Has anyone noticed that the engagement rings they are trying to foist off on bumbling future fiances are getting bigger and bigger? I’ll admit it – when I’m sweating away at the local Y, I like to read the really corny celebrity magazines. I’m seeing so many ads for overstated multi-diamond engagement rings that could stand in for a definition of ‘bling’ in the dictionary. And it would appear that ‘huge rocks’ are coming back into style. It’s not unusual to see things like this when cruising bridal baubles:
I won’t lie. I like this yellow gold and aquamarine ring from Gioie . But it is, um, a little large. Or how about this platinum bridal ring
from Ultra Diamonds:
Yowza! So that’s what five g’s and a lot of love will buy you. BLING BLING!
Fiances-to-be that are strapped for cash can always opt for lab-created gems or faux alternatives. But fellas be warned: Be honest and never try to pass off fake bling as the real thing. There is always a chance that your loveybear will discover your deception. Trust me when I say she will not be a happy camper upon finding out that her huge rock is a huge falsehood.
ACHTUNG: The lovely Style Graduate is looking for a contributor to handle the wedding beat at her eponymous blog. If you’re on the ball when it comes to matrimonial style (or know someone who is) drop her a line!
Two things going on there, I think: one is trying to translate the recent fad for ’30’s-style cocktail rings over into real rocks. The second, that DeBeers has found that, left to their own devices, guys will pick a bigger stone than their fiancees would pick were they involved in the choosing. (See this book for a cite.)
I love me an aquamarine, but that’s HUGE…says she who is currently wearing a bracelet the size of Detroit.
Huh, it seems like it would be hard to pass off a fake when it comes time to get it insured, as you need an appraisal if you’re putting the ring on a personal article policy (and I’m assuming that’s what people would need to do since most renters’/homeowners’ policies have pretty low limits for jewelry).
Or do people just not insure their jewelry?
Virtually every bridal magazine/wedding planner I’ve read has recommended insuring the ring, fannypie…but there’s no telling how many couples take that advice. I know I didn’t. Then again, I can just imagine the look on the insurance agent’s face if I tried to insure a sterling silver frog without a single stone on it! LOL!
I don’t know a single person who insures their jewelry, fannypie. Though I’ve known people who should have but didn’t. Aside from the heartbreak of losing a precious bauble, there is the heartache of knowing you can’t afford to replace it.
If you’ve got precious bling, INSURE, INSURE, INSURE, PEOPLE!
Wow, that is insanity. I have a separate policy for my engagement ring and a necklace (anniversary present last year)…I would have to pay the yearly premium more than 100 times before it wouldn’t be worth it (i.e. before the premium would exceed the replacement cost of the pieces themselves).
Then again, I make a living spotting risks for other people. Tsk-tsk for everyone who has fine jewelry that’s not insured…or at least for everyone who hasn’t gotten a quote from their insurance agent and figured out the cost-benefit balance of having a policy vs. self-insuring.
But the princess cut ring above isn’t worth the money – the diamonds are rather poor quality.
I don’t have my ring insured….but it plays on my mind sa something we really should do. But I don’t know how much my ring is worth and i know my H2B will never remember to do it.
It’s funny – I read somewhere (and of course can’t remember where to cite it) that when DeBeers has a glut of larger stones, they push them on the public as being “in style” and “If you love her, you’ll get her a huge rock”.
On the other hand, when they have a glut of smaller stones, it becomes all about quality – “Well, of course you could have a larger ring, but it won’t be as high a quality, you know.”
Yet another reason I’m perfectly happy with my heirloom – and wouldn’t ever have made Baconsdad buy a diamond.
I’m so not a fan of DeBeers…
And I’m totally happy with my sapphire engagement ring. We were working with a small budget and though we started out looking at diamonds, we quickly realized in order to get the quality we wanted, we’d have to get a rock that would disappear on my big hands. Since we already knew we wanted sapphires involved… I said ‘Let’s get a sapphire’. So we did.
It’s a little vintage-looking, since it has milgrain trim, but otherwise, it’s just very classic with an oval center stone.
The biggest annoyance is people who don’t realize it’s an engagement ring.
My ring isn’t insured yet, either; we keep talking about it and just haven’t had the appraisal done yet.
If you want to get your ring insured, you could just go to the store where you bought it. They should not only have the paperwork to show what the ring is worth, but they should also have an insurance company that they work with regularly.
I agree with fannypie that the ring pictured is overpriced. The center stone is not large (3/4 carat) and the clarity is mediocre. If you want to save money on a ring, I’d go with white gold over platinum. Gold is a bit softer, but I think it wears better than platinum, and it is very difficult to tell the difference by looking. And it’s much, much less expensive.
Something that gentlemen might want to consider… what is the size of your lady’s hand? Some of us with short stubby fingers would look ridiculous wearing a rock the size of that aquamarine number!
And yes, mine is insured… if you have a platinum ring, even with a small stone it’s worth insuring for the value of the metal.
Good point, jj!
Got my ring about a month ago…got it insured about a week ago. The jeweler gave my fiance and appraisal when he bought it. Ditto to the woman who said she’d have to pay more than 100 times what the insurance policy costs a year to replace the ring. Plus I lose stuff all the time!