[Sunfighter]

Well ... it's definitely time and I want to surprise my GF in the next year. Our situation is a lot different than a lot of the youngsters that go through the ring process because we already own two properties together. Thus, our comprehension of financial responsibility and fiscal priority is a little different, meaning a $10k ring simply doesn't make sense. That said - I want to make sure that she gets the "experience" and for that I'm willing to carve out some space in my personal income to make this happen.

I'm always for shopping locally and supporting brick-and-mortar but this is one industry where it simply seems beneficial to shop online. Anything purchased locally comes with costs; SG&A and commission costs are passed onto the consumer and those two things are immediately saved by shopping online.

This thread has been useful just to read other people's experiences.