In Italy (as far back as the 1920's) a young lady would receive an engagement ring usually with one or several stones, but not necessarily precious stones (a simple ring with a semi-precious stone like an aquamarina was within reach for the poorer folk too).
It usually indicated the start of several years of engagement during which the young man would often leave quite far away to go work and afford a household. The fiancée would wait and carefully make her own dowry (most clothes were hand made and all of the home linens were hand-embroided).
At marriage, both spouses would exchange wedding rings. The wife would wear hers on the same finger as her engagement ring.
There are nice jewelry stores in Zurich and as someone mentioned Antwerp and througout Belgium.
It depends on your budget and what you want. You should be aware that you can save a lot of money if you buy online. I did. I was really skeptical but it worked great!
I was here and he was in the US and we didn't have the time to go to shops together and the selection is much bigger online anyway.
I actually got my engagement ring from JamesAllen.com. My husband paid much less than what he would have at a shop and they ship free to CH. In most cases even with the customs duties you still save. There are a
few big names in online jewelry. The well known companies are totally safe and you can always return within 30 or 60 days.
There are a few big online jewelers with a very easy process. Not just BN. James Allen, Zale, Jarods. I personally had a great experience with James Allen, but there are many to choose from and it depends on the individual.
Anyone thinking of buying jewelry online should definitely do the research and explore several options and compare prices. What's right for one person isn't right for another.
Well, i dont know Zurich so practical advice from me..
My engagement ring is white gold and i wear it daily. Although i do take it off for cleaning, washing dishes, showering etc..
White gold tarnishes and my ring has had to be dipped.. and re dipped... but it can be quite pricey. and annoying really.
Mine came from a jeweler in Basel. It is quite yellow at the moment and needs another dipping... I have another white gold ring that i have had for about 7/8 years and only needed dipping once.
So i wonder if my husband went to a "dodgey" dealer LOL. Aw well on the plus side... he now wants to buy me a new ring, happy days
Is a yellow gold ring more durable? Does it also need dipping or any other kind of pricey maintenance?? (PS I know it's an old thread, but my question is full on subject!)
Durable in comparison to what? 18K gold (yellow or white) is softer than 14K, so is only good for rings if you have a thicker band. White gold is often rhodium-plated to keep the shine. Yellow gold has no such treatment. If you're talking a plain yellow gold band, maintenance is easy. Wash periodically with warm, soapy water and dry with a soft cloth. If you've got stones in the ring then there are other considerations. Feel free to PM me with further questions.
Were you looking for a certain stone (diamond, ruby, etc?)
Have you thought about the setting and cut? (halo, cushion, princess)
Metal? (yellow gold, white gold, platinum?)
I just got engaged in October, and my fiance got me the Tiffany's Legacy Engagement ring, it's a patented cushion cut halo with a 1.8 carat center stone and about 0.20 carat small diamond as the halo and on the band with a millgrain design. It is on a platinum band (which is the one thing I would recommend.) I love this ring, but at a price tag of about $45,000 it may be out of your budget.
My ring:
example of carat sizes:
Also, maybe it would be cool to go for something super original like a flower design or something? Or did you want to stay traditional
HI, I'm a girl who loves diamonds and jewelry and have quite good experiences in buying and choosing. For diamonds, I don't think you can get the same quality for 1/3 lower price as diamond is like gold - it is global standard price. You can get a lower price if you don't go for brand name e.g. Tiffany's Cartier, Van Cleef & Arpel, etc. which doesn't seem your preference anyway. (Though almost any girl would be ecstatic to receive a 'blue box' from Tiffany.) But I am new to Switzerland myself so you might find it. The point I'm trying to make is, if you want to spend decently, compromise on size and brand name but not the quality. When you choose diamonds, you should consider 4 Cs which industry uses to quote the price: Carat, Color, Cut, Clarity. You already seem to decide on Cut, so try to go for good Color (the whiter the better and more expensive except for fancy color like pink, blue, or yellow which are rare. Grading goes from C to Z, with C being the best but C, D, and E are in the same classification of 'colorless'. So you may save by going fro D or E and still get the same colorless level with C.), and good Clarity (the more inclusions, the less 'sparking' it is. And it is not good to buy a 'flaw' or 'scarred' diamonds anyway.) I always believe that it is better to buy a smaller Carat with good Color and Clarity than a big yellow, cloudy Carat.
Anyway, in the end it is your intention and love to her that mostly matters. My husband knows zero thing about jewelry including the 3-month-salary rule, so it was quite a shock initially to see a tiny, casual ring he popped up. But I forgot all that when I realized how much effort he went to travel half the world to propose to me, and how much I wanted to be with him. So now not only I proudly wear the ring, I care less about wearing my big stones on the other hand. Big congratulations and wish you both the best.
Ok, I think I'm looking for a gold ring (still not sure if yellow or white) with zirconia, either all around or in a trilogy arrangement (bigger central stone sided by a smaller one on each side). The reason I'm hesitating between designs is that I have large proximal interphalangeal (the bony knuckle above the ring) but a thin proximal phalange (the bit where the ring sits and I think the ring will rotate around my finger so the trilogy will never stay where it's supposed to be.
At the moments, the rings I find are too thick (I've visited the whole bahnhofstrasse in ZH).
I don't want diamonds (I think they're overrated) and wouldn't want to spend more than 500chf.
Any recommendation of shops for my wishes? I don't want to buy on the internet.
What color gold are your other pieces of jewelry? We chose yellow gold for me, since that's what most of my other pieces are. Also what looks best on your finger with your skin tone? Some folks look great with white, others with yellow.
If you're worried about the ring flipping around on your narrow finger, then perhaps an eternity band or something with more than just 3 stones will be more to your style. You can get in yellow or white, CZ or diamond, etc. Then no matter how much the ring rotates, you've got sparkles showing. Also the stones are often a little better protected from getting whacked when the ring rotates.
Don't be afraid to buy online. There are many reputable sources with good return policies if you're unhappy. Honestly I recommend to everyone to go try things on in the jewelry store to see what you like, what looks good, etc. and then if you're not happy with the prices, save the money and shop online.
SeanConnery - I think that ring is hideous, but that's just my opinion
Examples below. First ring is sort of a half eternity (mine). Second is full eternity, not mine.
Final thought - Make sure you have your ring size measured by a professional. They can ensure the right fit that is large enough to go over your knuckle, but small enough that it sits well on the finger and doesn't slide over the knuckle and get lost.
