Buying a wedding ring can be a scary moment in anyone’s life.
You want to do it right, after all, you love this person and want to spend the rest of your life with them, but at the same time, you want to be smart about getting married. No point breaking the bank on a ring, and starting your married life off on the wrong foot, financially speaking.
And guys, you know your woman’s going to be showing this rock off for months if not years to come, yes?
No pressure, right?
Well, you’ve come to the right place. Did you know you can get paid for buying a wedding ring? Keep reading and find out more simple, easy ways to save money when you buy your fiancee’s wedding ring.
1. Save Money By Saving On the 4Cs
You’re doing your homework, so you know about the 4Cs of diamonds – carat, cut, color, clarity. You can save a serious chunk of change by buying below the top range for each of these dimensions and still have a spectacular rock and a dazzling wedding ring.
But how does it translate to the bottom line? Let’s dig into the details.
Carat
Everyone knows carat. It’s the size of the diamond. Actually, it’s the weight of the diamond, but did you know carat originated from carob seeds back in the day?
When you’re picking your diamond, buy shy, that is, buy a diamond slightly smaller than a round number.
Thinking 1 carat? Buy 0.98 carat instead.
Want a 1.5 carat rock? Go for 1.46 and save.
No one can tell the difference, and you can land significant savings buying your ring.
Color
Color is another area you can save without noticeable difference. Sure, you can go for the unusual colors – yellow, blue, green, and more. But when it comes to weddings and wedding rings, many people stay traditional, and want a white diamond.
Even so, white isn’t just white, there’s a wide variation.
The standard color scale is from GIA, and classifies diamonds on a D to Z scale (they start with D to avoid confusion with other rating systems). Rather than investing in a D, colorless, diamond, pick an H or I, nearly colorless rock.
Again, the difference isn’t noticeable, but the savings surely is!
Clarity
Similarly to color, you can save significantly by buying a less than perfectly clear diamond.
The scale is slightly more complex, with V’s and S’s scattered about. The important thing to know? You can buy a VS2 or SI1 diamond and it is still going to be a beautiful ring.
Just don’t go into the I realm (I1, I2, I3) as that will be noticeably less sparkly (my technical term for diamond brilliance)
Cut
I actually don’t recommend skimping on cut when it comes to diamonds. The brilliance of the stone depends heavily on the path of light through it, which is determined entirely by the cut.
Get a Very Good cut or better. You’ll be glad you did.
Total Savings?
So how much can I save with this? Let’s put this all together and see.
A 1 carat, D color, flawless clarity, ideal cut diamond? This is a top of the line rock, and sets you back a cool $16,000 according to Blue Nile.
How about the 0.99 carat, H color, VS2, very good cut diamond you buy because you know about saving money on a wedding ring? Just $5,600.
That’s a 65% savings!
2. Buy Online
Another sure-fire way to save? Avoid the store!
High pressure sales tactics. High overhead that drives lower margins and higher prices. Limited choices. It’s a lose-lose situation that you’re better off avoiding.
There are many options for buying online – Blue Nile, Ritani, even Macy’s or Kay Jeweler’s. Personally, I used Blue Nile to buy the diamond for my wife’s wedding ring because I’ve had good experiences with them in the past, and I like the inclusion maps they include with their diamonds.
But regardless of your choice, make sure whoever you choose is selling GIA certified diamonds and including a certificate in the purchase.
3. Buy During the Off-Season
You might think Valentine’s Day is the big season for wedding and engagement rings, but actually Christmas is the big winner. No pressure like holiday pressure to drive you to a rash decision.
Don’t be that person.
Buy your ring any time but Christmas and Valentine’s Day and you’ll save on the purchase. It’s a simple supply and demand problem. Remember it.
4. Get Paid To Buy A Wedding Ring
Believe it or not, you can get paid to buy a wedding ring. How? By using two methods – cashback rebates from rebate providers such as Mr. Rebates and your credit card.
Cashback Rebates
I love cash back rebates. After all, it’s free, and it’s money you get paid for buying something you were already going to buy anyway. And on large purchases like buying a wedding ring, it can really add up.
When it came time to purchase my wedding rings, my wife had a specific design in mind. I found a jeweler to create the ring, but still needed a diamond. Using Mr. Rebates to buy on Blue Nile gave me a 3% refund. Anyone can do it, just go to Blue Nile via Mr. Rebates and see the savings.
On a $5,000 diamond, that’s $150 you just got paid for buying your diamond the smart way.
Assuming you have the cash in hand, some stores will give you a cash discount. Why? Credit card companies charge merchants a 2-3% transaction fee on your purchase. When you pay cash, you save the seller that money. Blue Nile, for example, gives you a 1.5% discount when you pay by wire transfer rather than by credit card.
And you can still get your cash back rebate via Mr. Rebates!
Cashback Rewards Card
Don’t want to pay cash, or your chosen store doesn’t offer a cash discount? Use a rewards credit card.
I like my Amex Clear – 1% cash back rebates on any purchase and no fees. Unfortunately, American Express stopped issuing those cards several years ago. But there’s no reason you can’t use your favorite rewards card. Whether it earns you miles, cash back, or some other benefit, it makes sense to make the most of them on a large purchase like this.
1% cash back on a $5,000 ring earns you another $50 back you can use on your first married date night.
Simple & Effective
There you have it, 4 free and simple ways to save money buying a wedding ring.
- Save on the 4Cs
- Buy online
- Buy off-season
- Get cash back
So easy anyone can do it, and the savings can be huge. Save your money for your wedding and starting your life together!
