Its my ring...

[Becks]

Be careful with opals, though. I had an opal necklace that I accidentally wore in the shower a few times, and the stone broke apart.

I don't wear my one and only opal ring because...I ran out of fingers.

I don't wear ANY of my jewelry in the shower. Hell, people at work laugh at me when I take my rings off. Uh, yeah...I'm not about to run the risk of losing precious gems.

[ZumZum]

When hubby and I were talking about getting engaged we had a long convo about rings.

He despises the diamond industry. With miners dying and the "spend two months salary" mentality, he refuses to support it.

I told him I don't like diamonds all that much anyway. I wanted a sapphire or emerald. He was thrilled.

We went to a store in Philly and I found the perfect ring. We got talked into a real diamond. When we got home we had instant buyer's remorse. What were we thinking??

He returned the ring. Found the setting at another store. He went to get a sapphire put in it and we didn't like the way it looked.

So what did he do? Bought me a $30 DZ online. Got it put in at the store he bought it at. They had a fit, thinking he was deceiving me. He said, go ahead and call her, she knows! They did put it in.
You can't tell its a DZ. I love it. I am never worried about something happening to it. If it falls out, he'll buy me another one!

[Pezzle]

The BF is insisting on a platinum ring (yay!) with a diamond inlay and two sapphires. I am thrilled, because diamonds look awesome on platinum to me He wants to have it custom made.

This is in the far future though.

[BookstoreEscapee]

My mom lost the diamond from her engagement ring a few years ago because the prongs were so worn down (they've been married for almost 38 years now). She had it replaced with cubic zirconium though cuz they didn't want to spend the money at the time.

Several years ago my friend's sister was playing basketball and fell into the pole; her ring got caught on the pin that you use to adjust the height and she lost her finger. Ouch.

[Gurndigarn]

My wife's ring is diamond with rubies on either side. The wedding band matches with another pair of rubies.

It's around the house somewhere. We never got it resized. When our oldest gets engages, he's likely to inherit the ring. I figure that my wife can tell people to get lost perfectly well without needing a ring. She says that in the worst-case scenarios, all she has to do is tell them that if they get her, they get all the kids, too, and that usually scares the idiots away.

[ladyklack]

My grandmother gave me her old engagement ring. It's white gold and had a diamond in the center with one small sapphire on each side. She had the diamond removed, and put another sapphire in its place before she gave it to me.

It has a very unusual setting, but think it's the most beautiful looking ring in the world and someday (if I ever find the right guy) I figure I can just wear the ring I already have to show that I'm enganged.

[Reyneth]

I have yet to see a lab created alexandrite, but I hope that they come out with one soon. I have seen treated topaz that has the same color changing effect, though. We just got in a nice and simple alexandrite white gold pendant that I would love to buy...

Then you've seen a lab-created one. I promise you, the natural ones are $$$$$$$$$. I've never seen one in a normal jewelry store - just in a specialty gem place, and even those were small.

http://www.alexandrite.net/
http://www.galleries.com/minerals/ge...r/alexandr.htm
http://www.all-that-gifts.com/se/alexandrite.html

[MadMike]

I'm trying to say that the swearing may have been over the top, but I'm finding myself unable to do so. I despise pushy people, and she was quite pushy. I guess she wanted a huge commision for selling you a diamond, but in the end, her greed got her nothing at all.

[Rahmota]

Well I say maybe just a smidge over the top but it got your point across to her very effectively I'm sure. And hopefully her boss haerd the whole thing and discussed thigns with her as to why one of her customers just went through the roof.

Now my wife's first engagement ring was a cheap plastic thing from one of those machines in the front of stores you know? Hey I was a poor broke college student at the time. Eventually we got her grandmother's ring resized for her but still like was said before its the intent not the image that should matter.

[Emrld]

I actually wear a cocktail ring that I think if I ever do get engaged will become my engagment ring. . . .
Basically I have a Great Aunt that I totally adore (she is now in her mid 90's and well most of the time isn't all there anymore)
She lost her husband in the war when they hadn't been married all that long. When my Mom turned 16 Lida (Aunt) passed her wedding set to her. (My Mom was the closest thing to a child to her of all the nieces and nephews) When my parents got married Dad had the diamond mounted into another ring.
Growing up Mom took her rings off to do dishes . . .and little hands would snatch her ring and pretend it was their wedding ring. I mean this one has 4 stones and looks like a floral bouquet . . .vs just a single stone on a band . . . come on the pretty one has to be the engagement ring right. (we are talking 3 - 4 yr old logic here nothing about knowing which hand etc)
Well . . .my Grandmother passed a few years back - my sister was given her wedding set and they re-sized the Lida ring for me. I wear it on my left hand and it is the only ring I wear.

[Shabo]

You know, I was going to ask for a diamond engagement ring from the bf... in fact, I told him that if he ever thought about proposing, he better have the diamond... but this thread has changed my mind. Diamonds are terribly overrated. I'm going to amend that to a nice Alexandrite ring (my birthstone). I have a claddaugh ring with that stone, and I absolutely love it. I know, the colors change from stone to stone, but it's just such a beautiful thing to have a different color in different lights. Thanks for the info on the stone and for the inspiration to change my mind!

[rdp78]

I know my maternal grandmother's engagement was her birthstone (I think from what I remember she was born in June so I think it was alexandrite) and they got married in the early/mid 40's so the diamond engagement ring hadn't been popular by that time. Anyway when she passed away my mother put it and her wedding ring (I don't really remember what it was)in a our bank safe (I think that's where they are).

Anyway I think I much prefer an engagement ring with my birthstone (emerald) then a diamond or maybe a purple stone (which is my favorite color). I already have two real diamond rings I got from my paternal grandfather (I'm his only blood granddaughter) and I have them in the handmade wooden jewelry box he gave me. I haven't had the chance to find a place to appaise them (for insurance reasons) and make sure one of them is really 200 years old. I'm sure at one point in my family there were used as wedding rings and maybe even engagement rings. I also have two fake diamond rings I brought at Walmart(I know one of them is from there but I can't remamber where I got the other one) for under 10 dollars.

I also think the sales person was out of line and of course, I think the OP could have handled it a little better without the swearing. I mean just because a diamond ring is the prefered engagement ring doesn't mean you have to have it that way and having an engagement ring that you prefered (better for budget reasons) I think is better than some plain old diamond ring that every other engaged/married woman has. I also think that an engagement ring that reflects your personality is better than having what everyone has and it doesn't mean the guy loves you any less (I think it's the opposite).

[Finduilas]

I can't stand rings. I have knuckles that are probably normal, but when I put a ring on once in a blue moon I freak out trying to get it off. I would never want to have something that scares me to signify love.

My boyfriend plays the keyboard, I told him that I'd get him a Hammond organ as an engagement present.

I don't even know what I would want in exchange.

[Gabrielle Proctor]

My class ring is alexandrite. It is a very beautiful stone. I've seen it turn green, pink, grey, blue-ish...it all depends on the lighting.

I've changed my mind. I want a pearl with two little alexandrite stones on either side. That seems better to me than rubies, emeralds, or saphires.

My mom's engagement ring is 5 little stones...I think...they alternate: saphire, diamind, saphire, diamond, saphire on a silver band.

[Lace Neil Singer]

My boyf will probably pop the question next year; I've already said I want a white gold and sapphire engagement ring. Anyone who tries to push a diamond and yellow gold ring on me will regret it... O.o