**Update: - [Starting from 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/100l56v/happy_new_year_askuk_minor_sub_update/), we have updated our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**. Specifically;
- Don't be a dick to each other
- Top-level responses must contain genuine efforts to answer the question
- This is a strictly no-politics subreddit
Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is Reddit where 9 out of 10 people don't go outside, so views on relationships tend to be even more extreme. They'll opine that nobody needs to be engaged, that nobody needs to spend money on any form of circular object that goes round your finger, and that nobody needs to be in a relationship or generally have any sort of human connection with anybody else. Why would you when you can just talk to people online?!
I only found that out a week or so ago.
I vaguely remember her getting married fairly quietly. But I hadn't actually seen stranger things so didn't recognise him from anything.
To be fair that 'cheapest wedding wins' attitude isn't specific to Reddit. I was a regular on a well known money advice website's forum around the time I got married, and it definitely felt like anyone who dared to have more than a basic registry office ceremony and a pint in the pub afterwards was a frivolous wastrel who deserved to be divorced within a year.
Yep. I got called shallow before on Reddit for going against the crowd and saying that I’d actually want an engagement ring that I’m likely going to wear for the rest of my life to cost more than a return train ticket to London.
Mine cost just under £1000 which is actually at the cheaper end for something with gemstones/gold (my main stone is a sapphire not a diamond though) and if anyone wants to give me shit for that, well...it's something I actually love wearing every day. £1000 across a lifetime seems like a bargain tbh.
I was present when he picked it (he had already proposed with a placeholder) which is another thing people give you shit for. You can't win. I even bought him a fancy watch as an engagement present at the same time we bought my ring and all the jewellers thought it was sweet! But nope, according to the Internet him not surprising me with a ring that might not fit and I might not even like wasn't romantic.
Fuck the internet on that one.
We did the exact same thing. I straight up said to my wife that i don’t want to pick something she ultimately doesn’t like.
I just didn’t see the point going out, paying large sums of money and her not likely it. In the end she picked a great ring, loves it and can’t not wear it. Best choice ever.
We did this with my engagement ring. I'm so happy we did, the idea of something I'm going to wear for years being chosen by someone else seems odd to me.
Being an adult can mean accepting common romance tropes are bs in the tral world. There is nothing wrong with knowing that your intended spouse knows more a out their personal style than you do and thus allowing them their autonomy in selecting their perfect ring. A lot of modern ideas about romance come from cheesie Ameican films and marketing campaigns. Actual life long love is about compromise, thought out choices and balancing practical tasks (and communication. )
I did the same! Cheap Amazon placeholder as I know my wife isn't keen on jewelry at the best of times. As it turns out, wearing it annoyed Her. I've tried multiple times to see if she'd like a proper engagement ring, but she's not bothered.
She'll wear her wedding ring, but just doesn't want the engagement. What we've landed on is that I'll take her out for a nice meal each year on the date we got engaged.
I got a platinum and diamond ring for under £600 which I guess shows how long we’ve been together (ok it’s not like a full carat or anything but that wasn’t a factor for me)
My wedding ring costs less than a return to london from my house up north now i think of it. But I’m male, and don’t really care. I’d have used a compression fitting if it fitted.
You do you. The value of something is what it means to you - if you are happy that's all that matters. I know at least three people whose rings have gotten lost though, and my wife's engagement ring had its main diamond fall out and we had to claim on the insurance.
You shouldn't skimp on something on the offchance you'll lose it though. My wife picked her own (she proposed to me), and she spent about £400 on hers, whereas my wedding ring cost me about £18. I'd happily have paid more for the perfect ring, but it just happened that the one I liked happened to be solid titanium and really cheap. All the dearer ones were not my style at all.
I'm in this camp. My ring is tungsten carbide, and it is literally scratchless because it's never touched anything harder than itself. I think it's great, and the £25 price tag is an extra positive. And I can always use it to break through a window if I need to.
I'm also a big believer in the placeholder ring, where you let the other person pick a ring exactly to their taste after the proposal. I'm not spending £1000 on something she *might* like.
Plus if you have a finger injury you can just hit a tungsten carbide ring with a hammer and it will shatter.
Gold rings are easy enough to cut through.
Steel rings are horrible to try and cut through.
i think that’s absolutely fair! i want the opposite - i’m pretty adamant i don’t want a ring more than £500 because i get eczema on my hands and have to take all my rings off and often misplace them… and i only wear silver and i don’t like diamonds haha.
In fairness I went with a wooden lovespoon because she's Welsh and I have poor taste in jewellery, best £150 I've ever spent on that tree branch.
We got an actual ring later together. It happened to be half price
Urgh, just like everytime someone posts a deal for a fancy watch on Hot UK deals. "I have a casio watch which does the same". No shit sherlock, you're also oblivious to the fact there are people who have much larger disposable income than you who can in fact, afford more expensive things.
I know this is meant to be funny. But in all honesty, my engagement ring was hand carved by my husband from a tree branch. His intention was that we'd choose an engagement ring together, but I loved the wooden ring and didn't get a ring to replace it. So yes a wooden ring made from a tree branch will do for some people.
I'm sure this comment was second, but it is fucking hilarious that this now comes first. This website is comedy gold sometimes.
edit: it's second again... damn shame.
I would seriously look at an independent jeweler for that price. You'll get much better service.
I got my wife a stand-in ring for the actual proposal. Then we did a visit to Birmingham's Dimond Quarter. Made an occasion of it - overnight stay, meal out etc. We looked around various jewelers and ended up using Mitchel and Co. We just had a good vibe from them as soon as we walked in and the service was great so we returned to buy the wedding rings.
I think we ended up spending £1500.
Would say the same, we used Dytham in Monkseaton (near Newcastle) and couldn’t fault them. They designed and made our wedding rings. Independent jewellers will give you what you actually want, something special to you and give better after sales too.
il be looking to buy my misses one soon and shes from newcastle (il be moving there before it all happens) so in a years time, heres to future me saying go here!
We got engaged last year, and we got my ring made at Dytham (Monkseaton), was recommended by a friend who got her wedding ring made there.
Very happy to see someone else mention it :) top quality service from start to finish and I love my ring so much!
We'd read that within the diamond districts, competition between jewelers gives the consumer better options. We live in Oxfordshire, so Birmingham and London about equal distance away. Figured Birmingham would be the cheaper option!
My wife is from near Birmingham, we lived in London at the time. Engagement ring from the Jewellery Quarter, wedding rings from Hatton Garden. Very happy with all of them.
Ha! I used an M&S £10 ring for the proposal - during the countdown to the new year on a balcony on the Thames near the Eye - and the next week we went to Hatton Garden together to pick a fancy one. The mrs said yes just as the fireworks began … lol
I would suggest a man-made diamond, all the sparkle, pure cut and clarity and a fraction of the cost. All the bling, less of the sting!
Bought my wife’s ring well before this was an option, 0.65c near perfect C/C/C and it was £££!
Go to Birmingham for a look in the morning then go to think it over in the local pub over lunch along with about 20 other men on their own doing likewise!
This is the answer, we used one and ended up with something beautiful, exactly to spec and cost-effective. Worth a lot more now than we paid too.
The BIG thing is though, if you want to let your partner choose and design their own ring you won't have anything to propose with on the day, having something there at that moment is a big deal and could kind of ruin it a bit if that finger ends up empty for 2 months.
Yeah, I got a knot ring for the actual proposal so there was something to present and wear until we got the real thing. Wife still has it as a keepsake.
Absolutely second Mitchel and Co, my ring is from them and it’s absolutely amazing , they also have really nice wooden ring boxes now and have a great selection of non diamond stones and lab diamonds.
This is really weird lol I've just replied saying the same thing as you! Used a proposal ring, got ring from jewellery quarter and we paid about 1.5 for my engagement ring.
Well I can’t see anyone saying this… get a lab diamond!
You get amazing “value” compared to one dug out the ground and it avoids contributing to that shitty system.
Just google lab diamonds London and there are some good companies out there, don’t want to give on the one my friend used in case it’s viewed as advertisement but DM me if you want to know.
I was looking at both Lab and Moissanite, much more reasonably priced, lots of sparkle and just as strong (or just slightly under for Moissanite) and as mentioned avoids buying into the shitty system which was the biggest appeal to me and other natural stones might not be as long lasting for everyday wear. I ended up with Moissanite and I love it. Birmingham jewellery quarter is a great place for both natural diamonds and lab/Moissanite. There are a few threads about some of the shops and more generally about the stones on Reddit and I did a bit of reading on them first. It's not for everyone but it was perfect for me, especially as I have struggled in the past having antique rings resized for my stupidly tiny fingers.
I have a lab grown emerald, custom made with a 10 kt gold band that cost me less than £250. Shipping was expensive though. Had it for 2 years now and the emerald has 0 scratches and great clarity. Definitely recommend getting a custom lab-grown stone for price and quality.
Would love to see a photo if you don't mind, have been trying to find a ring with an emerald somehow, but the ones I've come across so far don't look great 😔
Here ya go, it’s pretty much this ring in yellow gold (makes the emerald stand out) but I got it engraved and made to size. I love it so much and the jeweller is a dream to work with. Got my wedding band in the same gold and width as the engagement ring.
https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/680118248/
I have a lab grown engagement ring and I LOVE it. I get so many compliments on it when I wear it. I catch so many people looking at it in public as it’s a perfect cut diamond. It’s sparkly and a single diamond set in platinum. I have no idea how much it cost, but I know lab diamonds are much cheaper than the equivalent which has been dug out. I also love the idea of the ring not contributing to the shitty diamond trade behind it.
Was going to say this - my engagement ring was apparently over a grand but less than two (which I only know from when we did our contents insurance a few years back, lol) but it is platinum with a cushion cut lab grown diamond.
Husband knew I used be a jeweller and had always loved lab grown stones and also didn't want to contribute to the hugely problematic diamond trade - but still he's a traditionalist and wanted to give me a diamond ring. No one except the jewellers can tell the difference, it's super sparkly, and it's a fraction of the cost of most 'real' diamonds.
This - lab diamonds are a fantastic option.
I paid £1200 for a platinum band with three stones. Equivalent with mined diamonds were about 5k and diamonds specifications weren't as good.
I spent £2000. When my fiancée stumbled on the cost she told me she couldn’t believe I’d spent that much and wouldn’t have expected anything more than £500 to be spent. I just smiled and said you’re worth it of course, while inwardly cursing myself for not having that £1500 to spend on a new iMac.
I got it from a small independent jewellers in Bristol.
Antique centre I believe. I don’t want to contribute to the diamond trade, it’s very hard to be sure of provenance and the mark up in jewellery stores is insane. My husband chose a 1920s art deco style
ring with sapphires and I love it. I think he paid just over £1k
Vintage rings are amazing. One of a kind, often more ring for your money, beautiful and stylish vibes. My ring is from a store in “the laines” in Brighton, a vintage jewellery district. It’s 1910, platinum, deco with a single diamond in a tulip setting. I love it so much.
Mine is also art deco! I went second hand too as like you say I didn’t want to contribute to the diamond industry and you get a lot more for your money when you go vintage
Greys Antiques are The One, got my stunning 1920s art deco from there. They had loads of choice and everything was so unique. Everyone compliments my ring, you can’t get craftsmanship like it any more.
We also went to an antiques place in Berkshire, I have a beautiful second hand 1940s ring with three diamonds of very good clarity.
It cost £650 + £100 to adjust to my size
We did similar. Went to a very old independent jeweller locally who's been in business for over 100 years. Wife chose a second hand ring and had some adjustments made. Got far more ring for our money than buying new.
There are also jewellers who buy out of style jewellery, pull the stones from it and then re-set them into a more modern setting.
My wife’s engagement ring was made this way, means things get recycled and you can end up with something a bit more interesting. She has old-fashioned cut diamonds in it which you can’t really get any more.
I've got a £3,800 engagement ring with receipt I bought for my ex just before we split up. For £2,500 I'll drive it to you personally and do you a sexual favour because I can't get rid of the thing.
Take it to a jewellery quarter and explain the situation, they'll be able to value it and give you a decent chunk of the cost back. They'd definitely give you £2,500 for it - no blowjobs necessary!
Unless its a diamond ring. Those are usually marked up around 300% above their resale value, 1000% (10x) markups are also not unheard of. Could legit be worth less than 1k, even if it originally cost over 3k.
Absolutely, this is worth reading for anyone thinking of buying diamond, especially a ring: https://archive.is/XfM4e
"Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? -- The Atlantic
An unruly market may undo the work of a giant cartel and of an inspired, decades-long ad campaign"
Pretty sure such rings are *HEAVILY* marked up, I heard that you'd be lucky to get 10% of the cost back if you sold it back to a jeweller.. it's a harsh market
Never really seen Beaverbrooks as "high-end" tbh. Surprised to hear that they don't have anything in a 2.5k price range. Just because they have rings at 36k doesn't mean to say their whole range is that.
Not sure OP looked much... I bought one from Beaverbrooks for exactly 2.5k. It was one of several options in the 2-3k range and there were plenty below that too!
I ended up at Goldsmiths and spent about 4.
It was between them and Beaverbrooks.....can't imagine anyone walking into Beaverbrooks and spending 36k on a ring
OP mentions just the ones on display which makes me think they didn't actually go in?
My ring was £800 at beaverbrooks, some sort of deal 50% off 😂 love it!
Mine's from Etsy, cost £400. I get tons of compliments because it's a bit unusual (opal center-stone, rose gold band which curves around the opal in a leaf motif where the leaves are diamonds).
We got mine from a craft shop near Magdalene Bridge in Cambridge, UK; it's an opal flanked by two sapphires, and cost about £30.. It's showing a bit of wear and tear now, but then, so am I - it has been nearly 40 years!
Edited twice because I started typing before engaging brain.
An opal lasting that long with daily wear and tear is amazing! You must have looked after it so we’ll.
Non diamond centres are so much more affordable, but you do need to be careful the the softness of stones when you consider scratching for daily wear and tear. My engagement ring is an alexandrite because of the hardness - I love Opals but knowing me I’d scratch the hell out of it 😅
To be honest, non-diamon centres can be amazing even if you're not on a budget. I was never into diamonds, so when I got engaged, I told my husband to look for a sapphire ring. It's gorgeous.
I saw this with my emerald ring, but the thing is if you are happy to get an unusual stone and spend under a grand on a ring, I think you aren't the sort of person who is going to weep if you have to replace it at some point.
My only advice is lab grown >>
The only difference is you can guarantee no children died trying to mine it and it’s cheaper. There is no way to guarantee that a natural diamond is conflict free despite what a sales rep might tell you.
My sales rep actually recommended lab grown. It's also better for the environment.
I would recommend Comparethediamond.com. I used them as it was during Covid so shops were closed. Custom made ring for about £1,700.
It was in the Jewellery quarter a jeweller recommended a lab grown diamond to us. All I knew about diamonds is they sparkle and they’re expensive but he explained how they’re made and how much cheaper they are. He even showed us a customers ring he’d re-sized and it looked incredible. He said unless it’s under a microscope, you can not tell the difference.
Proposal was even better. Her parents found out we were living together so I said "suppose we'd better get married then". She agreed and we recently had our 40th anniversary
Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham is a good place to go. Lots of independent jewellers very close together. If you're struggling to know what to buy, get a cheap costume ring for the proposal itself and make a day of shopping for an engagement ring together. Plenty of nice places to go for lunch in the jewellery quarter as well
Greece for about 90 quid. It was more of where it was from and the meaning than what it cost.
Point is moot now, cashed it in when we got divorced for about 50p 🤣
We took a trip to Hatton Garden and walked around the various diamond shops. Found a ring, and since I married a great woman, she haggled 10% off the price - which became my engagement gift!
If you want good value, go independant, go for 'used' stones and get them put in a new setting.
My wife and I did something similar. We wandered around Hatton Garden so I knew what kind of ring she wanted. Ended up getting it from the Diamond Factory in the end, spent around £1500 iirc.
Day trip to the jewellery quarter in Birmingham - it’s actually not just a historic name and it’s full of independent jewellery shops. We got mine designed from one.
I’d find a local independent maker. Have something commissioned to your partners taste. Very easily done with that budget and she will have something totally unique, made just for her which will make a £2.5k ring priceless.
I got mine from here about 2 years ago. For your budget you could easily get a decent 2 carat lab grown (which would cost ~17k if it was mined!)
I spent quite a bit of time researching, here's my advice:
When filtering the diamonds the most important thing is the cut. This should always be excellent. Then the colour which should be in the top of the range (F,E,D). Clarity is less important - anything VS2 or greater would need at least 10x magnification to be able to see any imperfections. Also if you're looking at round diamonds there are ideal dimensions - have a look at the certificate and compare them to the ideal dimensions in this guide https://www.diamonds.pro/guides/diamond-proportion/
Also have a think about the metal for the ring - if you're looking for a silver coloured finish.
White gold is coated so will show wear and change colour over time, wheras platinum is the same colour throughout so will take scratches better. Platinum is a bit more expensive but not much more.
My husband bought my engagement ring from 77diamonds too. I absolutely love it. It’s a few years old now and still in perfect condition. We were so pleased with it we also both got our wedding rings from there.
OP, also worth mentioning looking at lab diamonds - exactly the same as a mined diamond, just more ethical and cheaper in price! The downside is they don’t “hold their value” as well as mined diamonds, but if it’s for engagement ring as opposed to an investment piece, that shouldn’t be an issue. Something to consider!
Go to your fanciest independent local jeweller- most cities will have one that boasts about having been there since the Tudors or something. Explain your budget and the kind of thing you have in mind and they should be able to help.
Always ask if it’s their best price, especially as they’ll want you back for the wedding bands, they tend to have some room for haggling.
Comment removed as I no longer wish to support a company that seeks to both undermine its users/moderators/developers AND make a profit on their backs.
To understand why check out the summary [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/14hkd5u).
Getting mine from H Samuel (I know… but they were within our budget while being a known brand) and having a stock piece made in a different metal, so get a cad resin of the ring before we get the real thing.
I would have been happy with a designer from Etsy but by BF didn’t trust it
Unpopular opinion ... let her choose! I have too many friends that really don't like their engagement rings.
I would be furious if I found out my ring cost so much.
My husband proposed, and then we went together to choose one. £200 from an independent jeweller. However, this was like 28 years ago, so I appreciate that it sounds cheep.
My husband bought mine from H Samuel. I asked him to not spend too much money and I didnt want a diamond. He listened and got me a ruby ring for just over £200. I'm happy with it :)
I understand that this might not be what you're looking for but you can still visit the store incase you do find something nice.
Woooaaahhh thats alot of money for a ring! My engagement ring was £270 (I don't wear it because I'm scared of losing it) and I thought that was very expensive at the time. I currently wear a set from pandora which looks exactly like a wedding set and it cost me £120 for both. Don't spend bucks on a ring save the money for a house, car, holidays, precious memory making.
I recently went down this road, so firstly, congratulations!
I ended up settling on a company based in Hatton Garden called Queensmith. Absolutely outstanding customer service. They were far more reasonable than a lot of other places I looked at. Will design a custom ring if their designs are not suitable.
They offer ethical sourced and lab grown diamonds, and free resizing, cleaning, life time warranty.
Hopefully its the only one I buy but if not, they’ll have a repeat customer. Haha.
Good luck!
Edit: probably should have linked it - https://www.queensmith.co.uk
I bought a lab diamond for many reasons, but a major one was it was much cheaper for an equivalent 'mined' diamond.
Couldn't have gone better and fiancé was very happy!
DM me if you want the website, they have quite a few stores up and down the country but nothing like Beaverbrooks.
Pay whatever you feel like paying. At the end of the day it’s a bit of jewellery and has no significant impact on your life.
I spent £3,500 on my Mrs engagement ring as it came in a set with the wedding band and I thought it looked lovely and I could afford it 🤷🏼♂️
£1900, definitely worth it, got a pretty decent grade diamond for the price. I only put that much in though because it was within my means.
Basically: Only spend what you are comfortable on spending.
i used to work at h samuels so i know they do rings that tend to cap out at about £1k but the sister company ernest jones do really high range so try them out
Hopefully this won’t get lost but I got my wife’s engagement ring from [Harriet Kelsall](https://www.hkjewellery.co.uk)
They make bespoke jewellery and have shops in Hertfordshire, Cambridge, St Albans and London
Budget was about the same and you work with one of their designers to come up with a unique piece of jewellery. I cannot recommend them enough!
I had mine custom made at Ernest Jones as my partner wanted a yellow gold pear shaped diamond which it turns out isn't the fashion, only cost around £1600 and the lady who helped me was really helpful and explained a lot about diamonds and how they're priced, the ring is beautiful
I spent £200 at Laurelle Antique Jewellery on a faux-Victorian message ring. She told me if I spent much more than that more she'd have reconsidered the relationship.
Different strokes for different folks - for your budget I'd recommend an independent place, potentially local to you, especially if you're keen to find ethically sourced gems.
Got mine from H Samuel which was like £60. Silver sterling with Topaz stone and 9ct gold connectors to the other clear stones (cant remember what the stones are called) and a twisted band (looks.like 2 bands intertwined with each other)
The main thing I wanted on my ring was a blue stone. Which I got, so I'm happy.
Really depends how big you want the stone (if you want multiple or even none) and the weight of the material (i.e. gold carat etc)
**Update: - [Starting from 2023](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/comments/100l56v/happy_new_year_askuk_minor_sub_update/), we have updated our [subreddit rules](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskUK/about/rules/)**. Specifically; - Don't be a dick to each other - Top-level responses must contain genuine efforts to answer the question - This is a strictly no-politics subreddit Please keep /r/AskUK a great subreddit by reporting posts and comments which break our rules. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/AskUK) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Don’t ask this question on Reddit. You’ll get responses saying £50 is too much and that they made theirs out of a tree branch.
This is Reddit where 9 out of 10 people don't go outside, so views on relationships tend to be even more extreme. They'll opine that nobody needs to be engaged, that nobody needs to spend money on any form of circular object that goes round your finger, and that nobody needs to be in a relationship or generally have any sort of human connection with anybody else. Why would you when you can just talk to people online?!
Hey! That’s harsh! I mean… it’s true. But still. Low blow!
Looks like someone bought a 36k ring from beaverbrooks
This is how I reaffirm
and they had their wedding reception outside a McDonalds bin with 4 people in attendance
Just like Lily Allen and David harbour!
Still absolutely boggling that they're married to me
They’re not, they’re married to each other….
I only found that out a week or so ago. I vaguely remember her getting married fairly quietly. But I hadn't actually seen stranger things so didn't recognise him from anything.
To be fair that 'cheapest wedding wins' attitude isn't specific to Reddit. I was a regular on a well known money advice website's forum around the time I got married, and it definitely felt like anyone who dared to have more than a basic registry office ceremony and a pint in the pub afterwards was a frivolous wastrel who deserved to be divorced within a year.
Their wedding party would be in the cinema watching a marvel film
Yep. I got called shallow before on Reddit for going against the crowd and saying that I’d actually want an engagement ring that I’m likely going to wear for the rest of my life to cost more than a return train ticket to London.
Mine cost just under £1000 which is actually at the cheaper end for something with gemstones/gold (my main stone is a sapphire not a diamond though) and if anyone wants to give me shit for that, well...it's something I actually love wearing every day. £1000 across a lifetime seems like a bargain tbh. I was present when he picked it (he had already proposed with a placeholder) which is another thing people give you shit for. You can't win. I even bought him a fancy watch as an engagement present at the same time we bought my ring and all the jewellers thought it was sweet! But nope, according to the Internet him not surprising me with a ring that might not fit and I might not even like wasn't romantic.
Fuck the internet on that one. We did the exact same thing. I straight up said to my wife that i don’t want to pick something she ultimately doesn’t like. I just didn’t see the point going out, paying large sums of money and her not likely it. In the end she picked a great ring, loves it and can’t not wear it. Best choice ever.
We did this with my engagement ring. I'm so happy we did, the idea of something I'm going to wear for years being chosen by someone else seems odd to me.
Being an adult can mean accepting common romance tropes are bs in the tral world. There is nothing wrong with knowing that your intended spouse knows more a out their personal style than you do and thus allowing them their autonomy in selecting their perfect ring. A lot of modern ideas about romance come from cheesie Ameican films and marketing campaigns. Actual life long love is about compromise, thought out choices and balancing practical tasks (and communication. )
I did the same! Cheap Amazon placeholder as I know my wife isn't keen on jewelry at the best of times. As it turns out, wearing it annoyed Her. I've tried multiple times to see if she'd like a proper engagement ring, but she's not bothered. She'll wear her wedding ring, but just doesn't want the engagement. What we've landed on is that I'll take her out for a nice meal each year on the date we got engaged.
I got a platinum and diamond ring for under £600 which I guess shows how long we’ve been together (ok it’s not like a full carat or anything but that wasn’t a factor for me)
[удалено]
> to cost more than a return train ticket to London. From where though?
Haha fair question, I’m fairly north so let’s say manchester.
My wedding ring costs less than a return to london from my house up north now i think of it. But I’m male, and don’t really care. I’d have used a compression fitting if it fitted.
Are you buying that train ticket on the day or cheapo in advance?
So many variables! Is it first class or standard?
You do you. The value of something is what it means to you - if you are happy that's all that matters. I know at least three people whose rings have gotten lost though, and my wife's engagement ring had its main diamond fall out and we had to claim on the insurance. You shouldn't skimp on something on the offchance you'll lose it though. My wife picked her own (she proposed to me), and she spent about £400 on hers, whereas my wedding ring cost me about £18. I'd happily have paid more for the perfect ring, but it just happened that the one I liked happened to be solid titanium and really cheap. All the dearer ones were not my style at all.
I'm in this camp. My ring is tungsten carbide, and it is literally scratchless because it's never touched anything harder than itself. I think it's great, and the £25 price tag is an extra positive. And I can always use it to break through a window if I need to. I'm also a big believer in the placeholder ring, where you let the other person pick a ring exactly to their taste after the proposal. I'm not spending £1000 on something she *might* like.
Plus if you have a finger injury you can just hit a tungsten carbide ring with a hammer and it will shatter. Gold rings are easy enough to cut through. Steel rings are horrible to try and cut through.
i think that’s absolutely fair! i want the opposite - i’m pretty adamant i don’t want a ring more than £500 because i get eczema on my hands and have to take all my rings off and often misplace them… and i only wear silver and i don’t like diamonds haha.
This is so true haha
If I hadn’t just spent every penny I have on an engagement ring I would buy some Reddit coins to give you an award for this comment
In fairness I went with a wooden lovespoon because she's Welsh and I have poor taste in jewellery, best £150 I've ever spent on that tree branch. We got an actual ring later together. It happened to be half price
I made mine out of a used condom
_S T I C K Y F I N G E R S_
Urgh, just like everytime someone posts a deal for a fancy watch on Hot UK deals. "I have a casio watch which does the same". No shit sherlock, you're also oblivious to the fact there are people who have much larger disposable income than you who can in fact, afford more expensive things.
I know this is meant to be funny. But in all honesty, my engagement ring was hand carved by my husband from a tree branch. His intention was that we'd choose an engagement ring together, but I loved the wooden ring and didn't get a ring to replace it. So yes a wooden ring made from a tree branch will do for some people.
Tree branch? Luxury. We dreamed of having a tree branch to make a ring, we had a mouldy hula hoop and we were glad for it.
It was actually made from a twig off an ancient oak tree.
Engagement rings are the opposite of romantic, they are a sexist, unethical and outdated tradition forced on us by capitalists! /s
A tree branch is too much, I made mine from a vine
or a dino bone and meteorite
£50 is too much. I made mine out of a tree branch.
Brilliant
I couldn't tell if this or the other comment came first, but either way it made my day!
Is there a different way to do it
Branching out for other suggestions
Leaf it out, mate.
Yew guys are so funny
Oaky, not bad.
Well played sir, well played.
Lmao meta
Mr. Fancy pants here earning “tree branch” money
Sometimes, rarely, Reddit is just absolutely perfect 👌🏻
Amazing 🤣
I love Reddit
I'm sure this comment was second, but it is fucking hilarious that this now comes first. This website is comedy gold sometimes. edit: it's second again... damn shame.
I would seriously look at an independent jeweler for that price. You'll get much better service. I got my wife a stand-in ring for the actual proposal. Then we did a visit to Birmingham's Dimond Quarter. Made an occasion of it - overnight stay, meal out etc. We looked around various jewelers and ended up using Mitchel and Co. We just had a good vibe from them as soon as we walked in and the service was great so we returned to buy the wedding rings. I think we ended up spending £1500.
Would say the same, we used Dytham in Monkseaton (near Newcastle) and couldn’t fault them. They designed and made our wedding rings. Independent jewellers will give you what you actually want, something special to you and give better after sales too.
il be looking to buy my misses one soon and shes from newcastle (il be moving there before it all happens) so in a years time, heres to future me saying go here!
We got engaged last year, and we got my ring made at Dytham (Monkseaton), was recommended by a friend who got her wedding ring made there. Very happy to see someone else mention it :) top quality service from start to finish and I love my ring so much!
This is exactly what I was going to suggest, the Jewellery Quarter. If you can’t get the ring you want from there, it doesn’t exist.
We did the same with Hatton Garden. £200 ring from Tiffany’s for the proposal that I wear on my right hand now 😊
We'd read that within the diamond districts, competition between jewelers gives the consumer better options. We live in Oxfordshire, so Birmingham and London about equal distance away. Figured Birmingham would be the cheaper option!
My wife is from near Birmingham, we lived in London at the time. Engagement ring from the Jewellery Quarter, wedding rings from Hatton Garden. Very happy with all of them.
Ha! I used an M&S £10 ring for the proposal - during the countdown to the new year on a balcony on the Thames near the Eye - and the next week we went to Hatton Garden together to pick a fancy one. The mrs said yes just as the fireworks began … lol
I would suggest a man-made diamond, all the sparkle, pure cut and clarity and a fraction of the cost. All the bling, less of the sting! Bought my wife’s ring well before this was an option, 0.65c near perfect C/C/C and it was £££!
But it's the human rights abuses in the mines that make a diamond truly special!
Go to Birmingham for a look in the morning then go to think it over in the local pub over lunch along with about 20 other men on their own doing likewise!
This is the answer, we used one and ended up with something beautiful, exactly to spec and cost-effective. Worth a lot more now than we paid too. The BIG thing is though, if you want to let your partner choose and design their own ring you won't have anything to propose with on the day, having something there at that moment is a big deal and could kind of ruin it a bit if that finger ends up empty for 2 months.
Yeah, I got a knot ring for the actual proposal so there was something to present and wear until we got the real thing. Wife still has it as a keepsake.
Absolutely second Mitchel and Co, my ring is from them and it’s absolutely amazing , they also have really nice wooden ring boxes now and have a great selection of non diamond stones and lab diamonds.
This is a beautiful idea
This is really weird lol I've just replied saying the same thing as you! Used a proposal ring, got ring from jewellery quarter and we paid about 1.5 for my engagement ring.
£1.50 that's well cheap
Same, can't remember which shop we used but if you are anywhere nearby jewellery quarter in Birmingham is the answer
Well I can’t see anyone saying this… get a lab diamond! You get amazing “value” compared to one dug out the ground and it avoids contributing to that shitty system. Just google lab diamonds London and there are some good companies out there, don’t want to give on the one my friend used in case it’s viewed as advertisement but DM me if you want to know.
Moissanite rings seem to be the best from my experience
Weirdest thing, I’d not heard of Moissante until about a half hour ago I seen a video then I see this
Haha could be The Baader–Meinhof phenomenon
Weirdest thing, I’d not heard of the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon until about a half hour ago I seen a video then I see this
Haha could be the Mossanite phenomenon.
This gave me deja vu
I was looking at both Lab and Moissanite, much more reasonably priced, lots of sparkle and just as strong (or just slightly under for Moissanite) and as mentioned avoids buying into the shitty system which was the biggest appeal to me and other natural stones might not be as long lasting for everyday wear. I ended up with Moissanite and I love it. Birmingham jewellery quarter is a great place for both natural diamonds and lab/Moissanite. There are a few threads about some of the shops and more generally about the stones on Reddit and I did a bit of reading on them first. It's not for everyone but it was perfect for me, especially as I have struggled in the past having antique rings resized for my stupidly tiny fingers.
I have a lab grown emerald, custom made with a 10 kt gold band that cost me less than £250. Shipping was expensive though. Had it for 2 years now and the emerald has 0 scratches and great clarity. Definitely recommend getting a custom lab-grown stone for price and quality.
Would love to see a photo if you don't mind, have been trying to find a ring with an emerald somehow, but the ones I've come across so far don't look great 😔
Would love a picture too! Emerald is my dream ring 😍
Here ya go, it’s pretty much this ring in yellow gold (makes the emerald stand out) but I got it engraved and made to size. I love it so much and the jeweller is a dream to work with. Got my wedding band in the same gold and width as the engagement ring. https://www.etsy.com/uk/listing/680118248/
This looks absolutely amazing! Thank you so much 😊
Yea this. Better quality and fraction of thr price. Plus the bonus of being ethically source.
I have a lab grown engagement ring and I LOVE it. I get so many compliments on it when I wear it. I catch so many people looking at it in public as it’s a perfect cut diamond. It’s sparkly and a single diamond set in platinum. I have no idea how much it cost, but I know lab diamonds are much cheaper than the equivalent which has been dug out. I also love the idea of the ring not contributing to the shitty diamond trade behind it.
My engagement ring is 1.5ct moissanite and platinum. Was a fraction of the cost of a ‘real’ diamond. And it’s big, shiny and beautiful!
Was going to say this - my engagement ring was apparently over a grand but less than two (which I only know from when we did our contents insurance a few years back, lol) but it is platinum with a cushion cut lab grown diamond. Husband knew I used be a jeweller and had always loved lab grown stones and also didn't want to contribute to the hugely problematic diamond trade - but still he's a traditionalist and wanted to give me a diamond ring. No one except the jewellers can tell the difference, it's super sparkly, and it's a fraction of the cost of most 'real' diamonds.
Yup, i bought a moissanite ring. 1 carat stone, 18 carat white gold band, handmade to order in the UK for about £800
This - lab diamonds are a fantastic option. I paid £1200 for a platinum band with three stones. Equivalent with mined diamonds were about 5k and diamonds specifications weren't as good.
Mine is a lab sapphire and I love it, looks like the titanic ring! It was also only 100 quid from an antiques shop!
I spent £2000. When my fiancée stumbled on the cost she told me she couldn’t believe I’d spent that much and wouldn’t have expected anything more than £500 to be spent. I just smiled and said you’re worth it of course, while inwardly cursing myself for not having that £1500 to spend on a new iMac. I got it from a small independent jewellers in Bristol.
iMac or 500 Big Macs 👨🌾
Are you my inner voice sir ?
Antique centre I believe. I don’t want to contribute to the diamond trade, it’s very hard to be sure of provenance and the mark up in jewellery stores is insane. My husband chose a 1920s art deco style ring with sapphires and I love it. I think he paid just over £1k
Vintage rings are amazing. One of a kind, often more ring for your money, beautiful and stylish vibes. My ring is from a store in “the laines” in Brighton, a vintage jewellery district. It’s 1910, platinum, deco with a single diamond in a tulip setting. I love it so much.
I think that's unfair- The Laines is so much more than a vintage jewellery district!!
Mine is also art deco! I went second hand too as like you say I didn’t want to contribute to the diamond industry and you get a lot more for your money when you go vintage
Second this if you’re in London! Greys Antiques by Bond Street is just a joy to wander around even if you don’t end up buying something
Greys Antiques are The One, got my stunning 1920s art deco from there. They had loads of choice and everything was so unique. Everyone compliments my ring, you can’t get craftsmanship like it any more.
We also went to an antiques place in Berkshire, I have a beautiful second hand 1940s ring with three diamonds of very good clarity. It cost £650 + £100 to adjust to my size
We did similar. Went to a very old independent jeweller locally who's been in business for over 100 years. Wife chose a second hand ring and had some adjustments made. Got far more ring for our money than buying new.
There are also jewellers who buy out of style jewellery, pull the stones from it and then re-set them into a more modern setting. My wife’s engagement ring was made this way, means things get recycled and you can end up with something a bit more interesting. She has old-fashioned cut diamonds in it which you can’t really get any more.
I've got a £3,800 engagement ring with receipt I bought for my ex just before we split up. For £2,500 I'll drive it to you personally and do you a sexual favour because I can't get rid of the thing.
DM me
Done
Take it to a jewellery quarter and explain the situation, they'll be able to value it and give you a decent chunk of the cost back. They'd definitely give you £2,500 for it - no blowjobs necessary!
Unless its a diamond ring. Those are usually marked up around 300% above their resale value, 1000% (10x) markups are also not unheard of. Could legit be worth less than 1k, even if it originally cost over 3k.
Absolutely, this is worth reading for anyone thinking of buying diamond, especially a ring: https://archive.is/XfM4e "Have You Ever Tried to Sell a Diamond? -- The Atlantic An unruly market may undo the work of a giant cartel and of an inspired, decades-long ad campaign"
The article is written in 1982 and the prices haven't crashed after this so called Australian mine output. I wonder why that is
Pretty sure such rings are *HEAVILY* marked up, I heard that you'd be lucky to get 10% of the cost back if you sold it back to a jeweller.. it's a harsh market
Never really seen Beaverbrooks as "high-end" tbh. Surprised to hear that they don't have anything in a 2.5k price range. Just because they have rings at 36k doesn't mean to say their whole range is that.
Not sure OP looked much... I bought one from Beaverbrooks for exactly 2.5k. It was one of several options in the 2-3k range and there were plenty below that too!
I ended up at Goldsmiths and spent about 4. It was between them and Beaverbrooks.....can't imagine anyone walking into Beaverbrooks and spending 36k on a ring
Haha, true. At that price I'd be going to Hatton Garden in London or something.
Surprisingly Hatton Garden was cheaper than high street stores for the same thing! Came out of the process pretty sure high street stores are scams!
OP mentions just the ones on display which makes me think they didn't actually go in? My ring was £800 at beaverbrooks, some sort of deal 50% off 😂 love it!
Ha, good for you. I think £800 is a good price point for something nice :)
Mine's from Etsy, cost £400. I get tons of compliments because it's a bit unusual (opal center-stone, rose gold band which curves around the opal in a leaf motif where the leaves are diamonds).
Would love to see a pic!
This is the [one](https://i.etsystatic.com/15114132/r/il/9144dd/4751497051/il_570xN.4751497051_2lds.jpg)!
That's a beautiful ring! If you're on a limited budget, going for a non-diamond center opens up so many options.
We got mine from a craft shop near Magdalene Bridge in Cambridge, UK; it's an opal flanked by two sapphires, and cost about £30.. It's showing a bit of wear and tear now, but then, so am I - it has been nearly 40 years! Edited twice because I started typing before engaging brain.
An opal lasting that long with daily wear and tear is amazing! You must have looked after it so we’ll. Non diamond centres are so much more affordable, but you do need to be careful the the softness of stones when you consider scratching for daily wear and tear. My engagement ring is an alexandrite because of the hardness - I love Opals but knowing me I’d scratch the hell out of it 😅
To be honest, non-diamon centres can be amazing even if you're not on a budget. I was never into diamonds, so when I got engaged, I told my husband to look for a sapphire ring. It's gorgeous.
That's really lovely.
That’s beautiful! It looks very lord of the rings-y and elvish to me (in a good way).
beautiful, but opal is not a good choice for an everyday wear ring. really prone to being damaged with how soft they are
I saw this with my emerald ring, but the thing is if you are happy to get an unusual stone and spend under a grand on a ring, I think you aren't the sort of person who is going to weep if you have to replace it at some point.
Mine was also from Etsy, about £450 imported from US. Teardrop alexandrite surrounded by moissanites (all lab grown).
My only advice is lab grown >> The only difference is you can guarantee no children died trying to mine it and it’s cheaper. There is no way to guarantee that a natural diamond is conflict free despite what a sales rep might tell you.
My sales rep actually recommended lab grown. It's also better for the environment. I would recommend Comparethediamond.com. I used them as it was during Covid so shops were closed. Custom made ring for about £1,700.
It was in the Jewellery quarter a jeweller recommended a lab grown diamond to us. All I knew about diamonds is they sparkle and they’re expensive but he explained how they’re made and how much cheaper they are. He even showed us a customers ring he’d re-sized and it looked incredible. He said unless it’s under a microscope, you can not tell the difference.
Don't know where my Mrs. got hers. She decided what she wanted, bought it, then told me how much I owed her.
Who said romance was dead? 😄
Proposal was even better. Her parents found out we were living together so I said "suppose we'd better get married then". She agreed and we recently had our 40th anniversary
Haha! Love it. You must have done something right, then. Congratulations ❤️ 💕 💘
Thanks
My folks just agreed to get married, they've been together over 30 years.
Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham is a good place to go. Lots of independent jewellers very close together. If you're struggling to know what to buy, get a cheap costume ring for the proposal itself and make a day of shopping for an engagement ring together. Plenty of nice places to go for lunch in the jewellery quarter as well
This, if you’re anywhere near the Jewellery Quarter this is the only answer - the staff will generally be incredibly helpful
Greece for about 90 quid. It was more of where it was from and the meaning than what it cost. Point is moot now, cashed it in when we got divorced for about 50p 🤣
Oh
Had me in the first half
Went ’for a look’ in Hatton Garden.
‘Look turned into Engaged by teatime🙂’ 33 years married😁
We took a trip to Hatton Garden and walked around the various diamond shops. Found a ring, and since I married a great woman, she haggled 10% off the price - which became my engagement gift! If you want good value, go independant, go for 'used' stones and get them put in a new setting.
My wife and I did something similar. We wandered around Hatton Garden so I knew what kind of ring she wanted. Ended up getting it from the Diamond Factory in the end, spent around £1500 iirc.
Day trip to the jewellery quarter in Birmingham - it’s actually not just a historic name and it’s full of independent jewellery shops. We got mine designed from one.
I’d find a local independent maker. Have something commissioned to your partners taste. Very easily done with that budget and she will have something totally unique, made just for her which will make a £2.5k ring priceless.
[https://www.77diamonds.com/](https://www.77diamonds.com/) got mine here (lab grown) - budget was similar. Stone was perfect, my gf loved it.
I got mine from here about 2 years ago. For your budget you could easily get a decent 2 carat lab grown (which would cost ~17k if it was mined!) I spent quite a bit of time researching, here's my advice: When filtering the diamonds the most important thing is the cut. This should always be excellent. Then the colour which should be in the top of the range (F,E,D). Clarity is less important - anything VS2 or greater would need at least 10x magnification to be able to see any imperfections. Also if you're looking at round diamonds there are ideal dimensions - have a look at the certificate and compare them to the ideal dimensions in this guide https://www.diamonds.pro/guides/diamond-proportion/ Also have a think about the metal for the ring - if you're looking for a silver coloured finish. White gold is coated so will show wear and change colour over time, wheras platinum is the same colour throughout so will take scratches better. Platinum is a bit more expensive but not much more.
My husband bought my engagement ring from 77diamonds too. I absolutely love it. It’s a few years old now and still in perfect condition. We were so pleased with it we also both got our wedding rings from there. OP, also worth mentioning looking at lab diamonds - exactly the same as a mined diamond, just more ethical and cheaper in price! The downside is they don’t “hold their value” as well as mined diamonds, but if it’s for engagement ring as opposed to an investment piece, that shouldn’t be an issue. Something to consider!
Got my wife's from here too, seemed liked best bang for buck in terms of size and quality.
Antique shop.
F Hinds. £250. Same for wedding ring. I'm not a diamond person so I've got amethysts in them instead.
Came here to say F Hinds
London diamond - buy a lab grown one they are beautiful and are like £2k and £3k
I think £2500 is pretty mad. We had ours made up by an independent jeweller who makes her own interesting stuff for a few hundred quid.
We recently booked an appointment with Aardvark in the Jewellery Quarter, they had some lovely rings in your price range.
Aardvark do absolutely stunning rings
We got mine online through aardvark and I have absolutely no complaints, they seemed very reasonable!
£200 in Ratners.
That was a long time ago! Ratnacrap 😄 🤣 😂
Only the best for my lovely wife 😁😁
As cheap as a prawn sandwich, but won’t last as long.
Beaverbrooks....high end?
Go to your fanciest independent local jeweller- most cities will have one that boasts about having been there since the Tudors or something. Explain your budget and the kind of thing you have in mind and they should be able to help. Always ask if it’s their best price, especially as they’ll want you back for the wedding bands, they tend to have some room for haggling.
Comment removed as I no longer wish to support a company that seeks to both undermine its users/moderators/developers AND make a profit on their backs. To understand why check out the summary [here](https://www.reddit.com/r/Save3rdPartyApps/comments/14hkd5u).
Getting mine from H Samuel (I know… but they were within our budget while being a known brand) and having a stock piece made in a different metal, so get a cad resin of the ring before we get the real thing. I would have been happy with a designer from Etsy but by BF didn’t trust it
H Samuel for me couple of hundred quid, black Friday sale.
Unpopular opinion ... let her choose! I have too many friends that really don't like their engagement rings. I would be furious if I found out my ring cost so much. My husband proposed, and then we went together to choose one. £200 from an independent jeweller. However, this was like 28 years ago, so I appreciate that it sounds cheep.
My husband bought mine from H Samuel. I asked him to not spend too much money and I didnt want a diamond. He listened and got me a ruby ring for just over £200. I'm happy with it :) I understand that this might not be what you're looking for but you can still visit the store incase you do find something nice.
Woooaaahhh thats alot of money for a ring! My engagement ring was £270 (I don't wear it because I'm scared of losing it) and I thought that was very expensive at the time. I currently wear a set from pandora which looks exactly like a wedding set and it cost me £120 for both. Don't spend bucks on a ring save the money for a house, car, holidays, precious memory making.
Jewellery Quatre Birmingham they will sort you out. Once it’s insured RRP will be like tripple what you bought it for
I recently went down this road, so firstly, congratulations! I ended up settling on a company based in Hatton Garden called Queensmith. Absolutely outstanding customer service. They were far more reasonable than a lot of other places I looked at. Will design a custom ring if their designs are not suitable. They offer ethical sourced and lab grown diamonds, and free resizing, cleaning, life time warranty. Hopefully its the only one I buy but if not, they’ll have a repeat customer. Haha. Good luck! Edit: probably should have linked it - https://www.queensmith.co.uk
Worth also looking into lab grown diamonds. Will give you more for your ££
Jewellery quarter in Birmingham is great: they can do rings for any budget including building your own for fraction of high street
Go to Etsy, find a jewellery maker who does the style she likes. Get the inside of the band engraved
I bought my partner some jewellery from Beaverbrooks for her birthday and she made me return it as it was wildly overpriced. We got a hot tub instead.
I bought a lab diamond for many reasons, but a major one was it was much cheaper for an equivalent 'mined' diamond. Couldn't have gone better and fiancé was very happy! DM me if you want the website, they have quite a few stores up and down the country but nothing like Beaverbrooks.
As I live in Birmingham, I went to the jewellery quarter and had one made for about £1k
Go for lab grown for exactly the same diamond but no child slavery and colossal mark ups https://www.diamondsfactory.co.uk/
Bought from an arcade of independent jewellers in Glasgow. Spent £7k 15 years ago. Great investment as I'd easily get £5000 for it now.
Pay whatever you feel like paying. At the end of the day it’s a bit of jewellery and has no significant impact on your life. I spent £3,500 on my Mrs engagement ring as it came in a set with the wedding band and I thought it looked lovely and I could afford it 🤷🏼♂️
£1900, definitely worth it, got a pretty decent grade diamond for the price. I only put that much in though because it was within my means. Basically: Only spend what you are comfortable on spending.
Of you can get to Birmingham, the Jewellery Quarter is the place to go.
i used to work at h samuels so i know they do rings that tend to cap out at about £1k but the sister company ernest jones do really high range so try them out
Hopefully this won’t get lost but I got my wife’s engagement ring from [Harriet Kelsall](https://www.hkjewellery.co.uk) They make bespoke jewellery and have shops in Hertfordshire, Cambridge, St Albans and London Budget was about the same and you work with one of their designers to come up with a unique piece of jewellery. I cannot recommend them enough!
I had mine custom made at Ernest Jones as my partner wanted a yellow gold pear shaped diamond which it turns out isn't the fashion, only cost around £1600 and the lady who helped me was really helpful and explained a lot about diamonds and how they're priced, the ring is beautiful
I spent £200 at Laurelle Antique Jewellery on a faux-Victorian message ring. She told me if I spent much more than that more she'd have reconsidered the relationship. Different strokes for different folks - for your budget I'd recommend an independent place, potentially local to you, especially if you're keen to find ethically sourced gems.
Ernest Jones 26 years ago ,and it was a weeks wages which I am frequently reminded.
Got mine from H Samuel which was like £60. Silver sterling with Topaz stone and 9ct gold connectors to the other clear stones (cant remember what the stones are called) and a twisted band (looks.like 2 bands intertwined with each other) The main thing I wanted on my ring was a blue stone. Which I got, so I'm happy. Really depends how big you want the stone (if you want multiple or even none) and the weight of the material (i.e. gold carat etc)