Yipee for Friar Chuck! Such wise words!
Bigger diamonds cost more than little diamonds as the larger diamonds are more "rare" and harder to find naturally as well as more difficult to cut into the desirable shape and facets...
For an engagement ring- go for the solitaire. Depending on where you live you may be able to find "more for your money" by looking at some estate jewelers (of course sometimes they are way more expensive....) ... My husband and I chose my ring together- he gave me one I honestly did not like (we didn't think we could afford a diamond at the time and he got one with birthstones which was gorgeous but the setting was really tacky and I'm a modern, streamlined gal)... So finding my dream ring after we were doing better financially was a project for both of us together and made "the hunt" and "the story" behind my forever ring memorable and one that we love to recount to others...
We found the ring at a gift shop in Boston in a touristy area- the owner had a love of art deco and depression era fine jewelry so she had some for sale in a small case in the shop... We ended up getting a 1 carat ring in a setting that nobody else has (which made it more special), with personalized service (sizing, etc) for a better than good price... We kept joking that perhaps it was a fake because the price was good (we paid $1100 for a one carat diamond solitaire with 3 small diamonds set in the band on either side...this was almost 9 years ago)... We did have it appraised when we had my wedding band made (again, cheaper than buying a ready made and it is perfect with my ring which has an odd band profile) and my $1100 ring is actually worth over $6000 but more importantly it is "MY" ring...
So perhaps find another way to ask her to marry you or present a "placeholder" ring or a picture of a generic ring in a lovely box and then say that you want picking out the ring to be something that you do together because that's what marriage is about...Or pick out a few and let her pick the one she likes best as she will be wearing it daily (and some rings just aren't made for daily wear....)....
(I make sterling silver jewelry by the way and do custom work and simple bands inexpensively (
Etsy :: Mother's Day Gifts: Handcrafted Jewelry and Shea Butter )...If you need a placeholder I can help or try doing a search for the words "diamond ring" on
Etsy :: Your place to buy and sell all things handmade which is all handmade goods including spectacular jewelry so you won't be getting your special gal anything less than something unique and perfect!)
Oh and a band with small diamonds would pair lovely with many solitaires as don't forget - you will need a wedding band!
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