Malaysia Watch Forum
Off Topic => Other Discussion (OT Discussion) => Topic started by: wslee on April 21, 2013, 05:45:18 PM
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Dear expert,any advice on the engagement ring.planning to propose this year.Looking at the budget about RM3-5k.
Which jewellery shop should I go?
Personally I have not go to survey yet,hope to hear from the sifu before I visit the shop
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wslee,
Your quote brings back sweet memory, time when I went through the same scenario.
As a young couple our resources were limited then. With just rm450 in the pocket...I went ahead to order 2 units 835k gold (plain band), one for his and one for hers.....and we wore these band for many years but we never wear them anymore for now.....not because of its eternity but because these pairs have became too small to wear.
IMHO, With you budget, your best bet is to go for those 950PT? (platinum) simple band. These material last forever.
If all else failed, just go for plain simple 916k wedding band.
My 2 cts tells me that the current local white gold is a no no. These white gold just faded away (top layer becomes yellowish) after some years of daily wear.
I heard the Japan made white gold is of better quality. Please correct me on this.
Depending on your requirements/taste, a good quality 0.5 cts diamond takes more that rm6k........and I heard if your gf is a hongkie, then on going rates is at least a 2 karat diamond??...for engagement ring..if not, no tiew...(pardon my language)..somebody, please comments on this.
:)
dc
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If engagement ring is 3-5k, then how much will the wedding ring cost? Maybe since it's just engagement, better not put in such a high budget... hahahaha
Depending on your requirements/taste, a good quality 0.5 cts diamond takes more that rm6k........and I heard if your gf is a hongkie, then on going rates is at least a 2 karat diamond??...for engagement ring..if not, no tiew...(pardon my language)..somebody, please comments on this.
:)
dc
Best to tiew before engagement to make sure vehicle is good and then decide if it's worth the 3-5k engagement ring and possible 2 karat wedding ring later...
:Laughing_on_floor:
And around 5k can get a 0.5 karat certified diamond but not in the D-E-F colour or VVS clarity...
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I really do feel for those who are getting married these days. I bought my rings and house when prices are still reasonable couple of years back.
I am with David, being just getting a proper paycheck years ago, I got myself a plain white gold band for myself and an eternity diamond band for her.
Got her the solitaires when I was more capable. HK is a good place to buy. Nice designs and competitive prices.
Like what David says is true, go for YG if both you and your partner likes the hues, if not go platinum. WG needs plating when it turns yellowish.
Made up for it when I started to earn more and got my wife more blings as the years goes.
Do read up about diamonds if you are planing that route. I do find bluenile does give a quite accurate ballpark market rate on diamond and jewelry prices.
All the best for the suffeRing begins :Laughing_on_floor:
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A working colleague in my wife's company asked for a Rolex datejust, 2 tone for her engagement.....my, she is one smart lady..... :D :D
dc
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Good thing she did not ask for a Pearlmaster :laugh:
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wslee,
Your quote brings back sweet memory, time when I went through the same scenario.
As a young couple our resources were limited then. With just rm450 in the pocket...I went ahead to order 2 units 835k gold (plain band), one for his and one for hers.....and we wore these band for many years but we never wear them anymore for now.....not because of its eternity but because these pairs have became too small to wear.
IMHO, With you budget, your best bet is to go for those 950PT? (platinum) simple band. These material last forever.
If all else failed, just go for plain simple 916k wedding band.
My 2 cts tells me that the current local white gold is a no no. These white gold just faded away (top layer becomes yellowish) after some years of daily wear.
I heard the Japan made white gold is of better quality. Please correct me on this.
Depending on your requirements/taste, a good quality 0.5 cts diamond takes more that rm6k........and I heard if your gf is a hongkie, then on going rates is at least a 2 karat diamond??...for engagement ring..if not, no tiew...(pardon my language)..somebody, please comments on this.
:)
dc
Good to hear that :)
But anyway i have not done a proper survey.Hahahaha
Given a choice, i would like to give her a watch. Unfortunately way out of my budget.
Im looking at 0.3-0.4C as a engagement ring,well luckily she is Malaysian.Hahaha!!!! :Dancing_banana:
Will take my time to survey
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Guys,thanks for the info..hehehe :Cheers:
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simple and nice, success rate 99.9%
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r520/changkentlee/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg) (http://s1169.photobucket.com/user/changkentlee/media/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg.html)
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simple and nice, success rate 99.9%
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r520/changkentlee/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg) (http://s1169.photobucket.com/user/changkentlee/media/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg.html)
Which shop u getting from,if you dont mind
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check PM
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check PM
Received,thanks
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I got married last year and bought the engagement ring about 2 years back. I think diamond prices are roughly still the same. Ok first you got 2 types of rings you need to buy. To get her to marry you, you need to buy an engagement ring. These are usually diamond rings and could be a solitaire or all kinds of fancy designs. After she agrees, you need to buy a pair of wedding rings. Usually this are simple bands of white gold/platinum/gold. Diamonds optional.
Next you have the 3 tiers of diamond rings. Highest level are Tiffany & Co/Cartier etc level rings. These are expensive, branded and highly marked up. You are basically paying for the brand and the "box" that it comes in. Your wedding photographers will definitely be taking photos of rings in the box so if that's your priority for face, then its up to you. Personally you are paying 3-4 times market value just for the brand and I think it's silly. Good Half carat (triple excellent, VS1 or better, F Colour or better) will cost you 20k an above.
Medium tier is the pseudo luxury brands such as Lumiere (by Tomei), Habib (Hearts on Fire series) etc etc. These are branded and cost 50%-100% above market price. However you do get slightly better diamonds. Make sure you get "hearts and arrows" diamonds. These are premium cut diamonds that are apparently more shiny "due to how well they are cut @ the ideal angles". If you examine with a hand loupe, you can see a hearts and arrows pattern in the diamond. I went for this level of diamonds lar, no Chinese Jewelry shop brand name and not as expensive as true luxury brands. Also you pay for the cutting quality as well. Good Half carat about 10k.
Mass market level are Poh Kong, Wah Chan, Tomei etc etc level. These are the best bargains for your money. Make sure you are buying GIA diamonds (diamonds inspected by Geminological Institute of America). Nothing much else to say except these are the best value diamonds. Good Half carat about 6-7k.
Next is the 4cs. Carat, Cutting, Colour & Clarity. Carat is weight (and thus size). Cutting is how well it is cut (how shiny it is). Colour is how clear it is (D is perfectly colourless, I/J/K above, diamond gets abit yellowish). Clarity is how perfect the diamond is without inclusions (VVS is very very slightly included, SI1 and SI2 is slightly included etc).
My 2 cents, go for the biggest cheapest rock you can find. Get a diamond that is as big as possible with crappy colour and clarity because honestly nobody can tell without a microscope. Cutting is pretty important to make sure that the diamond is sufficiently shiny. Just as a general quide diamond prices triple everytime carat size doubles. so if half carat is 7 k for a Poh Kong level ring, it'll be 20k for a one carat and 60k for 2 carats.
My advice is buy slightly below a round number. Buy 0.48 or 0.92 or 0.97 etc. The pricing is cheaper and it'll look equally big. For 3-5k, don't bother with the luxury names. Just survey Wah Chan and Poh Kong for GIA diamond rings. You should be able to get a good quality 0.3++ or a crappy quality 0.4. I suggest go for size.
Forget about resale value for diamonds. The buyback programme I was offered was 25% of purchase price and this is only for trading up. Better buy a cheap diamond ring and buy a nice watch. Also weddings are EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. Please budget for wedding photographers and wedding entertainment in addition to your wedding dinner. Wedding photographers/videographers for prewedding pictures and actual day photographers/videographers cost me almost 15k. Wedding live bands + emcee will also set you back about 5k.
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ivanpei..
With your post, I bet a lot of bachelors are running for cover the minute a potential candidate mentions the word diamond engagement ring.
My advice would be, get a simple pair of gold rings for a wedding and spend within your means for the wedding itself. If everything goes well, children will come along soon. Never wait till you are financially very well-off before having children as that may be too late. Leave the diamond rings until a time when the couple's finances are in order.
I only got my wife her diamond ring after the second son... compensation for her efforts.... ::)
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I got married last year and bought the engagement ring about 2 years back. I think diamond prices are roughly still the same. Ok first you got 2 types of rings you need to buy. To get her to marry you, you need to buy an engagement ring. These are usually diamond rings and could be a solitaire or all kinds of fancy designs. After she agrees, you need to buy a pair of wedding rings. Usually this are simple bands of white gold/platinum/gold. Diamonds optional.
Next you have the 3 tiers of diamond rings. Highest level are Tiffany & Co/Cartier etc level rings. These are expensive, branded and highly marked up. You are basically paying for the brand and the "box" that it comes in. Your wedding photographers will definitely be taking photos of rings in the box so if that's your priority for face, then its up to you. Personally you are paying 3-4 times market value just for the brand and I think it's silly. Good Half carat (triple excellent, VS1 or better, F Colour or better) will cost you 20k an above.
Medium tier is the pseudo luxury brands such as Lumiere (by Tomei), Habib (Hearts on Fire series) etc etc. These are branded and cost 50%-100% above market price. However you do get slightly better diamonds. Make sure you get "hearts and arrows" diamonds. These are premium cut diamonds that are apparently more shiny "due to how well they are cut @ the ideal angles". If you examine with a hand loupe, you can see a hearts and arrows pattern in the diamond. I went for this level of diamonds lar, no Chinese Jewelry shop brand name and not as expensive as true luxury brands. Also you pay for the cutting quality as well. Good Half carat about 10k.
Mass market level are Poh Kong, Wah Chan, Tomei etc etc level. These are the best bargains for your money. Make sure you are buying GIA diamonds (diamonds inspected by Geminological Institute of America). Nothing much else to say except these are the best value diamonds. Good Half carat about 6-7k.
Next is the 4cs. Carat, Cutting, Colour & Clarity. Carat is weight (and thus size). Cutting is how well it is cut (how shiny it is). Colour is how clear it is (D is perfectly colourless, I/J/K above, diamond gets abit yellowish). Clarity is how perfect the diamond is without inclusions (VVS is very very slightly included, SI1 and SI2 is slightly included etc).
My 2 cents, go for the biggest cheapest rock you can find. Get a diamond that is as big as possible with crappy colour and clarity because honestly nobody can tell without a microscope. Cutting is pretty important to make sure that the diamond is sufficiently shiny. Just as a general quide diamond prices triple everytime carat size doubles. so if half carat is 7 k for a Poh Kong level ring, it'll be 20k for a one carat and 60k for 2 carats.
My advice is buy slightly below a round number. Buy 0.48 or 0.92 or 0.97 etc. The pricing is cheaper and it'll look equally big. For 3-5k, don't bother with the luxury names. Just survey Wah Chan and Poh Kong for GIA diamond rings. You should be able to get a good quality 0.3++ or a crappy quality 0.4. I suggest go for size.
Forget about resale value for diamonds. The buyback programme I was offered was 25% of purchase price and this is only for trading up. Better buy a cheap diamond ring and buy a nice watch. Also weddings are EXTREMELY EXPENSIVE. Please budget for wedding photographers and wedding entertainment in addition to your wedding dinner. Wedding photographers/videographers for prewedding pictures and actual day photographers/videographers cost me almost 15k. Wedding live bands + emcee will also set you back about 5k.
Great advice Ivan! Wish I had read this when I was out shopping for a ring.
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To be honest,
"
go for the biggest cheapest rock you can find. Get a diamond that is as big as possible with crappy colour and clarity because honestly nobody can tell without a microscope.
"
is about the worst advice you can get....
My wife once pointed out to me how "yellow" a huge diamond ring on another woman's finger was.. easily slightly over a carat. She should know as she's got a E, VVS1 mounted on platinum.
My advice.. the girls know diamonds better than you do
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Another piece of advice before going with diamonds.
1. Read up about conflict diamonds. That should put you and the woman (hopefully!) off...
But if that fails,
2. Google/read about the diamond certification hype.
In the end of the day, the woman of your life will want a diamond. Make it count!!
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diamond to wife = passport to buy new watches
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Well life can't be perfect. At 3-5k, there needs to be compromise. Either go one size up, or focus on quality of diamond and be a little smaller. And unfortunately ladies today are pretty demanding. Diamond engagement ring is more or less a must. -_-
How big can adjust here and there lar, but I'm pretty sure most ladies expect a diamond ring. IMO a 5k 0.4 ++ diamond ring is very good already as most standard rings are about 0.3++.
Especially in KL, and how materialistic ladies are, what to do. Even if your future wife is not materialistic, her family and friends will judge you on what rock you buy. Facts of life.
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Depending on the understanding part of your the other half, she may not encourage you to get her a bigger 'stone' at a later stage.
Other priority may comes first.....Only when the finances stabilizes, then go all out to buy her... to her heart desires.
Its really take a bundle to get married nowadays.....I remembered those days, I have only to buy films for my photographer friend to shoot the wedding photos...Now they are gathering dust in the closet.....
dc
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Baby steps... Take it slow.
What David said is right.
Buy the best quality diamond within your budget. Like what DPkong said is right as well. Quality shines through and even to a layman. Quality always trumps over size.
Consider the size of her hands .5 - .75c on most petite Asian girl's hands looks relatively big.
Getting married nowadays is not cheap. Coupled with the prices of housing, petrol and every necessities.
Work hard, love each other, build a life together and award the relationship later with something more precious and bigger to comemerate the journey.
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Baby steps... Take it slow.
What David said is right.
Buy the best quality diamond within your budget. Like what DPkong said is right as well. Quality shines through and even to a layman. Quality always trumps over size.
Consider the size of her hands .5 - .75c on most petite Asian girl's hands looks relatively big.
Getting married nowadays is not cheap. Coupled with the prices of housing, petrol and every necessities.
Work hard, love each other, build a life together and award the relationship later with something more precious and bigger to comemerate the journey.
:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
Can't go wrong with the above advice.
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...
Especially in KL, and how materialistic ladies are, what to do. Even if your future wife is not materialistic, her family and friends will judge you on what rock you buy. Facts of life.
Are you marrying the girl or her friends and family?
Considering how hard it is to make a good income these days, a potential wife should never be a burden right at the beginning. That's a wrong footing to start off on.
And if one marries thinking that satisfying the materialistic want of a diamond is a good start, do consider that may not be the end of it. What happens when demands include a yearly Europe vacation, new handbags and shoes, a new car every 3 years etc etc..
:-\
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...
Especially in KL, and how materialistic ladies are, what to do. Even if your future wife is not materialistic, her family and friends will judge you on what rock you buy. Facts of life.
Are you marrying the girl or her friends and family?
Considering how hard it is to make a good income these days, a potential wife should never be a burden right at the beginning. That's a wrong footing to start off on.
And if one marries thinking that satisfying the materialistic want of a diamond is a good start, do consider that may not be the end of it. What happens when demands include a yearly Europe vacation, new handbags and shoes, a new car every 3 years etc etc..
:-\
The ironic thing is most of you guys are well off so u guys won't have this problem :D
The sad thing is society judges a man by his watch , and a woman by the rock on her finger.
Not to say I support of such views (in fact I abhor it) it's the truth.
Just buy what you can afford , nothing more nothing less
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...
Especially in KL, and how materialistic ladies are, what to do. Even if your future wife is not materialistic, her family and friends will judge you on what rock you buy. Facts of life.
Are you marrying the girl or her friends and family?
Considering how hard it is to make a good income these days, a potential wife should never be a burden right at the beginning. That's a wrong footing to start off on.
And if one marries thinking that satisfying the materialistic want of a diamond is a good start, do consider that may not be the end of it. What happens when demands include a yearly Europe vacation, new handbags and shoes, a new car every 3 years etc etc..
:-\
The ironic thing is most of you guys are well off so u guys won't have this problem :D
The sad thing is society judges a man by his watch , and a woman by the rock on her finger.
Not to say I support of such views (in fact I abhor it) it's the truth.
Just buy what you can afford , nothing more nothing less
I, for one am definitely not "well-off" even now. I was piss poor when I got married and the woman still accepted me. We even pooled our available resources to foot the wedding expenses, spending many nights going through who to invite and where to cut costs.
And that's why we love each other so much and buy only what we can afford.
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Don't know who you are referring to, but I am for one piss poor over here
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Don't know who you are referring to, but I am for one piss poor over here
LOL i doubt anybody will classify you as "poor" :angel:
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Great Advice ! learn something new evveryday.
Thanks for sharing your experiences :) Cheers
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your budget is healthy. anyway wish you luck!
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I used to go to those Malaysian Jewelry Fairs at KL Convention Centre. I think its a good place to shop for rings, especially if you go on the last day just before they close and haggle hard as they want to offload the stuff they brought in. I bought my wife a loose half carat with GIA cert and later went to Habib to set the stone on a white gold band. If i remember correctly, the price of the stone was about RM8K and another RM1.5K for the white gold band.
Hope this helps.
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half carat will have passport for unlimited yam cha session
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...
Especially in KL, and how materialistic ladies are, what to do. Even if your future wife is not materialistic, her family and friends will judge you on what rock you buy. Facts of life.
Are you marrying the girl or her friends and family?
Considering how hard it is to make a good income these days, a potential wife should never be a burden right at the beginning. That's a wrong footing to start off on.
And if one marries thinking that satisfying the materialistic want of a diamond is a good start, do consider that may not be the end of it. What happens when demands include a yearly Europe vacation, new handbags and shoes, a new car every 3 years etc etc..
:-\
The ironic thing is most of you guys are well off so u guys won't have this problem :D
The sad thing is society judges a man by his watch , and a woman by the rock on her finger.
Not to say I support of such views (in fact I abhor it) it's the truth.
Just buy what you can afford , nothing more nothing less
Thanks for the advise,well reality hurts :) but thankfully my future wife is not really materialistic
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Yup, I don't like how society works too. But what to do. All the best! :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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well i go for palladium with gold plating lol for engagement. Will go for a diamond 1 later on.
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Wslee,
Listen to the sifus, every single thing they have said rings so bloody true.
Try to spend within budget & do the wedding sensibly.
Trust me, your wife will understand because your money will be her money and not the other way round. :Laughing_on_floor: :Laughing_on_floor:
Work hard in career and family life, there are no shortcuts to success ($$ & babies :Dancing_banana: :Dancing_banana:) and most importantly, always remember to respect and treat your wife's family with the uttermost respect even if they might be giving you loads of shit. Coz things will turn for the better in time. (I'm pretty sure that there will always be an aunt or uncle or sister or mother that tries to make life miserable for you :Blue:)
Cheers and good luck.
Regards
Tsw
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WSLee,
I did loads of research before I got my wife an engagement ring. I read in a diamond book somewhere that, notable difference in size is observed every 0.25 carats. While I agree with some of the comments above whereby you should try to get a ring which is 0.48 or .095 carats, this ring will be really difficult to find as there will be a significant price jump for every half a carat. I'm very sure that the retailers will try to sell as expensive a ring as they can.
With regards to colour, they are D, E, F, G. D being the "whitest". Anything with H or less will already be "yellowish"
Always try to get a diamond with a perfect cut as maximum light refraction will cause the ring to "bling" more...
Clarity of ring is not of upmost importance as no one will be walking around with a jewelers magnifying glass. VS 1 or VS 2 will suffice. FL or flawless being on the top of the tree, followed by VVS 1 which is very very slight intrusion, VVS 2, VS 1, VS 2 and SI which is Slight intrusion.
I do hope this helps...I always tell my buddies to buy what you can afford and then make for for that one carat or more later in life. Weddings are an expensive affair and I feel for you bro...but this is something that most of us HAVE to do as we want to honour our parents, both on the side of the bride and the groom. If I had a choice, my wife and I would have forgone this whole shenanigan and used the money to buy property.
Well...good luck and congrats
DC
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simple and nice, success rate 99.9%
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r520/changkentlee/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg) (http://s1169.photobucket.com/user/changkentlee/media/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg.html)
so cool...i love this ring! hehe =)
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Dear expert,any advice on the engagement ring.planning to propose this year.Looking at the budget about RM3-5k.
Which jewellery shop should I go?
Personally I have not go to survey yet,hope to hear from the sifu before I visit the shop
One of the major benefits of internet rings shopping is the selection. You'll want to take the time to browse mom and pop style websites as well as household names in case something one-of-a-kind or vintage catches your eye. (The average groom ring shops for three months, regardless of where he's shopping.)
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simple and nice, success rate 99.9%
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r520/changkentlee/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg) (http://s1169.photobucket.com/user/changkentlee/media/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg.html)
so cool...i love this ring! hehe =)
nice :thumbsup:
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I need help, anyone know what is the average carat a diamond proposal ring would have ?
I was very shocked when I heard my girl friend claimed that the average in KL is a 0.7 carat. She claims her friends told it to her.
I have seem the rock of that size in those jewelry shops and frankly it looks over sized on an Asian's hands.
Any advise
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If anyone gives me that "answer", I would ask them;
"What do you think your average boob size need to be to deserve that size of a carat in a ring?"
I would always say, bring all your cards to to negotiation table and if nothing really matters; that should be the only thing that matter.
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I need help, anyone know what is the average carat a diamond proposal ring would have ?
I was very shocked when I heard my girl friend claimed that the average in KL is a 0.7 carat. She claims her friends told it to her.
I have seem the rock of that size in those jewelry shops and frankly it looks over sized on an Asian's hands.
Any advise
Goodness.. with all the advice in the news lately, haven't anyone woken up yet?
If you really must get a diamond ring, get the BIGGEST you can really afford without going into debt.
If she's not too well versed with the 3Cs, get the cheapest and biggest ie. bad colour and cut. You can save even more on diamonds without a proper internationally recognised certificate but beware she may grow wiser and that's money down the drain. They're expensive to buy yet have very little resale/trade-in value, if any.
And if 0.7c is just for the engagement, how big will the wedding ring need to be?
And to be honest, no diamond is too large on an Asian finger...
If anyone gives me that "answer", I would ask them;
"What do you think your average boob size need to be to deserve that size of a carat in a ring?"
I would always say, bring all your cards to to negotiation table and if nothing really matters; that should be the only thing that matter.
:Laughing_on_floor:
We'll have more advice once you report back on the boob size...
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:Laughing_on_floor:
Duly noted.
As for boob size, I wish it was this :Jumping: .
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Wow... Really... There really is a "market average" size for an engagement ring?
Like a "market average" for angpow packets when attending wedding dinners?
Ladies really need to put things into perspective...
Not everyone can afford a 0.7ct diamond ring... say if you can't... then what? Cancel the engagement?
Just get something within your budget and something your lady will appreciate.
If you really want to get the biggest, then go for size, do not give two hoots about clarity, colour and cut... no one walks around with a loupe inspecting the diamond on the finger... unless maybe dpkong? hahaha
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Interesting to know the origin of the hype of engagement ring.
You can thank the N. W. Ayer advertising agency for your diamond ring joys and anxieties. In 1938, N.W. Ayer was tasked with improving De Beers diamond company's faltering sales, so the company launched a game-changing "A Diamond Is Forever" campaign. They did things like organize lectures across the country to educate high school students about the importance diamond engagement rings. The approach paid off -- diamond sales rose 55 percent in the United States from 1938 to 1941. Even today, it seems as if diamond engagement rings could be, quite literally, forever.
[unquote]
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/17/things-you-believe-advertisers_n_4603233.html
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Damn, average 0.7 carat diamond for engagement ring........
Now I have to tell my wife that the 'average' watch to buy now is Rolex Submariner......
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All these minimum requirements for marriage is making me sick to the stomach.. No wonder so many young couples go into debt just for their wedding..
There is a big jump for diamonds >0.5 so my humble opinion is below 0.5 carat still gives the most value. If your fiancee complains at the size of the rock on her finger, maybe you guys need to rethink your priorities
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All these minimum requirements for marriage is making me sick to the stomach.. No wonder so many young couples go into debt just for their wedding..
There is a big jump for diamonds >0.5 so my humble opinion is below 0.5 carat still gives the most value. If your fiancee complains at the size of the rock on her finger, maybe you guys need to rethink your priorities
Yeah... agreed...
Debts is a major major setback especially for new families.
When you have kids on the way... it's gets worse... and most of the time... it never gets any better.
A couple of years back, throwing a wedding dinner would probably make you a little profit.
With the prices of banqueting now, you would be lucky to just break even.
Get your priorities right... it's not nice to ask for you parents to foot the bill for baby formula and nappies now would it?
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Sigh, getting harder and harder to save for my watch. Have to save for emergency fund, retirement fund, kid's education fund, and wife's present fund before anything goes into the watch piggy bank :Blue:
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Sigh, getting harder and harder to save for my watch. Have to save for emergency fund, retirement fund, kid's education fund, and wife's present fund before anything goes into the watch piggy bank :Blue:
Other than emergency funds, convince your wife that you can consolidate all the other funds into a good watch purchase.. :Laughing_on_floor:
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All these minimum requirements for marriage is making me sick to the stomach.. No wonder so many young couples go into debt just for their wedding..
There is a big jump for diamonds >0.5 so my humble opinion is below 0.5 carat still gives the most value. If your fiancee complains at the size of the rock on her finger, maybe you guys need to rethink your priorities
As per TT comment, I think the boob size is a good reference for the diamond size...
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Hai. Planning to buy diamond ring to my wife. After doing some survey and found 1.
The spec of the stone is 0.28ct F vs1 and 2e. Plus the 18k white gold setting it cost me 3.3k.
Is it worth for me to get it with that price? Hope u all can give some advice. Thanks.
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Hai. Planning to buy diamond ring to my wife. After doing some survey and found 1.
The spec of the stone is 0.28ct F vs1 and 2e. Plus the 18k white gold setting it cost me 3.3k.
Is it worth for me to get it with that price? Hope u all can give some advice. Thanks.
Hi bro, best to compare a few jewelry shops and you would roughly know the market price. better than asking a bunch of watch snob here. ;)
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Thought I'd share since I did quite a bit of research when I was shopping for an engagement ring.
Here are a couple of tips to get the most out of your money, especially if your future wife is not into "specs". Of the 4Cs, to stretch your dollar, focus on carat and cut, i.e. get the biggest diamond you can afford with the best cut. Size is important as it is the most obvious trait when someone looks at the diamond. No girl is going to appreciate it even if you tell her that it's flawless D diamond, if it's tiny.
As for cut, an excellent cut can make the diamond look "whiter" (as well as larger). It also brings the bling to the diamond. Very important so that your diamond does not look like a dead piece of ice. In my opinion, aim for a GIA 3X (i.e. triple excellent) diamond or an AGS 0 diamond, if it fits your budget.
Colour is less important because unless your diamond is more than a carat as it's unlikely that a girl will be able to tell the colour difference between, say an E and a G when comparing the diamonds face up, and encased in a ring. For best bang for buck, I would go for G or H, or even an I.
Clarity is where you can get the most value out of your purchase. Most people usually look at VVS / VS diamonds because the inclusions look bad on the cert, or they think that it is better to have a "clean" diamond. In my opinion, while that is fine, you won't be able to see the benefits of a high clarity diamond unless you are looking to get a >1.5 carat diamond or if you are always looking at it under the scope. So long as the diamond is "eye clean", i.e. unable to see any inclusions with a 20/20 vision 6 inches away from the diamond, it's good enough. Be wary though that certain clarity traits like "cloud" can make the diamond less sparkly, thus, choose carefully the type of inclusion. Also, traits such as blue luminescence can make the diamond look whiter, but at the same time, may result in a somewhat milky appearance.
Finally, although it's difficult to assess objectively because no two showrooms are the same, and each would be equipped with a dazzling array of light sources to make diamonds you see look as good as possible, trust your eyes! A good diamond will look great under any lighting condition. If a diamond looks "dead", just because it's not in a showroom, it's not the diamond you should go for.
By the way, here are a couple of photos of the diamond I got. Self taken under a scope. The diamond was purchased from a reputable online dealer.
Specs:- 1.05 ct, E, SI1, AGS 0 (Hearts and Arrows). By the way, hearts and arrows does not necessary mean that the diamond is shinier than one which is non H&A. If both diamonds have the same level of cut (e.g. GIA 3x), they should have similar light return characteristics.
Finally, as advised by others, get the best diamond you can afford without going overboard, or into debt. Diamond prices go up over time, thus, if you can afford it, better to buy now than wait till later.
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/purveyor/Arrows_zpsbd4174a6.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v649/purveyor/Hearts2_zps30e89aad.jpg)
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:thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Bought one for my wife (an upgrade after 7 yrs of marriage) from Love & co., 0.54ct, F, VS1, all in price RM16K.
No lady will say no to this glittering monster.
(http://farm3.staticflickr.com/2854/12334948163_bfeb40d480_b.jpg)
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Good info for ppl who wanted to tie the knot lol....seems expensive...
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Another piece of advice before going with diamonds.
1. Read up about conflict diamonds. That should put you and the woman (hopefully!) off...
But if that fails,
2. Google/read about the diamond certification hype.
In the end of the day, the woman of your life will want a diamond. Make it count!!
Technology advancement is faster than we think.
Lately I come across the lab created diamond (it is 100% real diamond but just created in lab with controlled environment) with totally "clean" as compared against those "blood diamond" and "conflict diamond" . Above all they are eco friendly and more green to our environment.
If anyone want diamond, the lab created diamond is a good choice. :thumbsup:
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I got my now wife a Heart on Fire solitaire ring at KLCC in which Habib Jewels is their sole distributor in Malaysia. The "world's most perfectly cut diamond" tag line can only be seen when you see it under the microscope. It was a beauty indeed and it costed me 20k for a 0.5 carat diamond. I had to use 2 credit cards and pay in instalments to get it cleared (and which I did).
To be honest, get a simple one. A solitaire is classic and nice. I would advise to go for the Carat over others as long as it is GIA certified. You wont be able to see the Cut, Colour and Clarity with your naked eyes. It depends on whether your GF is a demanding one. If she is then you better consult her about it or risk having her put it somewhere where the light doesnt shine. But of course, true love is never measured with material things. A useful tip would be to make the proposal as touching as you can so that the diamond ring is really just something extra.
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i suggest you save up and buy a cheaper ring. use the money for wedding preparations, honeymoon or etc. or save it for the baby.
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simple and nice, success rate 99.9%
(http://i1169.photobucket.com/albums/r520/changkentlee/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg) (http://s1169.photobucket.com/user/changkentlee/media/P1000850_zps6d9a4169.jpg.html)
wow that's really nice! My wife would love it if i buy it as a surprise gift!
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Hi, because i am planning to propose my gf. and i was searching online and came across this forum. I saw there are some beautiful diamond. But i was very very noob in diamond. Anyone can advice on it?
thanks
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Hi Oliver,
I am no diamond expert but I've recently proposed and got married (just settled everything before this MCO havoc).
Sharing my 2 cents here.
1) Go to a few reputable outlet and approach the sales person. Tell them you want an engagement ring and they will surely happily explain to you. then,
2) Compare the prices within few brands... (unless you are looking into high end jewelry brands like cartier, van cleef etc)
3) Make ur decision - usually comes down to balancing between carat size, clarity, color etc..
For me, I find that with naked eye we cannot tell alot of difference if the clarity is just 1 or 2 step above. In this case, you can consider taking the lower clarity one but bigger carat size... same goes for color. Everything is about balance. If want every category to be good then also expect the damage to be heavy.
At last, I had chosen Wah Chan and purchased a ring which I find worth for what I paid for. Beware for alot marketing terms like 10 heart 10 swords... bla bla.... at the end its just how they cut it. everyone claims their cut brings out all the shines and reflecting most lights etc... take a step back and judge for urself. Do not be fooled by the bright spotlight directing at the diamonds. They do not appear like that under natural light at all.
Good luck with your purchase and wish you the best in your marriage.
Best Regards,
Dexson.
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Hi Oliver,
I am no diamond expert but I've recently proposed and got married (just settled everything before this MCO havoc).
Sharing my 2 cents here.
1) Go to a few reputable outlet and approach the sales person. Tell them you want an engagement ring and they will surely happily explain to you. then,
2) Compare the prices within few brands... (unless you are looking into high end jewelry brands like cartier, van cleef etc)
3) Make ur decision - usually comes down to balancing between carat size, clarity, color etc..
For me, I find that with naked eye we cannot tell alot of difference if the clarity is just 1 or 2 step above. In this case, you can consider taking the lower clarity one but bigger carat size... same goes for color. Everything is about balance. If want every category to be good then also expect the damage to be heavy.
At last, I had chosen Wah Chan and purchased a ring which I find worth for what I paid for. Beware for alot marketing terms like 10 heart 10 swords... bla bla.... at the end its just how they cut it. everyone claims their cut brings out all the shines and reflecting most lights etc... take a step back and judge for urself. Do not be fooled by the bright spotlight directing at the diamonds. They do not appear like that under natural light at all.
Good luck with your purchase and wish you the best in your marriage.
Best Regards,
Dexson.
Bravo @Dexson!