Zirconia or Diamonds?
Discussion
Bit of a random question for a Friday morning :
We've been looking at wedding rings, and have found a style that we like. The woman's ring has a fine line of small "diamonds" around one half of the ring.
It can be bought with those diamonds as actual diamonds, or zirconia - with a price difference of about £1,200.
Usually, I wouldn't hesitate and would want the real diamonds. However - I am fully aware that at this size, they are little more than diamond chips which are pretty much worthless, so £1,200 feels like a significant waste of money. The g/f also feels it's not worth paying for the real diamonds (probably even more so now, since I persuaded her to go for the really expensive honeymoon option a couple of days ago!).
But part of me still feels like we should go with the diamond option - it is a wedding ring after all.
Thoughts?
We've been looking at wedding rings, and have found a style that we like. The woman's ring has a fine line of small "diamonds" around one half of the ring.
It can be bought with those diamonds as actual diamonds, or zirconia - with a price difference of about £1,200.
Usually, I wouldn't hesitate and would want the real diamonds. However - I am fully aware that at this size, they are little more than diamond chips which are pretty much worthless, so £1,200 feels like a significant waste of money. The g/f also feels it's not worth paying for the real diamonds (probably even more so now, since I persuaded her to go for the really expensive honeymoon option a couple of days ago!).
But part of me still feels like we should go with the diamond option - it is a wedding ring after all.
Thoughts?
NDA said:
Otherwise you'll be hearing your wife saying "oh, they're only Zirconia" to her friends for years to come.
I don't think she would ever say that. Trust me - it took me bloody ages to get her to agree to have an engagement ring with a sensible sized diamond, when she wanted something tiny!Tough choice.
Our wedding rings together were less than 300 quid IIRC as they're simple gold bands, and I hate rings so mine was beans. Point being, the money goes on the big diamond engagement ring / later enternity ring.
But... In a few years time, will you look back when you're more flush and think you should have gone diamond?
Glad it's not me making the decision
Our wedding rings together were less than 300 quid IIRC as they're simple gold bands, and I hate rings so mine was beans. Point being, the money goes on the big diamond engagement ring / later enternity ring.
But... In a few years time, will you look back when you're more flush and think you should have gone diamond?
Glad it's not me making the decision
TGCOTF-dewey said:
But... In a few years time, will you look back when you're more flush and think you should have gone diamond?
Not even a few years - I suspect it will bother me from the start. We can afford it - it's more a case of getting what you pay for. And in this case, I'm not convinced the "diamonds" are really worth more than zirconia. I think it's a markup simply because "diamond".davek_964 said:
Not even a few years - I suspect it will bother me from the start. We can afford it - it's more a case of getting what you pay for. And in this case, I'm not convinced the "diamonds" are really worth more than zirconia. I think it's a markup simply because "diamond".
There's your answer then. 
Agreed it's not value for money, but look at it as 1200 quid for peace of mind... It won't be a thing that irritates you everytime you look at it for years.
And probably cheaper than getting it re-stoned in a year too.
Geertsen said:
If you are married 23 years that will be £1 per week for the diamonds. I’d get the diamonds. Or look elsewhere as you can get something very decent for £1,200 (nice diamonds, not little chips).
Small diamonds is what we want in the ring - her engagement ring has similar diamonds on the shoulders, so it matches well. For all I know, they're very good diamonds - it's an assumption on my part that they're fairly worthless.We are seeing two bespoke places tomorrow, so now that we know roughly what we want we'll see what they come up with - I have doubts they'll be competitive, but you never know.
davek_964 said:
Small diamonds is what we want in the ring - her engagement ring has similar diamonds on the shoulders, so it matches well. For all I know, they're very good diamonds - it's an assumption on my part that they're fairly worthless.
We are seeing two bespoke places tomorrow, so now that we know roughly what we want we'll see what they come up with - I have doubts they'll be competitive, but you never know.
Surely going into a marriage thinking about the future value of the wedding ring is asking for trouble We are seeing two bespoke places tomorrow, so now that we know roughly what we want we'll see what they come up with - I have doubts they'll be competitive, but you never know.
My wife has what sounds like a similar design, it's a half ring of diamonds on a platinum band. Cost about £1,400 nearly 10 years ago if I recall correctly and until just now I have not given a second's thought to whether it was worth the outlay or not (funnily enough mine actually cost more due to being a sizeable lump of solid platinum). As far as I was concerned this is an item that my wife will (hopefully) wear every day of the rest of her life, there is no way I would buy what you know to be inferior stones to serve that purpose.
Make sure you buy from somewhere you trust not to inflate the price just because 'diamond', and that the carat, clarity etc. is all correct for what you're paying. I can't say what Zirconia would be like in comparison but the diamonds on my wife's band are unbelievably sparkly in the right light, gets lots of nice comments because it's a bit different to the usual solid metal, and most importantly, she loves it.
In short: get the diamonds!
I suspect we will go with the majority view here, and go the diamond route. Especially since it's likely I'll go platinum rather than white gold for mine.
However - one thing I should make clearer is that the g/f is a tad unusual regarding this sort of thing. It was actually her that suggested we choose zirconia - and it's not the case that I'll have to persuade her that zirconia is the right choice. It's that I'll have to persuade her that diamonds are the right choice!
However - one thing I should make clearer is that the g/f is a tad unusual regarding this sort of thing. It was actually her that suggested we choose zirconia - and it's not the case that I'll have to persuade her that zirconia is the right choice. It's that I'll have to persuade her that diamonds are the right choice!
davek_964 said:
Bit of a random question for a Friday morning :
We've been looking at wedding rings, and have found a style that we like. The woman's ring has a fine line of small "diamonds" around one half of the ring.
It can be bought with those diamonds as actual diamonds, or zirconia - with a price difference of about £1,200.
Usually, I wouldn't hesitate and would want the real diamonds. However - I am fully aware that at this size, they are little more than diamond chips which are pretty much worthless, so £1,200 feels like a significant waste of money. The g/f also feels it's not worth paying for the real diamonds (probably even more so now, since I persuaded her to go for the really expensive honeymoon option a couple of days ago!).
But part of me still feels like we should go with the diamond option - it is a wedding ring after all.
Thoughts?
Why do you need the opinions of random people on the web. Buy her what she wants. The end. We've been looking at wedding rings, and have found a style that we like. The woman's ring has a fine line of small "diamonds" around one half of the ring.
It can be bought with those diamonds as actual diamonds, or zirconia - with a price difference of about £1,200.
Usually, I wouldn't hesitate and would want the real diamonds. However - I am fully aware that at this size, they are little more than diamond chips which are pretty much worthless, so £1,200 feels like a significant waste of money. The g/f also feels it's not worth paying for the real diamonds (probably even more so now, since I persuaded her to go for the really expensive honeymoon option a couple of days ago!).
But part of me still feels like we should go with the diamond option - it is a wedding ring after all.
Thoughts?
I bought my now wife of 12 years a Tiffany engagement ring from an antique shop, I got the leather bound folder with authentication paperwork etc and got it for a relative bargain. She loves it, so it was money well spent and what woman wouldn't like to get a little blue box :-)
Wedding rings I was much less fussy, but hers needed to be platinum to match the engagement ring, so the bulk of the money went on hers and I chose a wide silver band for £30.
For me it was what it signified that mattered and not the cost. I can understand how you feel and despite what I might try and tell myself, I would probably feel the same as you. I suspect it comes from feeling that CZ is a fake diamond and I've never been one for fake anything.
Good luck making your decision, I think I'd spend the extra.
Wedding rings I was much less fussy, but hers needed to be platinum to match the engagement ring, so the bulk of the money went on hers and I chose a wide silver band for £30.
For me it was what it signified that mattered and not the cost. I can understand how you feel and despite what I might try and tell myself, I would probably feel the same as you. I suspect it comes from feeling that CZ is a fake diamond and I've never been one for fake anything.
Good luck making your decision, I think I'd spend the extra.
NDA said:
Gazzab said:
Why do you need the opinions of random people on the web.
I never really understand this view. PH, to many, is a virtual pub where opinions are often sought, or a place to share experiences.Have you never asked for the views of others on here?
All sorted now - after discussion with the jewellers she chose diamond. The £1,200 difference is from a jeweller we can't buy from now anyway (they couldn't provide what we wanted) but yesterday's experience was a real eye opener into the 'wedding industry'.
Our first appointment was with a bespoke jeweller we met at a wedding fayre. I liked them at the fayre, and I liked them yesterday - it was a very pleasant experience.
Until we were given the price. At that time, we had nothing to compare it to - but it was 2.6 times the prices we got later!
Second appointment was also somebody we met at a wedding fayre. This time with somebody I'd felt was slightly off but the g/f liked. Until we arrived 15 mins early and were not allowed in the shop! We returned 15 mins later but things didn't really improve - g/f was basically told that she was wrong about how the ring should be..... Only place that didn't give us a price on the day and frankly even if it's free, he can shove it.
We then decided to go to Brighton lanes (basically Brighton's jewellery quarter) and see how we got on there.
We saw two jewellers who could make what we wanted. Both gave very similar prices that were much more sensible. Both very pleasant, but we both walked out of the second one absolutely sure that's where we want the rings made.
But the price thing was a real eye opener. I know that wedding stuff is vastly inflated - we're not really affected by that much because we're having a very simple wedding. However, the difference between a jeweller we met at a wedding fayre and a jeweller we simply walked into from the street was shocking. For exactly the same rings, £2.5k vs £6.5k!
We'll take the economy option....
Our first appointment was with a bespoke jeweller we met at a wedding fayre. I liked them at the fayre, and I liked them yesterday - it was a very pleasant experience.
Until we were given the price. At that time, we had nothing to compare it to - but it was 2.6 times the prices we got later!
Second appointment was also somebody we met at a wedding fayre. This time with somebody I'd felt was slightly off but the g/f liked. Until we arrived 15 mins early and were not allowed in the shop! We returned 15 mins later but things didn't really improve - g/f was basically told that she was wrong about how the ring should be..... Only place that didn't give us a price on the day and frankly even if it's free, he can shove it.
We then decided to go to Brighton lanes (basically Brighton's jewellery quarter) and see how we got on there.
We saw two jewellers who could make what we wanted. Both gave very similar prices that were much more sensible. Both very pleasant, but we both walked out of the second one absolutely sure that's where we want the rings made.
But the price thing was a real eye opener. I know that wedding stuff is vastly inflated - we're not really affected by that much because we're having a very simple wedding. However, the difference between a jeweller we met at a wedding fayre and a jeweller we simply walked into from the street was shocking. For exactly the same rings, £2.5k vs £6.5k!
We'll take the economy option....
Gassing Station | Watches | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff