What's the fuss over engagement rings?

[LaBoheme]

I think when it comes to rings, it's the sentiment that counts. Most of my friends opted out of big engagement rings, instead getting graceful, smaller rings, and I love all of their choices. A few of my friends got ornate wedding bands with diamonds and wear that alone rather than a big engagement ring and plain band. I personally love my great grandmother's engagement ring, which was emerald (as someone earlier in the thread mentioned), and would love to try to get a similar style (though good emeralds are so much more expensive than diamonds, eek!). Just set a budget and pick a ring you love in that budget. The only bad choices I've seen are when girls try to get the biggest diamond for the money and pick a low quality stone.

I love that idea and sometimes wish I'd asked for a diamond band until I figured out exactly what style of solitaire I really liked(I went from Round Brilliant to Oval and now I want an Emerald cut). I could have saved a lot of time, money, and indecision by waiting.

I'm not particularly sentimental about rings anymore because I lost my original wedding band a few years ago(it was an engraved vintage from old-stock & I haven't been able to find another like it yet) . I was really nervous and sad about it for a while. Now I just appreciate them in a more detached way.