married men - engagement ring shopping?

If you deal with a reputable company, they'll answer all your questions about the stone, they won't rip you off (you'll save big $$$ over buying at a brick and mortar store), and they'll have a return policy so you can get an independent appraisal once you receive the stone. You'll pay anywhere from 10%-40$ more at a jewelry store.

I strongly recommend the way I did it - got a general idea of the type of ring she wanted....then read the boards and hung out at Pricescope (the #1 boards for diamond buyers with tons of knowledgeable and helpful people and lots of resource pages) --- and then bought the ring at Whiteflash, one of the most reputable online dealers there is. After I picked out the stones on their site, they had one of their inspectors give me a specific description (to make sure the stones were eye-clear) - and since they didn't have the exact setting I wanted, they hand-made it for only a few bucks more than the stock ones they carried. I ended up with a ring that's a stunner (people remark on it anywhere my wife goes) and it appraised at about 40% more than I paid.

(Blue Nile is OK and I've bought other stuff there, but IMO for diamonds there are better places to buy - you'll see all about it if you check out Pricescope.)

Hope that helps :-)

This is the ring they made for me at Whiteflash - I chose the stones and they designed the setting to my specs.

BTW, if by some chance you are going to end up buying from Whiteflash, I'd appreciate it if you let me know - I get a $100 referral fee if you mention my name (but that's not the reason I recommended them - in fact, I wouldn't recommend them for things like earrings, pendants, etc - you can get as good a deal on that stuff elsewhere).

Do you know why a diamond is a girls best friend? Unlike a guy It stays hard forever

Once you have the 4 C's of the diamond you want go and check out prices for loose stones at bluenile.com

For one of the best designers try nationwidediamonds.com give the guy a call his number is on the site.

what girl worth 10k ;)

My girlfriend already picked her ring from Tiffany & Co. Just incase I decide to propose...

Thing is if I buy it in the UK its two times more expensive.

Tiffany is at least 2x overpriced... its all branding and bullshit - don't believe the hype. GO to a reputable diamond merchant, figure out what cut and size you want based on the girl and your bank account, have them show you like a dozen stones that fit that description, and then you can make the call on the other characteristics.

sounds like good advice

It must be a women thing where they think its ok to waste a sale persons time. lol
Here go learn online: http://christmas.adiamondisforever.com/#/buyersguide/

For me practically speaking all ladies like to have a ring, alright. Not only for its value, but also the value of you're relationship. Consider these categories:

Timing 10%
Personality 20%
Value 20%
Approach 40%

I am surprised that your asking - seriously - this is your gift of love to her and should not really be our part to comment. Know her well enough to figure out whether she wants white or gold ring and what size stone etc. Some girls really don't like huge rings.

Do you know her ring size? Does she has small fingers or large? What kind of ring does she want? You really need to know this stuff

I bought the first place I went to.

I only knew the shape (she told me years earlier) and I knew I wanted better than her family and friends had.. Other than that, I knew nothing, so I was there a couple hours to get a complete education..

Ended up getting her a 1.08 Carat, VVS1 "E" pear shape on a platinum & diamond band. She was very, very pleased and hasn't really stopped smiling since.

Have an idea what you want in quality before you go in, even if it's a generalization.. also, a certified diamond is wise in my opinion.

A great ring and diamond will make an impression she'll never forget. Always nice when you give her plenty of memories of how sweet and wonderful you are.. This way, if you break up, all her friends will already like you

Commenting on the type of ring she wants...of course not.

Commenting on how to save thousands of dollars and get the best QUALITY - which means you can also get a much better stone for the amount you're going to spend.......why wouldn't you want as much advice on that as possible?

Spending time at Pricescope and learning about stones - and ordering online from a reputable company - meant I got almost twice as much stone as I would have gotten for my money, and that my wife was twice as happy with the ring as she would have been if I'd bought it at my local jewelry store.

That thing is really nice. Good pic.

Who can tell the difference?