A Tiffany Ring or a Claddagh Ring + Welsh Love Spoon and then Engagement Ring?

one major asset is her girl friends. As long as it's a really good friend of hers that can keep her mouth shut, you can ask her to help you. I'm just a young woman not at the marriage age yet, but my friends and I always browse through engagement rings saying things like, "omg I looooove that one! Ohhh, that one is gorgeous..." It's a very typical conversation for most women (that I know of anyway), and if you could get one of her friends to casually have that discussion with her, she could help you a lot.

It would go something like this:

Friend: So you and Eric are getting pretty serious, huh? Are you thinking that this is forever?
GF: Yea, we're pretty serious about spending the rest of our lives together
Friend: Awww I'm so excited for you! When do you think he's gonna pop the question!? Ohhh I wonder what kind of ring he'd pick out. I want a really fancy schmancy one with lots of diamonds and glamour, but really stylish and modern at the same time. Like this: (google pix or something). Is that what you like too or do you go for the simple ones?

so on so so on

Yes, btw OP. Tiffany makes some nice stuff, but...two hints coming from the family of Jewelers.
A. It is still overpriced, a local jeweler can make things significantly better, but I presume if you are struggling on picking out said ring, then a custom piece is probably not best.
B. The little blue box is uniquely Tiffany & Co., however, if you have really made an investment they will not give it to you. Rather you get a royal blue velvet box.

Don't do it. Wait that's not it.
Don't ask for relation ... ok that's not it.

Well, since you thought it would be a good idea to ask a grouchy old worn out woman like me about something like this I'll give you some sincere feedback.

First, having been in the store a number of times I will say that their rings aren't all that "unique". What makes a ring unique is what is not the current trend. I believe current trends include 3-stone platinum settings and the likes. However, Tiffany does tout some rather unique settings, in that, they don't hold the corner market on single-stone rings but the setting is quite unique at different angles.

All opinion aside, here are my thoughts.

Know what your girl can handle. Does she work with her hands a lot? If so, a solitaire is going to have to rest lower than most on her finger. I know for me having something protrude so much would hinder certain things for me, namely my insentient need to put my hands in my pockets. For a girl like me I'd want the three stone for a number of reasons, namely the lower profile where you still get a nice couple of carats without having that huge rock feeling.

If she is more feminine (apparently this happens in better women than me) then perhaps the solitaire is her thing. No matter how low key your girl is, the ring is another story.

I would pay attention to other rings she wears, if any. Are they lower key? Do they exhibit more line than curve? If there is more line then a princess cut is key. If not, a round cut would work. Is she flashy? Perhaps a solitaire or a three stone is the most. Having any ornate design may make her feel uncomfortable.

Does she appreciate simplicity? Then again, go with line over curve. Where curve functions over line in Tiffany is the Bezet. That is a nice bezel diamond that is seriously understated.

Finding her perfect ring should not be an exact science. I believe there is an art to finding the perfect ring and presenting it to her over her deciding which one she liked. I don't mock the ladies who pick their rings first in the store but I think there is something amazing about the ring being a choice you made based on what you see her as.

Line ... she admires what is most orderly and well-kept. She appreciates what appears to be boring to most.

Curve ... traditional is key to her and often curve can lead to something more flashy.

Metals, hands down gold is out. Sorry but I never liked gold myself and frankly I am happy to see that gold is not really attempting to make much of a comeback. It's all about white gold (to save some cash) or platinum.

I'll reiterate, whatever you choose, in my opinion, should be a reflection on how you see her. If you see her as more conservative then I don't find anything wrong with something beautifully understated. Sometimes understated is impeccable. If she is more wild and creative then something as boring as a diamond solitaire princess cut would probably drive her slightly nuts at first.

At Tiffany you're sure to get a very decent cut with good clarity so there is no need to talk to you about that. I find that Tiffany is nice but there are other places you can consider such as Harry Winston who will have something very nice in the antique-look. I like that look, it's classic really. However, if you're dead set on her first (assuming) little blue box to be her engagement ring then I say go for it. However, if you can get a slightly bigger diamond by not paying Tiffany's premiums then you may want to consider that.

Do not let the name of the joint scare you. Like I said, I've been in there a number of times wearing jeans and t-shirts and they still seem to treat you with the utmost respect and that was in the South Coast Plaza store (heart of money ... I mean Orange County CA).

Finally, I'm going to stress that this ring should be something you know she can put on and rarely ever take off. Having never had an engagement ring myself I'd say that in the end it will be more about you and her than it will be the ring. If it is more about the ring then you should ... dump.that.bitch.


Congratulations and best wishes to both of you.

PS the heart-shaped diamond is uber lame imho.

jessica. provided some crazy insights for someone that has not ever been engaged. If you are looking for something in between Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston, Cartier makes some of the classiest pieces there are. I'm a fan of simplicity, the key with something like this is finding something timeless.

A few things stick out to me.

xbuddycorex said:

My girlfriend is not materialistic at all, and I know that she would be happy with whatever ring I got her, and I also know that she is completely stoked about the meaning behind the ring instead of the ring itself ... which is why I want to get her a Tiffany ring, because I know that is what would make her the happiest.

I'm very successful for my age, well ... any age I guess, and I dress well most of the time and feel ( mostly ) comfortable around rich people and businesses, but there is something about a Tiffany & Co. that stops me right in my tracks at the door, which is what would make it difficult to spend a lot of time inside the store. I know mostly what she wants in a ring, but I would love to be completely confident before I buy it so I can get her exactly what she wants. Which is what brings me to my question.

How can I find out exactly what she wants without letting on that I'm getting her a Tiffany ring ( I want it to be a surprise ). If you've ever looked at Tiffany rings you'll know that they are pretty unique, so it's not like I can bring her into any jewelry store. How can I find out exactly what ring she wants without her finding out I'm getting her a Tiffany ring?

Thanks for your help. - Eric

Click to expand...

She's not materialistic, but you feel the need to purchase a highly over-priced version of an over-priced gem and that a Tiffany's ring would make her happiest. That's not materialistic at all. You are mostly comfortable around rich people but walking into a Tiffany's stops you in your tracks? And yet you talk as if you have bails of cash on hand because you are that successful.

You know mostly what she wants and that she would be happy about any ring because of the meaning and yet nothing about what you've said communicates either of these really. I could be the only one.

thegoldenmackid said:

jessica. provided some crazy insights for someone that has not ever been engaged. If you are looking for something in between Tiffany & Co. and Harry Winston, Cartier makes some of the classiest pieces there are. I'm a fan of simplicity, the key with something like this is finding something timeless.

Click to expand...

Let's us not assume ... let us not assume.

jecapaga said:

A few things stick out to me.




She's not materialistic, but you feel the need to purchase a highly over-priced version of an over-priced gem and that a Tiffany's ring would make her happiest. That's not materialistic at all. You are mostly comfortable around rich people but walking into a Tiffany's stops you in your tracks? And yet you talk as if you have bails of cash on hand because you are that successful.

You know mostly what she wants and that she would be happy about any ring because of the meaning and yet nothing about what you've said communicates either of these really. I could be the only one.

Click to expand...

You're not totally but at this juncture I chose to ignore those points because of the late hour.

jessica. said:

Let's us not assume ... let us not assume.




You're not totally but at this juncture I chose to ignore those points because of the late hour.

Click to expand...

Well the sun barely has gone down here but that's a good point. I'll be doing the same.

jecapaga said:

Well the sun barely has gone down here but that's a good point. I'll be doing the same.

Click to expand...

I moved, I live on the east coast now. So it is 12 am here and I was hoping to sleep at 11 until someone PM'd me asking me for input. Thank the OP when I am overly cranky tomorrow, more so than normal.

jessica. said:

I moved, I live on the east coast now. So it is 12 am here and I was hoping to sleep at 11 until someone PM'd me asking me for input. Thank the OP when I am overly cranky tomorrow, more so than normal.

Click to expand...

That's an interesting technique. I'll have to remember to create a thread and then PM all the people I want to respond in it. Sleep, woman!

jessica. said:

I moved, I live on the east coast now. So it is 12 am here and I was hoping to sleep at 11 until someone PM'd me asking me for input. Thank the OP when I am overly cranky tomorrow, more so than normal.

Click to expand...

I'll take the blame for tonight.

thegoldenmackid said:

I'll take the blame for tonight.

Click to expand...

Oh..whoops. That's what I get for assuming something else.

jecapaga said:

That's an interesting technique. I'll have to remember to create a thread and then PM all the people I want to respond in it. Sleep, woman!

Click to expand...

Yeah I thought so considering there was bound to be a certain level of douchiness that came out of my comments.

thegoldenmackid said:

I'll take the blame for tonight.

Click to expand...

If you're not the OP then how are you to blame?

jecapaga said:

Oh..whoops. That's what I get for assuming something else.

Click to expand...

No you were right the first time. iThink TGMK is feeling a bit neglected by me.

Just a reminder that you don't *have* to be traditional. You could always propose and then take her to buy the ring on another occasion. Or buy her another piece of jewellery to propose with and buy the ring later.

I didn't propose to my mrs. We just decided to get married over lunch one day and then a few weeks later whilst we were out dropped into a favorite antique shop and out of the blue she saw a ring she liked. I never had to do anything really. She even insisted on paying half....

jessica. said:

Yeah I thought so considering there was bound to be a certain level of douchiness that came out of my comments.


If you're not the OP then how are you to blame?

No you were right the first time. iThink TGMK is feeling a bit neglected by me.

Click to expand...

Well I'll be here to carry the douchiness torch on into the night. I'm sure this thread isn't close to being over.

jessica. said:

No you were right the first time. iThink TGMK is feeling a bit neglected by me.

Click to expand...

yepp, but that one little word gave me hope to last me months... thanks jessica.

(It was more because I was completely lost by your quoting of my post, so I just took the blame for assuming something)

I threw you a bone, now don't abuse it.

xbuddycorex said:

.jessica, I find it amusing that you claim to be an old lady yet quote "Panic! At the Disco, haha. Interestingly enough, the South Coast Plaza Tiffany & Co. is the one I've walked up to multiple times, then crossed the bridge to the Apple Store, haha. If you still want those Dos Equis Ambers maybe I could meet you there and give them to you... unless I sound like a creeper... Haha. I undestand.



Bails of cash I don't have, I'm 26 and $20 in my wallet makes me successful... , haha. To be honest, while I make decent money, I can "faux" being comfortable around the more financially secure, yet, I honestly find myself at home around the everyday, average person. Don't think I make tons of money, I live in California and DONT WORK for the government, so I can't be rich... I just have the ability to put some extra in the bank with each paycheck which is rare here.

I know she wants a square set Princess cut with little diamonds around it, yet she often mentions that she doesn't want anything "too big", and I'm trying to find out what design is best for her and that she wants the most.

Click to expand...

1) I am not in the OC any longer. Ship 'em but ship 'em cold.

2) The quote is supposed to be funny. Some kid around here was all bent over some 14 year old he dated that screwed him at the Warped Tour. He was upset about that then suddenly went into some sort of rant about Panic at the Disco breaking up. I had looked up all of their songs on iTunes and wrote an entire reply using nothing but their song titles. This song title made me laugh. Nevertheless, being old does not mean I cannot be up with current trends of piss poor soulless music that hits the top 10 charts over at iTunes.

3) Nothing says fancy like a princess cut with two encasing diamonds.

Just for my clarification (cause it's late here and my brain is already dozing off...)

Does she know you're going to propose soon, and you just don't want her to know that the ring you're getting her is from Tiffany's? Or does she not know about both the proposal and ring?

If it's the former, my BF and I have discussed an engagement. We went ring shopping together, and I pointed out several rings I liked from several stores so now he's got an idea of the types of styles I'm into. But I have no idea of exactly what ring I'm getting in the end. I could be getting one from Tiffany's, or Na Hoku, or Goldsmith's, etc.

If you both know that an engagement will happen soon, maybe you can ask her for pictures of rings she likes? You could then extrapolate a Tiffany's equivalent from those pictures.

EDIT:

PS - She doesn't read these forums, does she? (I've actually known someone who found out prematurely about an engagement because they both hang out on the same forum...well, Facebook wall posts, but same thing)

PPS - Congrats!

When did ring shopping get so calculated? Whatever happened to a truly surprising moment?

Ah well, what would I know about any of this bull crap?!

xbuddycorex said:

.jessica, I find it amusing that you claim to be an old lady yet quote "Panic! At the Disco, haha. Interestingly enough, the South Coast Plaza Tiffany & Co. is the one I've walked up to multiple times, then crossed the bridge to the Apple Store, haha. If you still want those Dos Equis Ambers maybe I could meet you there and give them to you... unless I sound like a creeper... Haha. I undestand.



Bails of cash I don't have, I'm 26 and $20 in my wallet makes me successful... , haha. To be honest, while I make decent money, I can "faux" being comfortable around the more financially secure, yet, I honestly find myself at home around the everyday, average person. Don't think I make tons of money, I live in California and DONT WORK for the government, so I can't be rich... I just have the ability to put some extra in the bank with each paycheck which is rare here.

I know she wants a square set Princess cut with little diamonds around it, yet she often mentions that she doesn't want anything "too big", and I'm trying to find out what design is best for her and that she wants the most.

Click to expand...

Oh well, your tone in this post is different from the first a bit. If you can save your money and not buy it on credit, buy whatever ring from whichever place makes you happiest. As has already been mentioned by another here, you don't have to do the traditional in order to feel successful.

If you're that concerned about making sure she has the absolute perfect ring, why not consider doing something in which she can be involved in picking it out. If the ring doesn't truly matter and it's the thought that counts, you could propose with a stunt toy ring while telling her your plans, laughter ensues, hopefully she doesn't smack the crap out of you and the two of you could head to South Coast Plaza then and there to begin searching for the perfect ring.

Buying a ring for a woman puts a ton of pressure on a guy. We want 110% happiness because hopefully this is the only engagement ring you'll be purchasing. Hopefully she'll understand that.

Understand that obviously you'll be paying several hundreds and likely a couple thousand dollars more for the Tiffany. You might want to walk into one and just see what you're getting yourself into financially before you open your trap.

jessica. said:

When did ring shopping get so calculated? Whatever happened to a truly surprising moment?

Ah well, what would I know about any of this bull crap?!

Click to expand...

Hahaha...jessica. will get a 5% "family discount" at thegoldenmackid's family business (just pm me the details, iThink I have PM's turned on)

In other news it happens all the time, my father's theory on it is... going ring shopping is much better then when the girl has to get the ring redone. A lot of times when guys come in asking about it, he tells them to bring them along because the guy wants to buy a pocket watch or somethingelse, and then tells the guy to divert over to rings or my dad (who had already set this up w/ said guy) will start to push (even though that's the last thing he does) engagement rings.

But, too each their own. I have been told by my father that if he approves the ring and the girl does not like it, time to find a new girl or new father.

Rings like Tiffany and Cartier are for people that truly want it, i.e. dreamed about them since they were in the fourth grade. Local jewelers can make things of higher quality and at a lower price, because you are not paying for the name. Also, companies like Tiffany stamp their jewelry out of machines, jewelry is something where being hand-made provides character and is more personal. Now, for something that seems the opposite of that, if you can find a reputable pawn shop, that's the best place to buy jewelry according to my father (who owns a store himself, not of the pawnshop variety.) Finding one that is reputable is the key, and then you can go and have some modifications done, but that's not for everyone. Lastly, remember that jewelry is not an investment, under no circumstances. My dad buys things for 14 and 15 cents on the dollar all the time, most places pay half that.