Engagement Rock

Albatross says on Apr 1, 04:42:

.

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

jack_jason says on Apr 1, 05:05:

You must be a troll.

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

Cerealkiller says on Apr 1, 05:23:

Albatross, to be honest with you most married colombian women do not wear an engagement ring, so if its customary it must be something new. That said, you're american, which means there might be some expectation for it...I just say follow your gut feeling and get her whatever you'd get for any other woman. Afterall she will be Mrs Albatross and that must count for something!!!

Conservatives are not necessarily stupid, but most stupid people are conservatives -John Stuart Mill

jorgegdiaz says on Apr 1, 05:26:

CKm I thought the same. A couple of months ago a friend got engaged and he gave her a ,75 carats rock...
Why don´t you try an Emerald Albatross?. It may be less customary but people (or her) may appreciate it better.

Man with hole in pocket feel cocky all day.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 1, 05:29:

jorge my engagement ring was an emerald and it was not very expensive not even the wedding ring...not even the whole wedding!!!

the expensive one was the Eternity ring but this is an English custom because we don't have that in Colombia

robi666 says on Apr 1, 05:33:

kat, do you get an Eternity ring when you die?

"I am a citizen of the most beautiful nation on earth. A nation whose laws are harsh yet simple, a nation that never cheats, which is immense and without borders, where life is lived in the present."

bamacellist says on Apr 1, 05:34:

"The great thing about human language is that it prevents us from sticking to the matter at hand."

kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 1, 05:36:

history of the Eternity ring,

A Brief History of the Eternity Ring
Eternity rings could be described as dress (or best) wedding rings.
The common feature of all eternity rings, is that they are stone set, often with diamonds. A "full eternity" ring is one where the stones are set completely around the shank. A "half eternity" ring only has the stones set partially around the shank. Many modern half eternity rings feature a raised "head", which is a departure from the traditional idea of a wedding type ring. There is a recent fashion for diamond-set wedding rings, which are closely related in style to eternity rings.

History
According to our Dictionary of Jewellery, their history dates back about 4000 to an example found out Ur.
The endless or eternal loop is symbolic of eternal love. For this reason, many eternity rings are multi-stranded or plaited. Another similar theme is for the shank to be formed like a snake sometimes swallowing its own tail.-------------> don't like this last one...hehehe

kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 1, 05:37:

actually this is my second eternity ring heheh because the first one was stolen in Colombia...not so eternal after all.....

Desideria (Moderator) says on Apr 1, 05:50:

I got a tiny emerald and yellow gold engagement ring but only after I told him about how my folks would never believe I was engaged if I didn't have ring....his mum and dad had never had engagement rings either nor anybody they knew. I guess the custom must be changing now and Colombianas are demanding a rock from their fiances just like they get to wear that silly-looking hat and gown at graduation (unheard of back when we still lived in Colombia).

"None are more hopelessly enslaved than those who falsely believe they are free." —Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

jack_jason says on Apr 1, 05:52:

"sheeeeesh..... *PLONK*"

sheeeeesh.....*PIMP*

This is just spanglish, please do not correct me

peteyw says on Apr 1, 06:30:

I also recommend Jorgegdiaz's suggestion.

I bought two rings. One is for the wife when we are in Colombia and its gold with emerald (pretty, but doesn't attract undesired attention.) The other is for when the wife and I are in the states and that's a diamond, 2 carat.

And of course, she's crazy about the emerald one and doesn't care that the diamond is ten times more expensive.

morphus says on Apr 1, 06:40:

Cubic zirconia is the way to go.

morphus says on Apr 1, 06:42:

I know a guy that married a prepago. He bought her a $10,000 diamond ring. I was shocked when I heard.

nueva york bombero says on Apr 1, 07:06:

Hey, watch what you say about my sister!! She deserved that ring!

dwr says on Apr 1, 07:12:

100 bucks and off you go!

Frank Rizzo says on Apr 1, 07:47:

Get married....jajjajjajajajajjaaa....... married.......jaajjjajaajjajajajajaaaaaa

For what? ...... To give some chick the cash......ain't no way.

Gator says on Apr 1, 09:10:

Mrs. Gator got a traditional diamond that belonged to my grandmother but she hardly ever wears it due to security concerns. She uses an emerald ring which "fits" in better. We really use the peteyw method which seems to work well.

"Brevior Sltare Cum Deformibus Mulieribus Est Vita!" .

Medellin Traveler says on Apr 1, 14:16:

The best option is to purchase a similar ring, that her sisters, cousins and friends recieved from their husbands.... don't be a gringo.

Medellin Es Una Chimba! - www.medellintraveler.com

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 1, 15:05:

I got my wife an engagement ring in white gold with a very unusual and rare cut. The white gold is not too common in Colombia so most people think it is silver. The diamond is only a little under 1 1/2 carats, but has great clarity and color. Also, the cut is so unusual (heart shaped), that most people think it is fake since they can't believe a real diamond could be cut like that.

I remember that when I asked around here on PBH about insuring the thing in Colombia, a bunch of people freaked out telling me that she was going to get her fingers cut off by thieves going for the ring, etc. Of course, none of this has happened despite her wearing it everyday. In fact, all the women in my family wear nice engagement/wedding rings in Colombia and they have all their fingers. Just don't get something horribly ostentatious and she will love it and be just fine.

Albatross says on Apr 2, 05:03:

Thanks for the advice... I can't believe I spent yesterday researching engagement rings... so much for my glorious bachelorhood. I initially assumed Diamonds, but now I think I’m going to go for a Ruby instead (set in white gold).
I love the color… and given what I'm willing to spend, ($500 more-or-less) I’d rather give her a real Ruby than a fake Diamond.

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

morphus says on Apr 2, 05:04:

"so much for my glorious bachelorhood"

www.nomarriage.com

Albatross says on Apr 2, 05:23:

Cool site... both hilarious and deeply disturbing.

"Here is a typical married woman:
I give birth to your kids and you complain we don't have sex? How do you think they were born, osmosis? Who takes care of them, drives them to school, picks them up for after school activities, drives them to sports, takes them to their friends houses, plays chauffeur, cleans, cooks, goes to PTA meetings and then caters to your sorry whiney ass when you get home. To top it off after you eat, fart or burp you walk out the door and go out with your buddies. You want sex? Go fuck yourself !... I'm too tired. "

But... the site also advocates marrying foreign women only... which is what I'm planning.

Also, I've been with plenty of women... I've probably already had enough sex for a lifetime (not that I don't want more anyway). But something about this one says she's a keeper. So even though I'm fully aware of the potential disaster awaiting me, I think I'm going to give it a shot.

If it truly becomes a living hell, I suppose I can leave her... or just shoot myself.

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

Rikito says on Apr 2, 09:32:

I designed a simple engagement ring for Marcie. It has a one carrot diamond in the middle and down each side of the ring there are Colombian emeralds. When I first gave it to her she didn't know what it was or which finger to put it on, but being a woman and a colombiana she learned fast. She wears it all of the time, but does take it off when she goes into a strange area. When in Bogota she seldom wears it.

It is not life that matters, but the journey.

nueva york bombero says on Apr 2, 09:40:

I bought this one for my ex novia, but never gave it to her. I'd like to sell it....

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 2, 09:47:

Put it on Ebay.

FYI, There are actually some really good deals to be found on Ebay when it comes to diamonds. Make sure to buy from companies with good feedback scores instead of individuals. I know a few people that bought diamonds on Ebay for half of what they were later appraised for. If I didn't have good connections for jewelry, I would definitely look into it.

bickerss says on Apr 2, 10:14:

My friend at work was telling me the tradition for an engagement ring was three months salary (he was buying one). I thought it was a joke until others agreed. I stil thought it was a joke until I checked it on the internet. I dont think its a joke now - but it is for sure something that I will deny forever as to having known, to any woman I am interested in!!!

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 2, 10:20:

In actuality, the whole "tradition"of a diamond engagement ring was created as a marketing gimmick in the first half of 20th century. It was never really a tradition until DeBeers' marketing convinced women otherwise. The "rule" is supposedly two months salary and is ridiculous.

Also, anybody that pays retail for jewelry is getting fleeced. Stores like Zales, Gordon's, etc. generally sell very poor quality stones at insane prices. I remember seeing a 1 carat with an awful color (J-piss yellow) and clarity(I-inclusions and cracks visible and very cloudy) for $5,000. These were absolutely awful stones that look terrible to the naked eye. You can get a much better diamond with significantly better color and clarity from a wholesaler or on Ebay for less than half that much. Even when retail jewelry stores have sales, you will still get screwed.

vicshere says on Apr 2, 10:32:

3 months salary in colombai is 1,500,000 cop

listo

island girl says on Apr 2, 10:32:

yeah I saw a leaked DeBoers instructional video, meant for their marketing teams and sales reps .... it explicitly referred to how they have conned the whole world into thinking the diamond engagement ring is a tradition and necessity ... and how they wanted to do the same thing with a three diamond pendant for wedding anniversaries (like the 25th or 10th anniversary or something). So watch out down the road!

Having said that, diamonds are stored in Antwerp to create a false sense of rarity and to raise the price ...

and they cause a lotta chit in Africa ....

Does the Colombian emerald cause exploitation of Colombians ie mine workers etc like the diamond?

Albatross says on Apr 2, 10:37:

Marilyn Monroe (and Jane Russell) singing "Diamonds Are a Girls Best Friend" didn't hurt diamond sales either.

“Democracy - a pathetic belief in the collective wisdom of individual ignorance." - H.L. Mencken

island girl says on Apr 2, 10:40:

DeBoers probably paid them. Seriously.

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 2, 10:44:

Albatross, If you are looking to only spend $500, you should browse the Ebay jewelry section as you can get some pretty nice rings for that price range. Also, you may want to check out pawn shops. They usually have a good selection of smaller stones and you can negotiate them down with cash.

Saltador says on Apr 2, 10:55:

One thing to remember on ebay is the ring size (duh.) There are some good deals to be had, but keep in mind you may have to pay someone to re-size the ring if it's not the right size. This task is usually a freebee if you buy the ring new, but with a used ring it's going to cost you.

ColombianoGringo says on Apr 2, 11:08:

Resizing the ring shouldn't cost you more than $15-$20 at any jewelry store. Also, make sure that you get it from someone that has a money-back guarantee. Get the ring appraised as soon as you receive it and send it back if it doesn't measure up to the advertised quality.

bickerss says on Apr 2, 11:22:

I think it was in jim Rogers Commodity book where he talked about the Debeers and diamonds and the scoop that they got the world into when there are much more rare stones which should be more valuable. Amazing bit of marketing by the debeers - and I think they have the rights to most of the world diamons - therefore controlling te prices.

dwr says on Apr 2, 14:21:

Go watch the movie Blood Money and tell me if you still want to participate in the bloody mess that is the diamond industry.

kat1 (Moderator) says on Apr 2, 15:02:

Oh don't spoil it dwr....:)))))hehe

talking about diamonds i was in Harrods eating a pizza that BTW I do recommend Harrods pizza the best in the world IMO, a bit expensive but worth it, it is in the food hall freshly made in a wood burner oven...

Anyway I was sitting there chatting with my husband and the lady that was sitting near him was wearing a ring with a MASSIVE diamond!!! i was blinded by the shine.....it looks gross