Ladies with smaller diamond rings... are you planning to upgrade?

#16
ame said:
well now is the time to do it. MOST Americans are soon going to be completely priced out of the diamond market. Prices are skyrocketing on stones of all sizes and it's alarming.
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OT: I know, this has gotten me in a tizzy the past few months because I had planned to buy bigger studs but they've nearly DOUBLED in price since January!

I upgraded at five years and never looked back.
 
#17
ame said:
Oh yea, prices seriously are jumping by large percentages fast. The asian markets are really driving the pricing increases of late, not americans, and they are buying stones and fast, supply of higher quality, and larger, stones will deplete faster than can be replaced.
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I have noticed the markups. I always check online inventory for a local jeweler who has a small markup over wholesale and they're jumping like beans. My hubby is making payments on a 1.3 ct IF, G that our jeweler had gotten in on a Tuesday, but we bought it on a Friday and the price had jumped like $1500 or $2000 since they had received the new Rappaport list that day. Of course we tried to get it for the lower price but they wouldn't budge. Lol

OP what are you thinking? Upgrade? Is there a way you can keep your current ring and turn it into a right hand ring? I did that with a promise ring. I couldn't part with it! What kind of stone are you looking at? Diamonds are so much fun!
 
#18
my original engagment ring was tiny, maybe a quarter of a carat. when hubby and i "upgraded", i decided on a half carat ring. The 1 carat looked big on my fingers (i have a marquis cut). I love mine, its small, but its very well cut and sparkles like crazy. and maybe will eventually get something bigger, years down the line. It amazes me how much i get complimented on my wedding set though, even though its not big.
 
#19
My e-ring has been reset a few times -- setting was inexpensive first time, then it got mangled, replaced with a crown that was ordered incorrectly and finally I upgraded to a 3-stone diamond ring for 18th anni. I have no problems resetting as you can see! I chose to keep my original diamond tho (.71 ct).

I haven't been able to let the original diamond go completely and I know my dh would be a little sad over it too as I am sure he stressed out over this purchase. I would welcome a larger solitaire diamond upgrade, but I would still keep the original and turn it into a pendant.

Incidentally, I have an "upgrade" solitaire twice the the "carat" weight in the form of a CZ, it's gorgeous and I get to swap out color stones periodically, just for fun :smile: (in my photo albums)
 
#20
I have a couple of "upgrades" in Moissanite. Fun to wear and guilt-free, cost-wise. It's fun to switch up rings. I would never part with my original, even though it is 1.28 ct but it isn't very good quality. It is the one with emotional meaning for us.
 
#21
My center stone is 1/2 carat. I love it, but have thought it would be nice to have a larger sparkler. I plan to wait for him to initiate it. He has mentioned it but hasn't moved on it. My job situation has sucked for the past few years. Laid off and no job for almost 2 years, back to work for the past 7 months but make a lot less than I used to. Maybe in a few more years.
 
#22
I recently got engaged so I don't think I'll be considering an upgrade at any point. However, when (if) that time comes, I would prefer to keep my e-ring and purchase another ring for an upgrade. The e-ring holds too much sentiment for me to trade it.
 
#23
DH gave me a promise ring 2 years before we got married which I still have. It was a nice 0.75ct marquis with 2 trillian sides but it wasn't really "me". I've been planning to turn it into a pendant of some sort. I love love love my e-ring right now (I've been married less than a year). It's a 1ct close to perfect sparkly radiant cut diamond. But I'm also looking forward to my 5 year anniversary milestone ring which would be my upgrade ring. I'm hoping for 2-2.5ct. DH and I regard the e-ring as a milestone ring. Kind of like each charm on a charm bracelet :smile: However, having said that, I love my current e-ring so much and I think I will not reset it and keep it for a future DD to wear as an heirloom ring or for DS to give to a future wife if he chooses to. And until then, even if I get an upgrade, I'll probably switch between them for variety.
 
#25
I'm a bit torn on this issue. My original engagement ring got stolen the day before my fiance boarded his plane to help me move (we were long-distance between FL and NV and now live together). That ring was the ring his father proposed to his mother with and had great significance to him since it was one of few things he had from his father since he passed away (when my fiance was 12). The ring I have now is of amazing quality, but not as sentimental as that one would have been. Of course, we now have our own memories with this ring... and I got my B.S., a diamond ring and a 4 bedroom house all in the same week, so I can't complain! I feel truly blessed.

I think I'm just going to stack whatever diamonds I can next to this one. So far I have my promise ring and e-ring. I'm still looking at wedding bands. :biggrin:
 
#26
I still have my original e-ring which is a $350.00 Service Merchandise ring. Very pretty, but really small. I've upgraded 2x, still have all of my diamonds. My 2nd upgrade was a .75 marquise and my last one, which I really love, is just a little over 2 ct.! I'd never part with any of my diamonds! Ali
 
#27
lilmountaingirl said:
Wow. Really? I thought it was just the more substantial stones? And at the very least stones over 1 carat but still those aren't even close to stones of 1.5 carats (so i thought)? I'm surprised it's going in this direction considering diamonds are "the" American engagement stone. But i guess i can see it. There are only so many stones per mine and it takes so long for a mine to come on line and then there isn't even a guarantee anything will be found.
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it's exact opposite! Melee sized stones from 0.01 to 0.10 have increased 100% in price anything above .50 carat weight has increased an average of 30 to 40%:wtf:
 
#29
I have my original diamond which is about .65 carat but I plan to replace the stone on our 10th anniversary with a 1 to 1.25 carat stone which would compliment my setting much better. I think I would like to keep my original stone and pass it on to my DS someday so hopefully he will consider using it as an engagement ring. (dont laugh, but he is only 5 but it never hurts to plan for the future!) I love my setting and cannot see myself ever wearing anything different.
 
#30
lilmountaingirl said:
OP what are you thinking? Upgrade? Is there a way you can keep your current ring and turn it into a right hand ring? I did that with a promise ring. I couldn't part with it! What kind of stone are you looking at? Diamonds are so much fun!
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I'm thinking I will upgrade within the next year or two. I'd like something between 1 and 1.5 carats, maybe emerald cut. I don't know very much at all about diamonds so I probably should do some research before I go into any stores. I had no idea that prices were negotiable in some stores! I will definitely keep my original ring. I was thinking about putting the stones into another ring setting to wear on my right hand.

Thanks to everyone who has replied! You've all been so helpful!
 
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