the rings.

Posted by Sara in Weddings.

My engagement ring wasn’t really much of a surprise–in fact, we went together to pick it out. One day, D said, “we should go get you a ring” and the next day we were in Helzberg Diamonds. It didn’t really take too long; I knew exactly what I wanted: a simple white gold band with a solitaire diamond. The man at the jewelry store was very nice and took his time showing us the diamond under different microscope settings, explaining how the diamond’s cut created different shapes which you could see in certain lights– hearts, diamonds, and more. Of course, more than a year later I’m completely clueless about any of the special features of my diamond. I know some girls who still know all that, but I don’t even know the exact carat size. To me, that isn’t important. I just know it’s the style I like and it sparkles. Yes, even cynical little me can be taken by shiny things…

Although I’m more than happy with my ring, the service we received, and the price that we got it for, after searching around online for different wedding needs, I found a website that made me kind of wish I would have realized a few more options when it came to ring shopping. Specifically “green” rings.

With everyone carrying around their reusable tote bags while sporting bamboo cotton and hemp clothes, “green” is not really all that crazy of a concept anymore. The problem I’ve found, however, is incorporating that green message into wedding planning. Sure, it’s possible, and there are sites out there that offer suggestions, but truth be told, it’s not always easy, nor cheap. When I was doing some wedding-related emailing, I was impressed by some of the matches that Google spyware found in my gmail account. In particular, www.brilliantearth.com caught my eye. Brilliant Earth offers wedding and engagement rings that use conflict-free diamonds and bands made with renewed gold and platinum.

Despite already having our rings picked out at this point, I still explored the site. It was pretty cool because first you can “choose your diamond” and then “choose your setting.” This gives you the option of going through their entire selection to see which you like best and what fits your budget. You also have the option of searching for diamonds based on size, cut, clarity, color, and price range. And the diamonds they have fit a wide array of budgets: the cheapest was $420 and the most expensive was $76,320 (I’d love to meet the person who buys THAT 3.1 carat rock!!).

Band prices also ranged from about $350 to almost $2000.

I’m curious to know if buying engagement/wedding rings online is popular or if most people prefer to shop for them in person? Of course Internet shopping has become pretty standard (I’d say about 50% of our wedding stuff and vendors have come through Internet shopping and browsing), but do people feel that the ring should be bought from a local store, in the flesh?

I’d be interested in hearing other people’s thoughts/stories…

Weddings |