So for the guys that have bought rings... how much have you guys spent?

don't even have a woman yet... but what started out as a "ring budget"... is being ear marked for something else now.

Mine was under $400 (Ben Moss going under helped a bit with that), and so far the wedding is on track to be in the low teen thousands. If you're single though I wouldn't worry about saving up now, since everyone is different what your future spouse would want could be all over the map.

Unfortunately it looks like Ben Moss has already taken down most of their site, by chance do any of you guys know if it's possible to pull up the cached versions of these pages? I was hoping to save the details on the ring before they totally closed but looks like I waited too long already. The one I got was the red version of one of these but I can't remember which one.

Going through the process now. How did you guys pull the trigger on Blue Nile without seeing the diamond? I'm most worried about getting a diamond with the black dot pinpoint inclusions all over.

Just buy at Costco. Return it if you don't like it LOL

I trusted them that their grades were what they say they are. If you get a grade that says you can't see imperfections with the naked eye then you most likely won't. If you email them them they'll even get someone to pull the diamond from the vault and check to make sure that it's up to your expectations. My experience with them was great and their diamond looked way better than anything I saw in the stores for similar prices.

Thanks! Did you end up going with Ideal or Signature ideal?

I went with a 0.9 carat Ideal

they are GIA graded, basically no where you go locally stocks GIA graded diamonds in house besides the high end spots.

I also went with Ideal, and exactly the same experiance at Markymark, the diamond was night and day to anything i saw in store, and still to this day 8 months later without a cleaning, the fire and shine is ridiculous

Thanks guy! I'm surprised how easy it was to call them and have some questions answered and request for a picture. Feeling a lot better about using Blue Nile as oppose to a James Allen. Now it's a matter of getting the approximate ring size!

Blood diamond.

I am very happy with my Blue Nile diamond and ring. I ended up spending on the much lower end of my budget knowing my girl friend is super simple. I feel like I got the most bang for your buck as a local reputable retailer was charging about $2,500 more for a similar GIA loose diamond and band.

I was worried about the diamond being eye clean but Blue Nile was able to send me pictures of a few diamonds I was interested in. Also, they allowed me to reserve the diamonds I liked. The downsides to Blue Nile were that you can't see pictures of all of their stock and the pictures were not readily available so I ended up paying more for a higher clarity diamond to give myself some piece of mind. The service was great and I would recommend them to anyone here.

If you have the patience I recommend going to niceice.com and reading as much as you can about diamonds. The blog recommends a set of proportions to maximize light return. The owner, Todd, gave me his opinions on a few loose diamonds I had found on various sites with a thorough explanation. He can get pictures directly from the same vendors that sell to Blue Nile. I gave Todd an idea of what I was looking for and my budget and he initially recommended a Brian Gavin diamond and gave me a promo code for it. Unfortunately, he did the search in USD and I told him it was a bit out of my budget. He later recommended another Blue Nile diamond for me. By then I knew exactly what to look for in a diamond and was able to reserve one that met my new standards. He said that because I had reserved the diamond, he was not able to find it but he would have recommend that same one. I gave him the order number so he could take credit for making the sale.

This thread was awesome - thanks to everybody that contributed. I didn't end up going with Blue Nile (really thought long and hard about it) as I really wanted to see the stone in front of me first. I did, however, get a really good deal on a stone that I'm very very happy with. If anyone is looking and wants to purchase from somebody local where you can see it first, definitely check out Phera Diamonds. Major is great - tell him Brandon sent you.

I wish you guys posted prices of what you spent for what you got - just so noobs (like my futurself) have something to compare to.

im back for more

its not about how much you spend on the ring

its about how much you lose during the divorce

I ended up getting just over 1 carat, triple excellent (cut, symmetry and polish), F colour, SI1 clarity. It looks amazing and even with a scope, I can't see any of the inclusions (whereas I could see them with my naked eye on some diamonds rated with higher clarity). Diamond itself was < $9k.

And what makes it worth every penny? She said "Yes" last night! :Pbjt:

I don't think there is any official ring budget, even the old adage of "3 months salary" is kind of a poor ideal to follow.

Really is comes down to picking something that you are happy with, and that your (hopefully future) wife will value. For some women, they value the bling factor... for others they value quality or thoughtfulness... for some, they value just the gesture and could care less about the ring.

Spend what you feel is appropriate, she will love it.

If you have a girl that's going to act out because the rock isn't "big enough"... You have bigger problems. Spending more than an amount you're comfortable with won't be good - especially when every other dollar goes to living expenses and wedding plans.

I decided against platinum and happy I did because 5 months later it still doesn't have any marks on it like platinum would.

I went with signature ideal because it comes with the diamond magnifications without having to email blue nile and I could go through about 100 diamonds before choosing.

.

has anyone looked those "artisan" diamonds from Spence? keep hearing their commercials.....

Artisan diamonds .... it never existed before, it's created, just like your love ... Spence ... OOOOHHH YEAHHHH :fullofwin:

I know my girl will just be happy with whatever price lol. She had gone from Saying "when get married, blah blah blah" she now says "when we finally get married, blah blah blah". No doubt she'd say yes.

I'm planning to look around the 4-6k range. Trying to learn a lot, but so tempted to just shop at Costco. Plus that executive rebate cheque at the end of the year *drool*

They are test tube diamonds, and I can kind of see the appeal for some... but at the same time, it is a fake, and you (and her) will always know it

I have dealt with Whiteflash(similar to blue nile) they offered a little more discounts if you do like wire transfer.

I spent like $7000 US back then but the diamond quality was very good. Even went to Seattle to pick it up because they wanted to ship with FedEx and UPS. Hell no for their brokerage fees.

bluenile shipped fedex international from seattle to my doorstep in 1 day from ordering date, and it had 0 duty or extra taxes.

they took care of it.

When i went shopping I probably visited 20+ different stores. Of them all, Spence is by far the worst. I would never...EVER buy from them. Scam artists with aggressive sales tactics. They have zero integrity.

Hearing this makes me sick. I absolutely hate dealing with commissioned sales people because you don't always know if you can believe what comes out of their mouth. Real estate agents will do what it takes to push you to close. Brokers will push certain mutual funds because it puts more money in their pockets. Employees at the malls push shitty phones because they get spiff from the manufacturer. end rant...

I don't think how much you spend matters too much but it also depends on the woman. If you are asking that women to marry you, you should already have a good idea of her spending habits and expectations. My mother is senior tax manager for a big firm. She said she would much rather have the cheaper ring and put the difference elsewhere.