What We Learned Replacing My Engagement Ring - Buying an Engagement Ring

Mar 07, 2018

The way Justin tells it, buying an engagement ring is one of the most stressful moments of his life. That's why I'm so happy to say that he's worked with me on today's post which is all about buying an engagement ring! More specifically, today we're going to be talking all about the lessons we learned when we had to replace my engagement ring after only a year!

Buying an engagement ring is one of those things where when it goes wrong, it seems to go really wrong and that's pretty much what happened to us. Having to replace my engagement ring left me heartbroken and while I ended up getting an "upgrade" it still doesn't take away from the fact that the ring Justin actually proposed with is now basically gone.

If you're planning on buying an engagement ring, definitely don't let the same mistakes we made happen to you! Here's a little advice from both of us on buying and replacing an engagement ring!

what we learned replacing my engagement ring after only a year.png

Again, I'm so excited that Justin was able to work on this post with me. All of his responses will be in italics!

Do your research ahead of time

Buying an engagement ring is no small gesture. Regardless of what type of ring you're looking at, be sure to do your research about buying an engagement ring before you even step foot in a jewelry store! Not saying that everyone will have the same experience we did but some jewelers really are just out to make money. You should research the 4 C's (color, cut, clarity, and carat weight) if you're looking into diamonds, the differences between golds, general price points, etc.

Also, research things such as sizing information so you know what to expect when you go to a jeweler. For instance, a jeweler typically can't size a ring down more than two sizes. This is where we made our first mistake!

Read reviews on the jeweler

It’s important to look at reviews when considering a vendor for your big purchase. Comments from previous customers can cue you into everything from how wide their selection is, to if the employees can be expected to be helpful or not. You should check reviews for every location you’re considering even if they are part of the same chain. You’d be surprised how different locations can be within the same chain of jewelry stores.

Beyond general information about the stores, reviews primarily express customer satisfaction. If a store has mostly positive reviews but several terrible reviews, I highly recommend thoroughly reading those negative reviews to see what made the customer so dissatisfied. Predatory business practices, rude employees, and other attributes you wouldn’t want to associate with your new engagement ring are usually found among the bad reviews.

Don't be afraid to shop around

Never buy your ring at the first store you go to. There are literally thousands of stores and millions of rings out there. Take your time to explore for the right one so that you can get the perfect engagement ring without getting swindled.

Get an independent appraisal

So you did it, you bought an engagement ring! You just purchased what you think to be the perfect engagement ring for your partner. Now what? Well, get it appraised of course! It’s very important that you go get an independent appraisal done right after you purchase your ring. This will let you know if there are any issues and confirm that you got what you paid for. Many jewelers have a return policy that allows buyers to return purchases without any issues for a period of time after the purchase. Use this to help get an idea of what you actually bought. This will also help you get that new bling insured down the road!

Have the ring insured immediately

I mentioned this in one of my very first wedding-related posts but make sure you fiance gets your engagement ring insured through a reputable insurance company immediately! Preferably before your partner receives it. We chose to go through Geico since I already had an insurance plan with them. It's pretty cheap depending on the cost of your ring and can save you a lot of stress and heartache down the road. While we didn't end up using our insurance to help with my ring, it's well worth the peace of mind if your ring is ever lost or stolen!

Speak up if something isn't right

About a day after Justin gave me my engagement ring is when I first noticed the crack on the bottom. Not knowing much about jewelry, I didn't realize that the bottom of my ring shouldn't have actually looked the way it did. We were so thrilled to be engaged that I never said anything and eventually, kind of just forgot about it. It wasn't a problem until I went to get the ring resized after losing about 20 pounds. You can imagine my heartbreak when the jeweler told me that, because of the way the first jeweler had chosen to resize the ring rather than order the proper size, he wouldn't be able to resize my ring... ever. And that it was cracked and needed to be repaired. Cue lots of tears. If I had just spoken up initially we probably could have gone straight back to where the ring was purchased from and avoided all of the drama a year later!