Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
I got mine from Tiffany's. We went to Gold and Diamond Park in Dubai and such huge variety of rings. They are so cheap and you get your money's worth! If you get it from Tiffanys or any other well known dealers, you are jst paying for the name.
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
^ smart girl!
a friend got her tiffany's engagement ring for around 10g's and another friend went to a jeweler on albion road and got a very, very similar ring for under 5 grand, including the wedding band! the price difference is retarded... you're just paying for the name at tiffany's. if you really want one, you can get it copied from another jeweller. having said that, the tiffany LUCIDA is my favourite design, outside of my own ring, of course! :)
chanda: drool what a gorgeous ring!
ooh, and another friend of mine has the classic solitaire but she also has two smaller stones on either side- very pretty ring in white gold. so instead of one band, she got two really thin, all diamonds, all around, bands- one on either side of her solitaire. OMG. her rings look soooo beautiful!
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
very pretty chanda. I love the engagement ring plus the wedding band, the band could actually be a good mooN dikhai thingie, i love the sets. But the fob in me still likes them better with diamonds set in platinum in a 22 kt yellow gold ring 
but then if you think, silver is worn on a daily basis so it would probably be better to do an entirely platinum one! Oh well.
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
V pretty indeed chandh…drool
My hubby didnt know what a moon dikhai was until his friends wife asked him. Haha…for which i got a necklace…
I jst dont understand the concept of moon dikhai? I mean both people have seen each other on the wedding so whats so special about it?
Its like saying, that if you want to look at my face..give me some cash…
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
please don't put such a materialistic twist on it. That is the first time they are face to face in such a setting so giving a little token of love is actually a sweet gesture.
I find the haq mahar that is supposed to be paid upfront the way you find moon dikhai :D Sorta strange that you would have to pay your wife before you get up close and personal, hehe. The deferred one seems better.
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
hey nabz,
i know quite a bit about diamond shopping, and can tell you that without a doubt, CUT is the most important of the C's.
a poorly cut diamond will not shine or sparkle as much as an ideal cut diamond. moreover, an ideal cut diamond will make most use of the stone, and it will face up larger than a poorly cut one. (poorly cut 1.5 carat can look much smaller than a well cut 1 carat) basically. cut is king. after that you can decide whether you want to pay for in terms of color, clarity or carat.
certification wise - try to get a diamond that is certified by AGS or GIA, as those are the most trusted.
doing your research can really get you an amazing ring :) i remember my hubby knew exactly which range each angle on the facets of my diamond had to be for it to be a perfectly cut stone. good luck! :)
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
hahaha...thanks you guys!!!
i know..i find the moon dikhai thing kinda cute...
abt the name brand issue...yes i have come across some ridiculous prices...for that same design.....exact same diamond(clarity,cut,etc)which is why i decided to go for the diamond doctor people...:)
*FF...thats white gold...!! i absolutely looove the setting...!
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
check spencediamonds.com ... i got mine from there
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
thanks for the tips guys :). i know a lot of places don't mention the "cut" out of the 4 C's. if they do, they make it a point to tell you its excellent and charge you an arm and a leg :P. so if the ring comes with ONLY an appraisal (and not a AGS, GIA cert), is that something not worth buying? what's your opinion of mall stores like zales, ben bridge, kay's, robbins bros? are they reputable places to make such a purchase or rip-offs?? i really like a setting zales has...but they told me the diamond isn't certified...which they claim doesn't make it any less in terms of quality, color, cut, etc. that sounds a bit off to me...so i haven't bought the ring yet. i've tried looking for the same setting, but can't find it anywhere!
**i can't post the picture because i don't have 25 posts yet :(. can anyone help
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
sgc- what does your ring look like? did you get platinum or white gold?
girls--how many carats do you think is reasonable? one? two? what about 0.75...is that too small?
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
.75 is a really good size, nabz! ultimately, it has to fit your finger and look right on it, you know what i mean? i know someone really petite who has a 2 carat solitaire and the thing is MASSIVE! i mean, ginormous. its absokutely gorgeous, but she had to get a plain band because the ring itself makes such a huge statement.
my ring is white gold. its a 1 carat brilliant cut solitaire surrounded by a ring of smaller diamonds. the band criss-crosses and is also set in tiny little diamonds. my wedding band is also white gold, and it’s curved, so it matches the curve of the main stone in the ring, and it is set with 15 tiny little diamonds. we got SO lucky finding the band AH!
as for mall stores, i think you’re better off finding a wholesaler because they would have a larger selection of stones to choose from and can replicate the entire ring, including the setting, for you. i think mall stores have much higher markup’s on their prices too, at least in toronto… some of the stuff People’s sells is overpriced IMO.
the whole “stone is not certified” bit sounds really shifty… if its a legally purchase stone, it will come with certification…
like this site explains..
“Although many diamonds look the same, not all of them are going to be of the quality you might like. Diamond certification is the written proof of a diamond’s attributes. Without it, you have no assurance that the diamond you are buying is of the quality you’re paying for. With it, you know the precise grading for each of the 4Cs – carat weight, cut, color and clarity – and, therefore, the diamond value.
Certification gives you the information you need to assess a diamond’s fair market value. It also allows you to make **an intelligent comparison with other diamonds ** either in the same jewelry store or in another.”
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
thanks for the tips guys :). i know a lot of places don't mention the "cut" out of the 4 C's. if they do, they make it a point to tell you its excellent and charge you an arm and a leg :P. so if the ring comes with ONLY an appraisal (and not a AGS, GIA cert), is that something not worth buying? what's your opinion of mall stores like zales, ben bridge, kay's, robbins bros? are they reputable places to make such a purchase or rip-offs?? i really like a setting zales has...but they told me the diamond isn't certified...which they claim doesn't make it any less in terms of quality, color, cut, etc. that sounds a bit off to me...so i haven't bought the ring yet. i've tried looking for the same setting, but can't find it anywhere!
**i can't post the picture because i don't have 25 posts yet :(. can anyone help
i personally would never purchase a diamond that hadn't been independently graded by a lab. Cut is often given less importance by many B&M (brick and mortar) stores, because their stones may not be 'ideal cut' or of a 'more average quality' and there is a general market perception amongst consumers (and ladies) that value carat and clarity over the quality of the cut. People who've done their research on diamonds actually call these "mall" stores "maul" stores because of the low quality diamonds they sell at high markups.
Think about it, a diamond is such a valuable and personal purchase - wouldn't you want to know exactly what you are purchasing by ensuring that it has been graded by an independent lab?
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
also the appraisal value of a ring is almost always inflated. my ring was appraised for almost double that of what hubby paid for it, so definitely do not pay the 'appraised' price for any diamond.
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
i'm definitely not paying the appraised price :). the costco near my house has a lot of designer inspired rings...so i'm considering those. the only problem is i'd have to get them resized 2 sizes smaller and i'd have to find a reputable jeweler to do that!
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
resizing is not a problem... most jewellers will know how to do it so dont let it stop you!
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
please don't put such a materialistic twist on it. That is the first time they are face to face in such a setting so giving a little token of love is actually a sweet gesture.
I find the haq mahar that is supposed to be paid upfront the way you find moon dikhai :D Sorta strange that you would have to pay your wife before you get up close and personal, hehe. The deferred one seems better.
That doesnt' maek sense, haq mehr is Islamic, moonh dikhaye is cultural. they're both the same thing... by not putting a materialistic twist on moonh dikhaye, why shdnt the same apply for haq mehr? just b/c its cash?
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
Haqemeher is purely for woman's financial security. Islam has a logic behind everything and if you read regarding Haqemeher, you'll see how much sense it makes. As for moon dikhai, it is a sweet gesture, especially in arranged marriages it can serve as an 'icebreaker'. Gifts make everyone happy. When I didn't know about moon dikhai, I always thought that I would give my hubby a nice present on our wedding day and vice versa but then I found out that it's a tradition :) I find it really sweet.
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
my fiance didn’t know what “moon dikhai” was till now 
muahaha now he knows 
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
Haqemeher is purely for woman's financial security. Islam has a logic behind everything and if you read regarding Haqemeher, you'll see how much sense it makes. As for moon dikhai, it is a sweet gesture, especially in arranged marriages it can serve as an 'icebreaker'. Gifts make everyone happy. When I didn't know about moon dikhai, I always thought that I would give my hubby a nice present on our wedding day and vice versa but then I found out that it's a tradition :) I find it really sweet.
No no, i understand what it is.....
Re: Engagement/ Wedding rings and bands
Here ya go…
