an engagement ring a bit strange to be honest. For other pieces of jewelry I get it, but I couldn't let go of the ring. For sure let him buy you the beautiful new and shiny ring of your dreams as an anniversary gift, but I'd still hold on to the original engagement ring, especially since you love it and it's a sentimental piece. There might also come a time or place when you prefer a more understated ring again.

I agree...to me, when we got engaged we got the ring he could (not really) afford! We were 20 and 22 when we got married and lived on a shoestring budget for years while degrees were attained and careers built. We now are financially capable to do an upgrade but it just doesn't sit right with me. I'd rather get other pieces of jewelry, possibly for milestone anniversaries, but that engagement ring has a meaning, in fact being small is part of the appeal. It stands for us not needing much to start our lives together!

 

[couchette]

I would also love to know what OP decided.
My husband proposed to me on our European trip without a ring!Where he was born men didn’t typically propose with a diamond ring.At that time I wasn’t into jewerly at all and I hastily picked out my ring(He didn’t even give me a budget lol) Fast forward YEARS later and noticed it didn’t sparkle that much(platinum band was also very tight)My husband wanted me to upgrade on our 20 yr anniversary so that’s what I did.I now have just under 2 ct.I used Pricescope and did a lot of research to make sure it sparkles(got the timing right…diamonds at that time took a huge hit in value so I bought it at a low)I kept original diamond.

 

[jewlerylover]

I have up graded 3 times. My husband was in the military when he proposed 34 years ago so there was not a budget for an e-ring. My first upgraded set was .60 step cut and the 25 year mark it was a 1ct old mine cut and for the 30th a 2ct round pictured below. We looked at a 3ct but this was a triple x and sparkled like crazy. I still rotate the other two in depending on what we are doing. If traveling outside of the US I usually wear the smaller e-ring. Love them all and now I have one for each of my grandkids when I kick off. Lol

 

[A bottle of Red]

Twice married woman here!
When I first got married, my ex bought me a simple solitaire and to be honest he really didn’t put much thought into it. I am not concerned about the size of the stone, but I would have liked something more “me” and less generic. I ended up completely upgrading my ring. The setting and the stone. I chose it and loved it much better. But, it didn’t have a special feel to it because I chose it and it just didn’t feel right.
Fast forward to me and my current husband and he took me completely by surprise. First off he chose a natural black diamond, and the setting is to die for! He got it custom made and figured it all out on his own. My only (tiny) complaint is that I would have preferred rose gold over white gold, but honestly I love both metals. I could never upgrade; it is so beautiful and he made it happen without me having a clue! So therefore I am a sentimental fool and will never upgrade.
Buuuut I do hope that one day I will get an anniversary band to add to the stack lol!!!

I'd love to see pictures of your ring , a black diamond sounds super unique