namrfumot

So after nearly five years of dating I've decided to tie the noose..err...I mean knot. My best friend who got married last year went to the mall for his ring, and while it's nice it doesn't seem like he got the best value for his cash.

Is it better to buy it in person, or over the net? Any preferred stores or sites? Any other advice/warnings from those that have already done this?

I know there have been threads about this in the past, but I want the most current info possible. Looking to spend right around 2k.

Raul3

I bought mine in Costco.

OldBoy

better go to Jared's!

BearFan

Same here, they have nice stuff and the prices are reasonable.

bunkaroo

My advice is don't do it!

Deftones

Blue Nile has great stuff and prices. Got a fantastic ring for my wife there.

Tracer Bullet

Women want jewelry for getting married??? What will they think of next?

TheBang

Bought my diamond on Blue Nile for a lot cheaper than any local place would sell it for. Went to a local place to design a custom ring and have it set.

Matt925

Got mine at blue nile as well. Definitely don't go to a mall place. Costco has great deals but many women in your area are going to end up with the exact same ring.

Oh, and congrats.

TomOpus

Make sure you have a good understanding of the style she would like. When I picked out her ring, I focused more on the stone. I could tell she wasn't thrilled with my choice of setting and I really wanted her to be happy with it.

So I found out she wanted an art deco style ring with filigree. Something unique. Off we went hunting for that setting. Eventually we wound up at a local shop that had an estate sale counter. She spotted an antique ring that fit the bill. You could tell by the smile on her face we had found it. Luckily, the filigree stopped right where it needed to be for the sizing (her ring size is like 3 or 3.5) to be done. She loved my stone so we had that mounted on the new setting.

Trevor

Congrats!

Blue Nile is your answer.

flair

Gemesis is a better idea than buying a mined diamond. No need for that anymore.

Nick Danger

I went to a boutique jewelery shop that sold rings made by artists. We got rings made by Gaia Pelikan.

Fortunately, Mrs Danger didn't want a diamond. (What a relief that was!) She also believed that diamond engagement rings are a marketing ploy by the diamond syndicate.

Skipping the rock allows you to spend money for much nicer rings.

kvrdave

Find the cheapest thing that looks good to the naked eye and go with it.

Nick Danger

My sister and her husband did that. She got a depression-era ring with little bitty diamonds set to make them look more impressive than they were. It's actually quite nice. It was just made when people didn't have a lot of cash for big stones.

Krayzie

I bought my diamond and custom ring from whiteflash.

pricescope is a good source for diamond info.

jfoobar

She's right. Several things in this article would shock most people:

http://www.businessinsider.com/why-d...-a-sham-2013-3

RoyalTea

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mndtrp

Blue Nile is awesome. It educated me about the various aspects of the rings, very easy to dial in what I wanted and how much I wanted to spend, quickly did a resize since I didn't get the right size the first time. I think they actually have lifetime sizing, so if your wife gets all chubby later on, you can keep it fitting her finger.

TomOpus

At least you said IF instead of WHEN

Cardiff Giant11

I used Blue Nile and found the price and financing to be better than the larger stores and some of the smaller local stores. She loved it and it was higher quality and less expensive than one she saw at the mall and liked.

We ended up using them for our wedding bands too and again, very happy with them both.

fumanstan

I looked heavily at Blue Nile but happened to find a local retailer called Liberty Diamonds that were able to put together something similar at a good price. I just worried about resizing and any issues and prefer dealing with someone nearby if there were any issues.

RocShemp

I have always felt that engagement rings and huge weddings are a waste of money that would be better spent on a good home and day-to-day expenses of a family. Which is probably one (of many) reason(s) why I'm single.

The Bus

Went to Angies List and found the best-rated jeweler in NYC's diamond district. I got better price than Blue Nile and outstanding service.

tasha99

I so agree with this! They try to tell you to spend 2 months salary on a ring. I can't imagine who that would be a good idea for. Poor people? Say someone makes minimum wage--they should really pay $2500 for a ring? People who make more end up with a ridiculous amount of money sunk into jewelry.