Lets help another reader – I just got this email a day or two ago, and he needs your help – obviously we are going to keep his name anonymous for now:
I need help. I am pretty sure I want to propose to my girlfriend here in June. Are there any "freapy" ways to get a ring? I am under the impression that an antique ring is the best way to get it on the cheap, but I do not know. If you and no one else have any help then I appreciate the effort. I am a nervous wreck though already! Thank you for all the coupon help and deals!
Folks – you are always full of assistance on Facebook – lets see what we can do to help this reader out.
Pawn shops are the best way to get a whole lot of ring on the freap! I’ve found huge diamonds for super cheap at pawn shops! And antique is great, but I wouldn’t give antique as an engagement ring unless it was your grandmothers ring (or something like that). New(er) or a family heirloom are best for a proposal. ;)
And good luck!! :)
Keep your eyes peeled on craigslist and ebay or even sales for jewelry stores. Honestly my fiance got my ring at Jared’s. Kays sells the exact same one but they weren’t giving us the option to choose the stone there and it was marked way higher than Jared’s. Talk to local jewelry shops too. Prices for such commodities are normally suggestions. They try to play on your emotions and talk you into things you can’t afford just so they’ll get money, but they can be talked down too just like a car dealership. If you try to buy something used then make sure the seller has an appraisal or they allow you to get an appraisal before you purchase it. We happen to have a ring from my fiance being engaged before that we haven’t sold to a pawn shop because we know we’d get little to no money for it and they would turn around and sell it for way more. Private sellers with an appraisal is probably the freapiest way to do it and still getting quality and quantity. :) Congrats and good luck!!!
Personally I would not like a ring from a pawn shop – I am not typically a superstitious person – you never know the story behind the ring and with the majority of marriages ending these days the likelihood that the ring is from a failed marriage scares me.
You could always think outside the box and get a different type of stone if you cannot afford a nice diamond. — look at the Princess of Wales and Princess (Duchess) of Cambridge they shared the same ring (love that it was an heirloom for Kate) and the main stone wasn’t even a diamond!!!
They say rubies and emerald are harder to come by than diamonds – Would be great if that was also a birthstone. Also I love the idea of a pearl ring – I mean come on an oyster only makes 1 his entire life and then he dies after making it (it can be thought of as romantic or as a big pain in his side! lol)
Fact of the matter you don’t have to go with Diamonds – think outside the box and make it something that comes from YOUR heart!
Try Sam’s Club. They have beautiful rings for a decent price if you are not looking to create a custom ring.
Khols, Kmart and Sears have all had **certified** rings on sale off and on over the last few months. That’s something you don’t always get with Craigslist and Pawn shops (you just don’t have assurances). Up to 75% off, my guy and I were looking at rings that were listed for a couple thousand, for as low at $400 (plus you can use coupons!).
Watch for stores going out of business w/ 70% off or more. My husband and I bought ours from a jewelry store going of business in the mall. I went in & asked what was the highest discounted items in bridal sets. They looked at my funny, but I am NOT stupid enough to invest my entire life savings into rings. I wanted a nice house, honeymoon, and to keep my savings in tact! We got a nice set of rings: my engagement, wedding band, and my husband’s wedding band for a TOTAL of $500 plus tax. The center diamond wasn’t a huge stone, but we both bought it knowing that at a milestone anniversary like 20 years, it was capable of being upgraded, which we both liked. Then we plan to use the initial stone as the center diamond for a purity ring for our daughter when she gets old enough. Hope that helps!
A friend of mine decided to not put a real diamond in her ring — You would NEVER guess it wasn’t real! This allowed her to get a much larger stone & a nicer setting. And, there’s less stress about it being stolen or lost.
So, I did the same thing when I got engaged! A good quality Cubic Zirconia looks just like a real diamond (to the untrained, naked eye). And most people would never assume your engagement/wedding ring wouldn’t have a real diamond in it. My husband wants to put a real diamond my the ring eventually, but honestly I don’t care. Nobody can tell it’s a CZ & I’d rather spend our money on other things. Plus, our jeweler said he’d replace the CZ for free anytime.
I bought my own engagement ring and gave it to my (now) husband to give to me. I paid $300 for a 1/4 ct. diamond in 14 kt white gold. I found it on CraigsList and met the woman selling it at the jewelry store it was originally purchased from to have it authenticated and resized. They were even able to print out a receipt from its original purchase. It was originally purchased for $1300!
I would highly recommend finding a wholesale jeweler. They get the diamonds directly (new) and they have no overhead, so the pricing is much lower. Look at the site pompeii3.com
We got both my engagement ring and wedding band from this site. Here’s an example: My ring is a 2 carat 3-stone ring. I tried it an identical ring in stores at the mall and it was priced at over $8,000!!! At the wholesale site we got it for $1,999. I just checked the site, and it looks like prices have gone up a bit but not much (the same ring I got is not $2,300). It’s a lot, but it’s a lot less than buying a ring new at a store.
The value is worth it. We had my ring appraised for insurance and it was appraised for over $6,000! Totally worth it if you’re going to spend a bit, and if you want a new nice ring. They have a lot of lower priced rings too :)
IF you want a real diamond(s), I suggest buying a certified diamond from a wholesaler (got mine online) and you’ll get it for half or less than half of what you would pay in a jewelry store. My husband then used a local jeweler and was able to custom design the ring (and designed it to look antique). This is definitely the way to go if you want a real diamond and want to buy a new ring. Your wife will know that no one in the world has a ring exactly like hers. My ring appraised at more than twice what my husband paid for it. Family heirlooms are the coolest I think, but we didn’t have any available to us.
We flew over to LA and designed our rings in the diamond district. They are at least 60% less then here is Az. We drew out what we thought we wanted, and they showed us different designs that we customized. They had both rings made within 6 hours so we could take them home with us. Definately recommend that route.
KMART! Put it on layaway! They always have sales of 70% off. My hubby let me pick my ring out. I found a beautiful one down from $1499 to $300!!!! We paid it off little by little and when I got the finished product…wow!