Engagement ring help...

[Menelaus]

He did!

It was a real voyage and I had to became somewhat of a diamond expert, analysing information for hours every day for several weeks, bartering with shrewd diamond merchants and returning several rings in the process.

My advice: buy an antique ring. I bought a 1930's old european cut diamond ring, extremely unique and the cut and elegance IMO makes the modern rings look dull in comparison (not to mention most were made by a man not a programmed machine so are 100% unique in cut).

I bought it from Gray's antique market in the West End (near Bond street) from 'Boris'. The diamond is a VS1, 0.80 carat old european cut, completely clear and no inclusions visible, the old cut is very deep so it really jumps out off the hand and also is more scintillating in lower light.

The fiancee loves it. My two pence.

Excellent good work, fella.

[Churchill]

He did!

It was a real voyage and I had to became somewhat of a diamond expert, analysing information for hours every day for several weeks, bartering with shrewd diamond merchants and returning several rings in the process.

Good work on the ring.

Btw, the word is haggling, unless of course you swapped the ring for a couple of sheep.

[Menelaus]

Good work on the ring.

Btw, the word is haggling, unless of course you swapped the ring for a couple of sheep.

I give you ten camels for your woman...

[RichardCranium]

My two pence.

But what was the cost, man, the cost???

We're dying to know how much you spent.

[sasguru]

It was a real voyage and I had to became somewhat of a diamond expert, analysing information for hours every day for several weeks, bartering with shrewd diamond merchants and returning several rings in the process.

.

Reminds me of a Threaded/Atw/Nedprod kinda post.
Bet he was completely ripped off in the end but thinks he got a bargain.

[Amiga500]

Good work on the ring.

Btw, the word is haggling, unless of course you swapped the ring for a couple of sheep.

Well, I used the term 'bartering' as the first ring I got had a large inclusion in the centre when I checked it in the tube station, even though I inspected it with a loupe at the merchants premises and it was clear. I suspect it had been switched on me, so I took it back saying nothing about the inclusion and said my fiancee hated cluster style rings (it had a 1 carat stone in the centre with another 0.60 worth of diamonds clustered around the outside, yes really) and demanded to exchange (bartering comes in here) it for another and have the remainder refunded.

He reluctantly agreed after pretending he didn't know how to give refunds on his wireless terminal for American Express (pretending to phone a support number for 10 minutes and having a mock conversation with a colleague across the way) when I called up the refunds section of the manual for his terminal on my iPhone and placed it in front of him he realised he'd been beaten.

As for the cost, let's say it was really, really good value for what I got and a bit of an adventure too (see above).

[fckvwls]

As for the cost, let's say it was really, really good value for what I got

You are a salesman's dream. Need any double glazing done?

[BlasterBates]

This is a bit of novelty, and very reasonablly priced:

wooden rings

[Menelaus]

Well, I used the term 'bartering' as the first ring I got had a large inclusion in the centre when I checked it in the tube station, even though I inspected it with a loupe at the merchants premises and it was clear. I suspect it had been switched on me, so I took it back saying nothing about the inclusion and said my fiancee hated cluster style rings (it had a 1 carat stone in the centre with another 0.60 worth of diamonds clustered around the outside, yes really) and demanded to exchange (bartering comes in here) it for another and have the remainder refunded.

He reluctantly agreed after pretending he didn't know how to give refunds on his wireless terminal for American Express (pretending to phone a support number for 10 minutes and having a mock conversation with a colleague across the way) when I called up the refunds section of the manual for his terminal on my iPhone and placed it in front of him he realised he'd been beaten.

As for the cost, let's say it was really, really good value for what I got and a bit of an adventure too (see above).

Excellent use of loupe!

[Amiga500]

You are a salesman's dream. Need any double glazing done?

Well, you see, I had it appraised by two separate diamond merchants afterward, and I was more of a salesman's nightmare it seems.