Engagement ring help!

TPF may earn a commission from merchant affiliate
links, including eBay, Amazon, and others

N

nikki2304

Member
Jan 3, 2014
399
54
#1
Me and my partner have been together five years and are at the stage where we are ready to get married.

Though looking at engagement rings has become incredibly stressful! To the point where I aka starting to think shall I just settle for a £50 Argos ring!

I love rings where there are lots of diamonds, but my bf thinks it's tacky and as I am wearing it forever need something timeless. I can see his point.

Though the solitare rings are something lots of women have so a little boring, though with a wedding band really sparkly looks lovely. I just do not know what to do for the best! His budget is around 4k and with so much money being spent I want it right!

I love the following styles:
ImageUploadedByPurseForum1429370611.547930.jpg

He says it's tacky and in 20 years I'll regret it so should look at things like this:
ImageUploadedByPurseForum1429370641.497594.jpg

Simple and timeless.

Last thing I want in twenty years is a ring I hate.

Any Thoughts/own experiences?

Thanks in advance
 
#3
Hi nikki2304,

Congrats on your engagement! I don't usually post here, but I do love jewelry. Both rings are beautiful. I would look for the best diamond (quality/size) I could get within the 4K budget, since you can change the setting later on.

Just out of curiosity, you use the symbol £ in your post, are you in England? The reason I am asking is because I spend my summers in Europe and sometimes I don't feel very safe using expensive jewelry when I am there.
 
#5
Hi nikki2304! Congratulations on the engagement :smile1: 10 years ago i used to have the halo micro paved setting (same as the 1st photo) but now i changed style to a much simpler one. Not because of my first setting being tacky but i just found that less of the little paved diamonds means i can wear my ring more often without worries of dropping one of the small diamonds when i bang into things. Maybe a simple solitaire with a few stones on the side? Heres mine with a simpler setting with baguette stones at the side.



Good luck on your decision and both are timeless setting, choose whatever you hearts desire and which ever makes you happy :smile1:
 
#6
Agree with Ame, a more elaborate setting will eat into your stone funds. A well made pave halo will run at the minimum 2k. If that's fine with you, then definitely get what you want today. You always have the option to re-set in the future.
 
#7
Congratulations on your engagement! I can relate; selecting an item that balances both of your tastes and budget that you intend on wearing for a very long time is stressful. I'd sent my SO about five different options, told him to choose, and we still went back and forth on the selection.

I think both are gorgeous options and halo settings are perfectly tasteful. I may be a bit biased as I have a micro pave halo setting. I do agree with the comments about the impact to the budget and being worried about the diamonds in the setting though.

Have you tried on any rings in person? At a store or a friends? It will help to get a feel for a ring, what you like, and what he likes. A photo of a ring taken to highlight all of the sparkle and size when it's at it's cleanest will be different from what it looks like after wearing it for awhile. He may realize it's not over the top or you may find a design that's more subtle that you love.
 
#8
I echo ame and OKComputer, choose the best diamond you can within your budget, the main stone cut and sparkle is the most important imo ....then choose the setting. My e-ring is a simple solitaire much like that in your 2nd picture, you can always stack eg with a full diamond eternity band if you want to add on bling.
In the end, you are wearing the ring so you must be happy with it. Do go and try a few settings and once it's on your finger, you will know which you love most.
Enjoy choosing your e ring.
 
#9
I'm just chiming in because I too started out with a halo; I loved it, but felt like I eventually out grew that style. Opting for something more timeless I ended up buying a solitaire. I later became bored with the simplicity of the solitaire. I currently have a 2carat 3stone ring and I love it!
I wrote that long statement to say maybe you should save yourself the trouble later on and start with a solitaire with side stones and see how you feel about it. I think if you purchase a halo you may live to regret it. GL!
 
#10
Thanks for all of your comments! Yes I am in the UK and to be honest, safety here isn't too bad depending on which part of the country you are in!

Jonathan Jay that's a beautiful ring.

I am confused with come comments though as I thought you were meant to keep the same ring for life?!!!!

That said the halo is the only ring that has made my heart skip a beat. I have spoken to my bf and he said he doesn't care he isn't buying it because he doesn't think it's an everyday ring, stones will get lost, I'll get robbed and it's his money!! Which I find a little frustrating.

Any more thoughts/opinions or experienced to share?
 
#11
I can tell you that after over a year of ring hunting I was indecisive and wavered from halo, no halo, solitaire with plain band, and finally decided on a solitaire with pave band. I love my ring and the stone really pops without the distraction of a halo, while the pave adds extra sparkle. I'm glad I took longer to have my ring made because I tired of the halo so quickly. I would rather have a large central stone rather than an elaborate setting so that the stone is the focal point. I was also fortunate in that my fiancé basically let me have whatever I wanted, as long as it was within budget.

I'm not steering you into one style or another, but just keep in mind that what you loved at first may not be what you want for the long haul. Also, you can always get a halo right hand ring if you love the look, which is what I'll probably do later on and wear it for special occasions. I think the halo setting is classic for colored stones but I personally am halo'd out when it comes to engagement rings.
 
#12
i*bella said:
I can tell you that after over a year of ring hunting I was indecisive and wavered from halo, no halo, solitaire with plain band, and finally decided on a solitaire with pave band. I love my ring and the stone really pops without the distraction of a halo, while the pave adds extra sparkle. I'm glad I took longer to have my ring made because I tired of the halo so quickly. I would rather have a large central stone rather than an elaborate setting so that the stone is the focal point. I was also fortunate in that my fiancé basically let me have whatever I wanted, as long as it was within budget.

I'm not steering you into one style or another, but just keep in mind that what you loved at first may not be what you want for the long haul. Also, you can always get a halo right hand ring if you love the look, which is what I'll probably do later on and wear it for special occasions. I think the halo setting is classic for colored stones but I personally am halo'd out when it comes to engagement rings.
Click to expand...

+1 to the bolded above!!

I personally would recommend buying the absolute best diamond you can afford cut and clarity wise, and go for a simple setting.
 
#13
nikki2304 said:
I am confused with come comments though as I thought you were meant to keep the same ring for life?!!!!

That said the halo is the only ring that has made my heart skip a beat. I have spoken to my bf and he said he doesn't care he isn't buying it because he doesn't think it's an everyday ring, stones will get lost, I'll get robbed and it's his money!! Which I find a little frustrating.

Any more thoughts/opinions or experienced to share?
Click to expand...

First off, congrats on the impending engagment! What an exciting time it must be for you and your partner :smile1:

When i was shopping for my e-ring with my (then) partner, we tried on many, many different styles. Having seen beautiful, classic solitaires on most of my girlfriends, this was naturally one of the styles we seriously considered... But after trying a few on, both my husband and i agreed that while it was classic and lovely, that style was just not very "me". I also tried on some 3-stone rings, as well as a few halos (even though he wasn't too keen on getting one, from the photos of halo styles he'd seen). However, the moment I tried on the halo setting, both my partner and I knew that we'd found the right style for me. To quote you, it was the only style that made my heart skip a beat! Have you guys had an opportunity to try any rings on in real life yet? Perhaps this might help him change his mind, as my husband didn't like the look of halo style e-rings until he saw it on my finger.

Ultimately, this will be a ring you will be wearing for a long time, and you have to be happy with it-- i know a lot of ladies upgrade their e-rings or re-set them, but my husband is absolutely against this idea, so I know my e-ring isn't going to change anytime in the near or distant future!

All the best with ring shopping, and I hope you end up getting a ring that makes you very, very happy for a long time to come :smile1:
 
#14
jonathan jay said:
Hi nikki2304! Congratulations on the engagement :smile1: 10 years ago i used to have the halo micro paved setting (same as the 1st photo) but now i changed style to a much simpler one. Not because of my first setting being tacky but i just found that less of the little paved diamonds means i can wear my ring more often without worries of dropping one of the small diamonds when i bang into things. Maybe a simple solitaire with a few stones on the side? Heres mine with a simpler setting with baguette stones at the side.



Good luck on your decision and both are timeless setting, choose whatever you hearts desire and which ever makes you happy :smile1:
Click to expand...

on a side note, your ring is breathtaking!
 
#15
Yes we have tried some on and it's the halo that gets me! We are going to try on some more shortly as we are on holiday at the moment so will browse.

I'm so torn! All of the jewellers say a pave band solitare is not as classy which I disagree with but I feel that it is a halfway house. So confused!

I shouldn't care what others will think of my ring but sadly I do!
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top