engagement ring

We've given you the 411 on how to buy an engagement ring and told you how much the average person spent on an engagement ring, but it's now time to tell you where to get one! Here are some websites that will help you on your savvy quest to find the perfect ring:

• Diamond Search Site: PriceScope.com is a site that lets you compare the prices of over 350,000 diamonds from retail and Internet vendors. All you need to do is type in the specifics of what you're looking for, and it'll take you to a full list of retailers, which you can filter through by city.

• Diamond Wholesalers: Internet retailers like BlueNile.com or WhiteFlash.com don't have to pay the price of having a brick and mortar store, which lowers a lot of their overhead costs. That in turns lowers your cost too!
• Brand Sites: Although you'll be paying much more for the brand, perhaps buying a ring from a well-known retailer will give you peace of mind, and you won't have to worry about the quality. Check out sites like Tiffany.com, or if you're looking for less costly options, you can also take a look at Zales.com.

Do you have any other sites to recommend?

Wedding season is definitely in the air — my calendar is booked with weddings! If you're thinking about getting more serious with your honey, there's generally always a ring involved. And if you don't know the first thing about rings . . . join the club. Thankfully, there are experts like CEO Debi Wexler of diamond etailer WhiteFlash.com, to spill the deets on engagement rings. Here are some things Debi says ring-buying newbies should know:

• Get Your Certification."They should know something about buying a certified diamond. No matter where you go, the certification from a major well-known lab will give the consumer peace of mind. Don’t buy a diamond without one."
• The 4 Cs. "Also it’s important to know something about the 4 Cs. Even more important is to learn all about the cut of the diamond. When it comes to buying a round brilliant or a princess, cut is absolutely essential for bringing out the overall best performance of a diamond."
• Do Your Research."Whether buying from online or in a store, learn about the store by using reference resources on the Internet like iVouch, Google, Yahoo!, or Yelp. Past customers will tell you what you need to know in order to trust the company you are buying from. This is such a major decision in a guy’s life that he should really take a few weeks to do some deep research. I would also be cautious buying from a family friend. If you do so, then at least do research on the diamond you are buying. And once again, buy a certified diamond from a major reputable lab."

To learn more about engagement rings, read on.

The diamond ring is part of an age-old proposal tradition that can get quite pricey, so here are some tips from Smart Money that may help you save up to thousands on your engagement ring:

• Almost a Carat: Diamond prices shoot up after the one-carat mark and every quarter carat after so you can save a lot if you buy a diamond that is close to the carat mark. You can save thousands if you choose to buy a .99-carat over a one-carat diamond.
• Wait It Out: Diamonds that are just shy of the carat mark sell out quickly so you might not be able to find one if you had a limited time span. Give yourself more time to shop around and wait it out, and you might just be able to find a gem of a deal.
• React Fast: You've been hunting around for a while and you finally find a good deal, but you need to snap it up before someone else does. As these diamond deals are going quickly, you need to buy it as soon as you can. But remember not to get carried away, and to make sure it fits your budget.

This question comes from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

Me and my bf have been together for 3 years. We have lived together for 2 years and have a 10 month old together. We are pretty serious, I love him very much. Most of our friends are all in commited relationships too, most of them are engaged and married.

So this weekend, we were talking about our friends that are getting married this weekend. Later we went to the mall and he decided to go to the jewelry store and look at rings. Once we were there, he wanted me to pick the one I wanted! I guess that is OK, I did it, but later on I thought, do other people do this together? Pick out their engagement rings?

I feel kind of lame. I didn't force him to get it but we were there and he purchased it. I still haven't got the ring, since it's getting customized and sized.

I feel good, because we are taking it another step but I feel weird because I was there and from what I know, men do the engagement shopping on their own.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it, anonymously, to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

This question comes from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

My boyfriend and I have been together for a year. We both knew pretty much right away that we were great together . . . tons in common, love each others' families, etc. We were long distance for the first 10 months (6 hrs away) but he came down about twice a month to see me and we were able to make it work.

When we were still long distance he told me that he had gone to look at rings but got really overwhelmed and wanted my input on it. He also said that he didn't want to get engaged until we were living together and knew that we were compatible in the day to day stuff as well. So two months ago I moved up to be with him. It's been a hard adjustment in some ways; I miss my friends and family and really don't like my new job as much as my old one. But being with him has been amazing and overall I definitely feel like I made the right decision. So anyway a couple of weeks ago he brought up engagement talk again and had me sit down with him and go through a bunch of stuff online to see what kind of rings I would like. We had a lot of fun doing it but I told him that really the ring doesn't matter to me, I did share my opinions with him (I like simpler styles) but it seems like he has stronger opinions about it than me. He is really surprisingly traditional about it, given how non-traditional our relationship has been up to this point.

Anyway I know that he is starting to plan in earnest for an engagement at this point . . . partially because he has been working so much overtime that I barely ever see him anymore.

Keep reading the rest here.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it, anonymously, to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.