LG John

It is a 0.45ct diamond with D-colour, VS1-clarity and a good cut. It comes with a GIA certificate, is totally eye clean and very beautiful to look at given it’s as clear as they come. We picked out the diamond separately and got it set just the way we wanted it. Initially we wanted the ring tension set but after a 3 hour consultation with the jeweller where we tried many rings and discussed numerous possibilities we decided to get this more practical setting. His advice was basically that with a proper tension setting you will lose or damage the diamond over the years. The setting we chose, as you can see from some of the pictures, exposes the side of the diamond but has some support for the Culet to sit in to keep it snug – much of the diamond is visible but it is also quite well protected and very secure. The diamond looks really cool from side on and size wise it’s big enough to look bright and sparkly but also practical for Laura’s day-to-day job The band is solid platinum which looks great and is reassuringly heavy

Sorry the pictures aren't great but I had to use one hand to hold the box lid open and taking one handed pictures fully zoomed in on Macro-mode isn't easy

....and I don't care what anyone says - deciding to wait for this was far better than pitching up on one knee with an off-the-shelf Earnest Jones Leo or similar

sti-04!!

Rather you than me

Brendan Hughes

Bollox, I'll be first. How much?

(and not just because I'm materialist, but coz wifey wants a platinum+diamond engagement ring!)

Bubba po

It's a bit of fcukin' carbon. Christ.

LG John

£2000 and valued at £2,250 (probably worth £15 and a mars bar )

Platinum isn't cheap and adds considerably to the final cost. Setting the diamond in 18ct white gold for example would have knocked a significant amount off the price. The diamond is the big influencing factor on price though. The diamond in this ring isn't large at just shy of 1/2 a carat but it's actually a fair size to look at. Having seen 1ct diamonds set in various settings I felt they were far too large to be practical (as did Laura btw) but some people like the bragging right of a big rock.

The thing is there are various ways to spend your money - for the money we paid for that diamond I could have got a 1ct diamond that at a glance would have looked like most other 1ct diamonds but closer inspection would reveal visible inclusions (clouding, tiny little specks, etc) and a yellow tint (colour rating). Laura and I valued quality over quantity as side by side the smaller but cleared diamond looked far more special. It's almost like weighing up car spec lists trading one thing against another within the budget you have to work with.

scoobyboy

i paid just short of £800 for my other halfs engagement ring which is platinum with 4 diamonds set in the middle. know what you mean about the weight thing makes it feel more quality than a gold ring.

Lord Shrek

fair play to you

hope the queue wasnt long at the argos jewellery counter

Lord Shrek......say it with style with a Ratners wedding band

Suresh

I think you're finally getting the hang of the diamond trade!

imlach

Platinum IS cheap....it's just jewellers that tell you it ain't
Saying that, we've both got platinum.

Well done. Is that a Princess cut? Still prefer emerald cut though

Lord Shrek

platinum is more expensive than white gold but you dont need to get the ring cleaned every 6 weeks

Lord Shrek......argos does platinum

imlach

I've seen an Argos diamond, and it was about as clear as my ring after a stonkingly hot curry.

Jerome

I always thought a man was expected to spend 2 months take home pay on the engagement ring. Did you?

LG John

Cut is round brilliant - traditional, looks cool

LG John

Is that pay before or after S2000 costs?

imlach

Not criticising, as each to their own, but I was expecting something a bit more, err, 'bespoke', given all the trouble you went to. Maybe I've just seen too many rings in my time...oo-err!

What you have is quite traditional. However, if everyone is happy, that's what counts.

When's the big day then?

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Sod pics of the ring! Get the pics up of the misses!

Ring looks nice to me. But I know nothing about them

LG John

Np, richard - We went over many options during our consultation and we did start way out there with some snazzy designs. Thankfully the jeweller reminded us that this is supposed to be a ring that you'll have for the 50 years+ all being well. That's a lot of time for it to be knocked, scuffed and gunked, etc. In the end we conceeded that what we wanted would probably compromise the safety of the ring over that period and went for something more traditional. The design is plain and simple as that's very much Laura's (and my own) taste

The pictures don't show it very clearly but the way the diamond is seated shows it off really well. I've seen many rings in high street shops that look set the same way from above but when you look side on you can see the difference.

LG John

This is her (us actually) - stooping her shoulders as usual to try and appear the same height as me



Scene of the crime

imlach

Absolutely agree. I went for close to traditional as well. Fashionable is dangerous. Also, you need to get the light in underneath, otherwise it won't sparkle, which you have done.

Quite right though, I've always seen you as a plain & simple person

imlach

PS Black shirt = black socks. Will look far better

LG John

Yuk, yuk, yuk

I was thinking if she puts in a good 10 year shift () I might get her something fasionable at a future time as a dress ring for special occasions, etc

LG John

I agree - it was her mother that dressed me though (i so would) Not my gear, I just did what I was told that day

STi wanna Subaru

iTrader: (1)

Nice one mate. Skirt looks lovely. Her dress looks nice as well

LG John

Easy mate - I had a heefing big sword and blue/white face paint sitting just out of shot

Jerome

Good grief man, you need to ask? After S2000/Scooby/other man toys costs!

SiPie

Very tasteful, well done mate...all the best to you both

However, it has to be said that you do look more and more like David Coulthard every day though












At last....revenge for all your Sting jibes

andythejock01wrx

Cool pics Kenny. You look good together. And you're about the same height as her by the way !

Congrats again !

Andy Mc

PS I know nothing about "rings", so won't comment !

davyboy

Great pic of the Eifel tower, your fiance and some bins

Brendan Hughes

Ta Kenny.

(Gulp).

BTW, pretty girl And Laura's not bad-looking either