shoppin' for rings

[p_seudonym]

My Gentleman and I are looking for engagement rings. We're broke students, so relatively cheap would be good; we're also not totally committed to diamonds, though we'd like those as an option (moissanite & sapphires are cool, too). We're both looking for rings, both with stones

Comments

[evil_mom]

Birks, despite its grand looks, can be affordable. Just don't say "wedding ring" or "engagement ring". Just say you're looking for a ring. Real sapphires vs lab created sapphires is a big difference in price. I wouldn't expect you to find man-made stones at Birk's. If you can afford it, though, your ring will be insured pretty much for life. All you have to do is go in every 6 months to get it cleaned and checked (prongs and such, etc.)

I'm not sure about moissanite, since I don't know what that is, but I do know that my mom's engagement ring comes from Birk's, and so does mine, and every time we walk in, we can get them cleaned and checked for free. When my husband bought my ring, he was told that if he ever wanted to "upgrade" the stone (by at least 10% of the purchase price), they would do that without charging for a new band. Also, we have an insurance on a lost stone (as long as I come in faithfully every 6 months).

If you can't afford the real thing, try Bijoutrie LSM (I know of one on the 20 South, on your way to the tunnel). My close friends got their wedding and engagement rings there, and they are quite happy with them.

http://bijouterielsm.com/fr/

[p_seudonym]

Thanks for the information!! That's really helpful.

Moissanite is just lab-made diamond. It's almost indiscernable from the real thing (cuz it's, like, carbon that's been heated and pressurized...) and it's much cheaper.