Time to get off my arsé and buy an engagement ring

One More Toy

Hello,

Its about time for me to buy an engagement ring for my long suffering girlfriend

BUT, im lost as to what to do

I dont mind going abroad to source a cheaper ring eg. antwerp

Could someone please point me in the right direction?

Best Wishes
OMT

Batgurl

One More Toy wrote: »

Hello,

Its about time for me to buy an engagement ring for my long suffering girlfriend

BUT, im lost as to what to do

I dont mind going abroad to source a cheaper ring eg. antwerp

Could someone please point me in the right direction?

Best Wishes
OMT

I would recommend buying a token ring from accessorise or somewhere and propose with that. Then if she says yes the 2 of you can pick it out together. It’s a great experience for a couple to go through and it also allows her input into a piece of jewellery she’ll wear her entire life.

One More Toy

Batgurl wrote: »

I would recommend buying a token ring from accessorise or somewhere and propose with that. Then if she says yes the 2 of you can pick it out together. It’s a great experience for a couple to go through and it also allows her input into a piece of jewellery she’ll wear her entire life.

Im leaning towards that right now, itd be better picking one that she actually likes!

Now the hard part - how much to spend? Would 2k to 2.5k be a decent ring?

Any recommendations for jewellers in Dublin? Apologies for the questions but im pretty lost!

Batgurl

To be honest, the hard part is finding a ring style she likes. After that it’s about finding a stone that fits your budget. Only spend what you can afford.

There are great sites like Vashi, Blue Nile and 77 Diamonds where you can create a ring based on your budget ie find a style you like and the adjust the parameters for the diamond you can afford.

If she wants a big diamond (carat), you’ll need to lower your standards on cut, colour and clarity. But maybe she wants a really good sparkle So then go for a better cut and smaller diamond. Honestly as a woman it’s mainly about finding a style you like. After that you genuinely don’t care that much.

laylag

One More Toy wrote:

Im leaning towards that right now, itd be better picking one that she actually likes!

One More Toy wrote:

Now the hard part - how much to spend? Would 2k to 2.5k be a decent ring?

One More Toy wrote:

Any recommendations for jewellers in Dublin? Apologies for the questions but im pretty lost!

My husband got me a promise ring and it was lovely to pick it out myself. Best to decide on a budget tho so you are both clear before you go shopping.... otherwise it could be v awkward!!
In relation to price, you can get a gorgeous ring at any price I think...you just need to look around and avoid anything too high end. Have a look on fields website and Gear jewellers have great discounts on some gorgeous rings at the moment!

VW 1

I personally proposed with a band style ring that she is going to use for her wedding ring, and had a trip booked to Amsterdam so that she could pick out her own ring while we were there.

The ring she picked and the style isn't something I'd have picked out in a million years, despite thinking I knew her taste.

Zadkiel

One More Toy wrote: »

Hello,

Its about time for me to buy an engagement ring for my long suffering girlfriend

BUT, im lost as to what to do

I dont mind going abroad to source a cheaper ring eg. antwerp

Could someone please point me in the right direction?

Best Wishes
OMT

Some solid advice here already. I'd second buying a promise ring and agreeing a budget. However I'd steer clear of retail jewelers their mark up is huge. I'd recommend voltaire or bespoke diamonds. Both with offices in Dublin and either could make pretty much any style of ring with a better quality stone for a better price than a high street jeweler.
Best of luck

lilblackdress

I got an amazing engagement ring made in Dublin diamond factory. We also got wedding rings done there. We were able to design everything ourselves and they gave great advice 're metals stones etc. Cost a fraction of the price of rings we looked at and it was made exactly how I wanted it. My now husband proposed with a ring from swarovski which I still wear and won't get wrecked or discoloured 😄

SarahS2013

Another vote for choosing the ring together, either before or after you get engaged.

We picked mine about 5 months before we got engaged. He wanted to have the ring for the proposal so he brought me in, I told him my preference and then I was told to forget about it and pretend it never happened

We used Voltaire Diamonds in Dublin and they have been amazing, I can't recommend them highly enough. Their prices are lower than high street prices as they have lower overheads so you wouldn't be savings much more by going abroad.

Meauldsegosha

We got my ring in Bespoke Jewellers on Kildare Street, Dublin. My OH was in touch with them in advance and picked out 5 styles he knew I would like. They were a great help in advising him.

Voltaire Diamonds: Seamus

Hi SarahS2013, many thanks for your kind words about Voltaire Diamonds. 
One More Toy, we would be delighted to meet you. Our offices are just off Grafton Street in Dublin. We have a large selection of rings available on the day we meet. If you have a very specific design in mind, our Dublin workshop can easily handmake the design.
You can call us on 016778449 or email us on info@voltairediamonds.ie
We look forward to hearing from you.
Seamus
https://www.voltairediamonds.ie/

Batgurl

Batgurl wrote: »

I would recommend buying a token ring from accessorise or somewhere and propose with that. Then if she says yes the 2 of you can pick it out together. It’s a great experience for a couple to go through and it also allows her input into a piece of jewellery she’ll wear her entire life.

*cough* it might be a great experience for the bride, but it's not a great experience for the lad. I was bored out of my mind. Apart from paying for it, my presence was completely unneccessary

SarahS2013

Deleted User wrote: »

*cough* it might be a great experience for the bride, but it's not a great experience for the lad. I was bored out of my mind. Apart from paying for it, my presence was completely unneccessary

Speak for yourself! My other half was only delighted to be involved and to help me in my choice :rolleyes:

SarahS2013

SarahS2013 wrote: »

Speak for yourself! My other half was only delighted to be involved and to help me in my choice :rolleyes:

Good for you guys :rolleyes:
I'm just speaking from a male perspective, and I can only represent myself, and my friends. Not one of my friends enjoyed that part. Whats to enjoy? It's like going dress shopping with your fianceé

heretothere

SarahS2013 wrote: »

We picked mine about 5 months before we got engaged.

I'm genuinely just curious, did that not take from the surprise of the engagement? I had no clue it was coming and loved the big surprise!

GingerLily

heretothere wrote: »

SarahS2013 wrote: »

We picked mine about 5 months before we got engaged.

I'm genuinely just curious, did that not take from the surprise of the engagement? I had no clue it was coming and loved the big surprise!

It seems a bit fake to me too. My friend actually designed her own ring and then 4 months later had this big "proposal story", but she'd already bought and paid for the ring, it was all just staged

SarahS2013

heretothere wrote: »

I'm genuinely just curious, did that not take from the surprise of the engagement? I had no clue it was coming and loved the big surprise!

No, sure we had spoken about getting engaged and getting married for a long time before we got engaged, so it was already firmly on the cards.

SarahS2013

GingerLily wrote: »

It seems a bit fake to me too. My friend actually designed her own ring and then 4 months later had this big "proposal story", but she'd already bought and paid for the ring, it was all just staged

I don't get this? A proposal is no less special, or "fake" to use your term, just because it wasn't a "complete surprise" :rolleyes:

GingerLily

SarahS2013 wrote: »

GingerLily wrote: »

It seems a bit fake to me too. My friend actually designed her own ring and then 4 months later had this big "proposal story", but she'd already bought and paid for the ring, it was all just staged

I don't get this? A proposal is no less special, or "fake" to use your term, just because it wasn't a "complete surprise" :rolleyes:

It is though, if you've already agreed to get married then staging a proposal is fake, because you've already agreed to get married

Konata

GingerLily wrote: »

It is though, if you've already agreed to get married then staging a proposal is fake, because you've already agreed to get married

But surely most couples would have discussed marriage before a proposal happens, regardless of whether or not they've already picked out a ring? Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like asking someone to marry you without ever having talked about the potential for marriage is a bit of a risky move.

At the end of the day different people like different things (especially when it comes to surprises) but calling a proposal 'fake' or 'staged' just because the couple already know they're going to marry each other is a bit unfair.

GingerLily

Konata wrote: »

But surely most couples would have discussed marriage before a proposal happens, regardless of whether or not they've already picked out a ring? Maybe I'm wrong, but I feel like asking someone to marry you without ever having talked about the potential for marriage is a bit of a risky move.

At the end of the day different people like different things (especially when it comes to surprises) but calling a proposal 'fake' or 'staged' just because the couple already know they're going to marry each other is a bit unfair.

But it's the definition of fake! I specifically talking about buying a ring together and then making a big song and dance about the "proposal". There's nothing wrong with going public on your engagement in your own time.

Its off point anyway.

Also OP, my husband enjoyed buying the ring with me, it was a very nice memory, but I bought the second ring I tried on, maybe it would have been different if I was pickier!!

StupidLikeAFox

I proposed with no ring. Went to Dublin for a night out, had a lovely dinner. I had made an appointment with Loyes diamonds (who I highly recommend). I proposed that night, then said we have plans for tomorrow and that we are going to look at rings. That was in a private room, normally they will show you all the styles and types and have it made but she liked one of the stock rings (also way different than anything i would have picked) so we were lucky to leave with one on the day.

Deleted User

Deleted User wrote: »

Good for you guys :rolleyes:
I'm just speaking from a male perspective, and I can only represent myself, and my friends. Not one of my friends enjoyed that part. Whats to enjoy? It's like going dress shopping with your fiance

As a man I really enjoyed the experience, definitely a day we will remember.

love_love

To be both on topic and off topic - as I've said in this forum before, my fiance proposed to me with a necklace because 1) the ring I had my eye on was sold the week before he went in to buy it and 2) the replacement he ordered was not ready in time.

My proposal was both completely 100% on the cards and also a big surprise. We knew we were going to get married/spend the rest of our lives together (I agree with people above that it would be weird to be in a relationship and be looking to propose without having already discussed this?!) but he wanted to propose so we'd keep an eye out when passing jewellers so he could get an idea of the style I liked. He proposed on holidays, and I saw a message a few days prior from one of our mutual friends saying "Popped the question yet?" and I got panicky that I had accidentally found out, but he assured me he didn't have anything planned. A few days later when he was actually proposing I wasn't fully paying attention to what he was saying and didn't actually realise he was proposing for a few moments. Equally, he showed my mam a picture of the ring before we went on hols but she didn't actually realise that meant that he had bought it because it was so on the cards for us to get married/engaged, she didn't realise that meant it was happening.

Things can be expected in the long term but still surprising when they're happening.

Also, when we got back from hols we actually got to choose the stone for the ring together, which he was delighted about because he was so excited to help design it. I don't think choosing rings or stones is a gendered thing.

Lycoge

One More Toy wrote:

Im leaning towards that right now, itd be better picking one that she actually likes!

My husband picked the engagement ring for me without my knowledge and proposed with it. I love that he chose it for me. We had been talking about marriage for some time and would sometimes stop outside jewelery stores and I'd point out ones I liked so i guess he had a fair idea of what style i liked or didnt like. He chose really well and I think it's very special that he chose it without me. Maybe you could try stopping at shop windows to look at jewellery and then chat about which jewellery you "both" like when in actual fact you really only care what rings she points out. If you've been openly discussing marriage then I don't see the harm in asking what type she likes. Dont underestimate the power of having chosen the ring yourself will bring to it. I think I would have stressed about what ring to chose for my "forever" ring if the choice had been left to me so I'm glad he did the hard work for me!!

magentis

Just don't do it man.

mazwell

I don't get the picking your ring and then acting surprised story. Why not just get engaged there and then if you designed your own ring.
I knew me and my husband would get engaged, we had talked about it, it was on the cards etc. But when he proposed I wasn't expecting it that night. If I'd my engagement ring already picked and designed by me I don't think I'd have been arsed with a "surprise".
Anyway op I hope all goes well, whatever ring your fiance wears no matter the cost I'm sure she'll love

vintagecosmos

+1 for Bespoke Diamonds. Found Martin very helpful. No obligation or pressure just sound advice.

As a tip. You should arrange to collect the ring by yourself and surprise her with it if there is any adjustments u can do them after. It's nice to plan an event around it.

Sebastian Dangerfield

Meauldsegosha wrote: »

We got my ring in Bespoke Jewellers on Kildare Street, Dublin. My OH was in touch with them in advance and picked out 5 styles he knew I would like. They were a great help in advising him.

2nd recommendation from me. Nice guys, knowledgeable, and ultimately their price was the best

mar2000

I think you should let her choose. Have you thought about an antique ring? They can be really lovely and have nice size diamonds in them as well. I love my one!!