Should I upgrade my engagement ring?

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#31
mewt said:
I don't understand. Just get both? A natural 2ct diamond would cost more than the price of lab diamond + a bracelet. What I understand is that you could easily afford a natural 2ct but are getting a lab to save money, in which case that bracelet is calling your name (and I'd get the Love, of the two). ;)

I also wouldn't sell your current set. I know you're not sentimental, but what if you have kids, or just need a different look from time to time? A 2ct solitaire will be higher set and more likely to spin from the top heaviness, or bang into things and generally be a nuisance on days you're really working your fingers (ie typing a lot). Selling that beauty at a loss is just too sad.

Also your new band matches nicely with your current ring, but might look a tad small next to a 2ct.
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Haha oh I wish I could get both - at least I couldn't in the same year. :) No way would I ever get a 2 ct natural diamond - that's just too much money for me to spend on this particular item. I like a big sparkly ring but I don't like it THAT much iykwim? I limit myself to one luxury purchase a year so just trying to prioritize which this year, and save the other for another year unless I lose desire for the 2nd.
 
#32
helpfulniche said:
This is what I was thinking too. If anything, the trends I see with my friends is smaller (vintage) diamonds or even stepping away from diamonds completely for different stones.
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My friends generally live on the coasts so LA, SF, NYC, DC - I wouldn't say they are very wealthy but I think people are just used to spending more on these items there. Some are not at all wealthy.
 
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#34
@lalame, something else to remember is that your friends may have a 2 ct ring but as an SI clarity, H colour as opposed to a 2 ct ring with VVS clarity, D colour. Huge difference in price and not so obvious to the naked eye. Another reason why not to focus too much on what your friends may have. Ultimately, people’s finances are a mystery; how people can afford what they seemingly have (including on this purse forum) will never be known to us, and frankly, who cares! To each their own. Your ring set is so beautiful; wear it in good health knowing the love it represents when given to you.
 
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#36
helpfulniche said:
This is what I was thinking too. If anything, the trends I see with my friends is smaller (vintage) diamonds or even stepping away from diamonds completely for different stones.
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From my “limited” knowledge of this topic, it seems to be going in two different ways.

There are those traditionalists that are getting natural diamond erings, and what seems to be “appropriate” keeps getting bigger each year. When I first got engaged over 25 years ago, and in my social set of middle income North America, half carat was considered “wow”. Now our children expect 1+ carat.

The other direction is minimalism and other less expensive precious stones, including lab. I have to admit I really love the unique look of these...made with salt&pepper diamonds, morganite, sapphires, etc, even quartz! We have to remember that the whole “ideal” of a diamond engagement ring is a marketing construct created by DeBeers only 100 years ago!
 
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#39
Since you are expecting, how about a push present?
Depending on the birth month, pick a piece of jewelry that celebrates the baby and you as a mother.
(this is how I acquired engagement ring number 5 or 6:lol:)
Keep your OG, even though you are not sentimental, your husband might be.
Plus, you could pass it on to your future son or daughter or even grand....
 
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#40
lalame said:
Hi ladies, could really use some advice as I've been going back and forth on this for months now. I'm considering either "upgrading" my engagement ring or getting a Cartier Love/VCA 5 motif bracelet. I suppose it's more like which to get now and which to wait several years for. I've only been married for 2 years but we got engaged a few years before that and, at the time, I didn't have any other friends who were engaged and I just wasn't very knowledgeable about jewelry. I got a ring that was kind of trendy and picked a carat size I thought was appropriate. Now, I can't help but ogle other people's rings! I have probably the smallest diamond of all my friends despite being in a much better financial position. I feel I'm being vain and materialistic so haven't asked any of them for advice. :sad:

Current ring is pictured below. It's a 1.25 center diamond with halo on a 5.25 ring size. I'm considering getting a 2-2.1 ct lab diamond on plain band, which would cost less than my original ring because the price of lab diamonds have declined significantly. I'd probably sell my current ring at a 50-60% loss but it pays for a decent amount of the new ring.

View attachment 5071320

My husband thinks it's a waste of money to upgrade my ring and I should focus my energy on growing my collection with new items instead, like the bracelet. Logically, it would make sense for me to get the bracelet first as those items get more expensive every year while lab diamonds may be declining every year. But does anyone else think differently? I am the type of person who wears my engagement ring every day (pre-covid), and I would wear whichever bracelet I got 24/7 if it helps. TIA!
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It is a beautiful ring...maybe upgrade to the same design by just a bit bigger if stone size is your interest.
What would you do with the other one?
I don't think adding a bracelet to the collection will satisfy you, it wouldn't satisfy me.
An upgrade at year 2 sounds just fine and seems like good time.
 
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#43
lalame said:
My friends generally live on the coasts so LA, SF, NYC, DC - I wouldn't say they are very wealthy but I think people are just used to spending more on these items there. Some are not at all wealthy.
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As someone upthread said, other peoples' financial situations are a mystery. That said, some of your friends with the much larger diamonds may be wearing CZ, lab-created diamonds, lesser color and clarity diamonds, be in debt up to their eyeballs, because of the rings they are wearing or who knows? You may be feeling like you need to keep up with people who are barely keeping it together financially themselves. They MAY be able to afford what they have, they may not be able to afford it at all.

I am older and at this point I realize that things are not always as they seem. I know people, who have told us, that they are stretched financially, even though, everything looks great from the outside. I can think of a few people who I suspect are stretched very tight, because they spend more than they make, trying to keep up appearances.

You aren't spending more than you make, but you may be trying to keep up appearances with your friends. I understand there can be some competitiveness that goes on between friends, but frankly I would rather be the couple who looks like they don't have as much, but who are really in much better financial shape. Once you start trying to keep up with The Jones's, it's a never-ending game. There will ALWAYS be someone with more than you. Always. It's a no- way- to -win game.

I have several lovely rings. I have been married a long time. And now, more often than not, I wear a plain gold band by itself or pair it with a 1/2 carat diamond. I have larger, more expensive rings, I have diamond wedding bands, but I rarely wear them anymore, only once in awhile. It just doesn't matter. I have been married nearly 40 years...THAT matters more than how big my diamonds are or how expensive my wedding band is. My marriage and my family are what matter. The rest is gravy.

If you have a good husband who loves you, you are the richest woman in the world.
 
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#44
I understand wanting a bigger engagement ring (I never wear mine anymore and wear a sizeable eternity band). However, I don’t think you should get a large lab grown diamond for the sake of having a larger stone. I think there’s a chance you’ll regret not having a natural diamond anymore.

The cost of diamonds will always fluctuate. However, the cost of a Cartier or VCA piece will increase over time as they have price increases fairly often. Now, that doesn’t mean the value increases. But you will certainly pay more for one of those later whereas a diamond price may not change much. So I would suggest picking a branded item now vs upgrading.
 
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#45
tinybutterfly said:
As someone upthread said, other peoples' financial situations are a mystery. That said, some of your friends with the much larger diamonds may be wearing CZ, lab-created diamonds, lesser color and clarity diamonds, be in debt up to their eyeballs, because of the rings they are wearing or who knows? You may be feeling like you need to keep up with people who are barely keeping it together financially themselves. They MAY be able to afford what they have, they may not be able to afford it at all.

I am older and at this point I realize that things are not always as they seem. I know people, who have told us, that they are stretched financially, even though, everything looks great from the outside. I can think of a few people who I suspect are stretched very tight, because they spend more than they make, trying to keep up appearances.

You aren't spending more than you make, but you may be trying to keep up appearances with your friends. I understand there can be some competitiveness that goes on between friends, but frankly I would rather be the couple who looks like they don't have as much, but who are really in much better financial shape. Once you start trying to keep up with The Jones's, it's a never-ending game. There will ALWAYS be someone with more than you. Always. It's a no- way- to -win game.

I have several lovely rings. I have been married a long time. And now, more often than not, I wear a plain gold band by itself or pair it with a 1/2 carat diamond. I have larger, more expensive rings, I have diamond wedding bands, but I rarely wear them anymore, only once in awhile. It just doesn't matter. I have been married nearly 40 years...THAT matters more than how big my diamonds are or how expensive my wedding band is. My marriage and my family are what matter. The rest is gravy.

If you have a good husband who loves you, you are the richest woman in the world.
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100% agree!
 
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