Engagement ring question

i love the idea of a man wearing an engagement ring.  the only other time i've heard of this is from a scandanavian couple i went to dinner with.  they both had bands on and so i figured they were married- nope, just engaged.  aparently, at the ceremony, only the bride get a ring, and it's a diamand. 

That's a neat idea!

B_More,

There are four C's you should consider when getting your ring--cut, clarity, color, and carat. There are also different (unfortunately) rating certifications for rings, depending on how flawless they are. Mine has a high rating because it is absolutely flawless. I suspect the rating systems are different here from those in the States. Anyway, I'd still advise you to get your diamond from the States--you'll get twice as much of a ring than you would in the U.K. Also, you might get some good bargains online. I hope that helps.

To be honest, I have no idea whether this is a widespread tradition or not.  It is just what seemed natural to us personally so we went with it.

Same with us, although since we did it I've run across a surprising amount of couples who also had matching engagement/wedding rings.  Only one of us getting a ring and wearing around a symbol of our engagement just didn't feel right to us.  Everyone else's mileage may vary. 

I got the rings in the US, and we put them on together when I finally moved here.  Most people have said they thought it was really cool, aside from SIL whose response was "Have fun explaining that to mum and dad."     Their parents are rather traditional, but I mean come on.   

Here is what our engagement rings look like (I meant to find a picture last night when I was making my other post, but I appear to have forgotten).

I agree with all those who said to buy it in the US! You will save ALOT of money as we did.  It causes a few problems though with resizing (if you need it smaller mainly) because mine is 14k gold, 3 stone diamond engagement ring.. and quite valuable.. and nobody in the UK would touch it to resize it unless they sent it away for a few weeks (which i wasnt keen on) because gold in the UK comes mainly in 9K and 18K...so they cant just do it in the shop because the gold wont match up.

In the end we got it resized in the US on our next trip back and it was done in 1 hour,  which i was happy with.  So, just make sure you have the right size!

i hear you all on more bling for your buck if you buy in the states... trying to get this across to the boy.

we're going to NYC for new years- can anyone suggest a particular place in jewlerer's row?  or perhaps somewhere in philly?  looking for antique or one-of a kind diamond/gemstone rings.

I got mine from Kay Jewelers in NYC at 136 W 34th Street (near Madison Square Garden) and ive not been disappointed... they were very helpful and gave us a very fair price.  They also do 'design your own' rings where you can pick the band, setting, stones as well.. although that will obviously have to be specially made, so you may want to look into that before you go and pick it up while your there. 

Don't forget to get insurance, or a garuntee and make sure you can honor it.  If you are buying in the States but their garuntee stipulates that you have to get the ring checked every 6 months in the States  or the garuntee is null and void, if something goes wrong with the ring you might be in for some trouble.

So check the fine print, you wouldn't want to lose your diamond (god forbid) and not have a garuntee that covers it.

i hear you all on more bling for your buck if you buy in the states... trying to get this across to the boy.

we're going to NYC for new years- can anyone suggest a particular place in jewlerer's row?  or perhaps somewhere in philly?  looking for antique or one-of a kind diamond/gemstone rings.

Sending you a PM...

thanks!