My trip to Ukraine

[I/O]

I/O, I agree with you.

Why am I not surprised? Common decency? Something to do with a bygone era?

Boaterguy: Are you brain dead or what? You apologise and then launch into a protracted p!ssing match attempting to consolidate your original position which had absolutely no place in this thread, if anywhere. At least jonney-come-lately had the sense to get in a huff and stomp off out.

Just for the record for the clowns who would financially advise our mate James, IIRC, he works in a reasonable capacity in the African oil industry. I have a couple of mates doing likewise and they are on between $15K and $25K tax free per month with all expenses paid, flights in and out paid bla bla. Point is if James wants to blow 1600 bucks out his arse on a ring for his lovely, why the hell not and what is it of anyone elses business? Least of all dickhead knowalls who demonstrate their lack of knowledge when they attempt to get technical.

Furthermore, I can just imagine the eloquence of being in the gem store with your intended, she chooses, you approve and then say, wait up honey, give me a day or three to see if I can do a deal on the streets and get this thing a bit cheaper. Why am I picturing a RW walking out the door…………..alone?  IIRC, Russians call it "greedy".

[boaterguy]

I guess I am a braindead SOB. My wife and I discussed the costs of things like this before we went shopping! I didn't launch..I just responded! I have the sense to listen to others with knowledge...perhaps that is why I don't have to worry about money. I listen and learn. Pennies make millionaires ya know. That was a lesson I taught my wife and she has learned well. Why do ya think everyone who won the lottery ended up flat broke? They didn't watch their pennies or whatever.

I'm sorry you think I'm such a low life for trying to save people some big bucks...of course what's a grand or so to a millionaire? So what if I had inside info on a real estate deal in the FSU that say James fiancee was about persuade him to jump on and I knew it would cost him millions? Should I keep my trap shut to save his face???? It's the same thing ya know!

Admin...as I said before I think it's best to just delete all I have said and end this. The perfect angels have spoken and I have commited a serious sin. Thanks.

Why am I not surprised? Common decency? Something to do with a bygone era?

Boaterguy: Are you brain dead or what? You apologise and then launch into a protracted p!ssing match attempting to consolidate your original position which had absolutely no place in this thread, if anywhere. At least jonney-come-lately had the sense to get in a huff and stomp off out.

Just for the record for the clowns who would financially advise our mate James, IIRC, he works in a reasonable capacity in the African oil industry. I have a couple of mates doing likewise and they are on between $15K and $25K tax free per month with all expenses paid, flights in and out paid bla bla. Point is if James wants to blow 1600 bucks out his arse on a ring for his lovely, why the hell not and what is it of anyone elses business? Least of all dickhead knowalls who demonstrate their lack of knowledge when they attempt to get technical.

Furthermore, I can just imagine the eloquence of being in the gem store with your intended, she chooses, you approve and then say, wait up honey, give me a day or three to see if I can do a deal on the streets and get this thing a bit cheaper. Why am I picturing a RW walking out the door…………..alone?  IIRC, Russians call it "greedy".

[boaterguy]

IO..my wife just made an excellent comment. She said everyone on this site is not rich and the info we are providing is good.

[Taz]

Let's try and get the thread back on track. Healthy discourse is good but name calling is not productive. If you can't convey your point without resulting to name calling then perhaps you should wait until you are less wound up to post.

I'll let it go for a bit more but if it degenerates much more I'll close it.

[boaterguy]

Taz...Please don't close this thread. Please just delete or move the postings that related to my observations. Talk about making a fella feel guilty. 

Let's try and get the thread back on track. Healthy discourse is good but name calling is not productive. If you can't convey your point without resulting to name calling then perhaps you should wait until you are less wound up to post.

I'll let it go for a bit more but if it degenerates much more I'll close it.

[I/O]

I'm sorry you think I'm such a low life for trying to save people some big bucks

Nothing wrong with that. Just the wrong place at the wrong time.

[boaterguy]

Nothing wrong with that. Just the wrong place at the wrong time.

IO I agree it was not the right place or the right time. I would also like to ask...when is the right place or the right time? I must say I was just totally shocked when I saw and had to comment. Who ever thought about starting a topic relating to paying too much for an engagement ring?

[Taz]

First I want to say congrats James! I wish you both a lot of happiness!!!

I in general would be very careful when buying jewelry in the FSU. Diamonds can very quite a bit in price and in the FSU I've seen more than a fair share scams/ripoffs in this area. It doesn't sound to be that way in James' case. Hopefully the local artist has a good reputation for a reason.

In my personal experience with respect to a ring I bought in the US, I saw several very similar rings about 2-3 times more expensive. It wasn't cheap in the US to in the first place.

Ultimately if James and his woman is happy, that is what really counts. I do think that discretion would have helped this thread a bit but I think all the banter about diamond pricing will be educational to many people. I think in general diamonds have an artificially inflated price thanks to the diamond cartels so as a rule I try not to buy them in the first place.

[Ravens9273]

Boaterguy

You still do not seem to get it.

Buying a ring is not about dollars and pennies. It is not about finding the cheapest ring or the most expensive ring you can find. It is about finding the perfect ring to make the Misses happy.
Yes people do not want to get ripped off and they want what they paid for. However James came here to share his good news. News that many of us are happy to hear because his news is the end result as to what this forum is all about.
You came with nothing more then to try and say he got ripped off on his ring. You do not know that. You do not know the ring. Others here do not buy rings from crackheads so they can get a fix.

I even explained to you that your claims were BS. So what do you do? You post pictures here of rings you have and to be honest you valibated my claims.
Your rings in pictures are second rate hand me downs. I said earlier you were dealing in a pawn shop style business to buy them and that is what it is. Those rings were all preowned and very out of style and out dated. In simple terms 99.9% of Women would not wear them that are under the age of 65.
In that sense yes they are worthless and could only be sold for $350 or less. However they could not be purchased new at a jeweler or whoesaler at those prices.

Now most Women (especially a RW) would be offended to know their Man went out to find the cheapest ring possible for them.

When I bought my wifes ring (yes I used my contacts and bought diamond overseas from Isreal) I did not set a price. I set out to find the perfect ring for my wife. I wanted to give her a ring that was as special as she is.
I knew my wifes taste. I chose a pink diamond for my wife. Everything to her has to be red or pink.
My wifes ring is 3.12 ct total weight with the center stone (pink princess cut) at 2.01 ct.
Yes it cost me a fortune even with my contacts. But I do not think of that one bit. That ring makes my wife feel special. I know I picked out the right ring. She is proud of it and it a way that also makes her feel better about herself. She knows she is loved. It was worth every penny to me because she deserves that.

How in the world would she have felt if I went out and only spent $350 for one of those rings you showed here?

Now your wife made the comment as you posted that Men here are not rich. I will say this. They are all pretty much above average in income. If they were not they could not afford this journey nor the many trips over.
We have seen many come here on limited income to only leave because this is a journey their finances could not handle.
So Men here are not poor and can certainly do much better then a $350 ring. If they would only buy their wife such a ring I think it says alot about them.

But you did not post your rings to save anyone a buck. you posted them to make a buck. You even went so far as to offer money to RWD for sales.
For that you were in very bad taste and doing so in James thread.
Make your own thread for your 2nd hand rings.

[Boethius]

The cost of the ring was likely for the design setting, not the diamond.  If James and his fiancee are happy, it is nobody else's business.

Congratulations, James.  I wish you happiness.

[Ade]

Congrats James, I'm glad that it worked out for you in the end.

FWIW, the engagement ring my wife chose was quite small and relatively inexpensive; in some ways I was a little disappointed but she loves that ring and that is the main thing! I'll also say that it is very pretty and suits her tiny hands. Anything bigger would have probably looked out of place so I'm very glad that I decided to let her pick it out herself! The main, #1, absolute thing with an engagement ring is that she should adore it; the price, expensive or otherwise, is just irrelevant.

We did choose our wedding bands together though but I was adamant that they would be platinum.

[NJ]

Congratulations James!!!

Wish you and your lady all the best!!! And she really has a good taste. Among the rings listed on the previous page her ring is absolutely the most cute.

What further plans do you have? When we can hope to see your status changed to "married"?

[JamesDH]

Thanks for the well wishes!!

I hate to have to defend myself with regards to the ring. Remember that it also included matching earrings with, what looks to me to be, larger diamonds.
Absolutely true that the bottom line is she adores them.

Now.. on to reality.
The woman is an emotional roller coaster! One day up, the next down and she drags me with her!
I've tried to be the emotional rock but it is not easy and requires my constant attention.
I've confronted her about it several times and each time she says "you won't be bored with me".

I've got to get her evened out or detach myself from her emotional swings in some way.

Other than that we're both very happy. She beams! She dances around the apartment! She smothers me with attention!
We laugh and play a lot. I've found where she's ticklish and she's found that if she bites my cheek it paralyzes me. We wrestle and tickle until we're both almost wetting our pants and drunk with laughter. I was raised up with the same behavior, my whole family would end up on the floor tickling and laughing, it feels good to find another person who likes that.

As I told her, I am at the age where I have to take my future serious. I can't afford to make a silly decision at this point. 2 or 3 years wasted on a relationship would put me at 53 or 54. An age where I don't want to be looking for another mate. Nothing is guaranteed but I would like to increase the odds of success by taking it slow. She understands and agrees.
She said that she has loved me since before I got here and that I'm hers and she is mine and always will be.

She's a good woman. She takes good care of me and brings out a side of me that I like.

[JR]

I've got to get her evened out or detach myself from her emotional swings in some way.

Not your place to do that James. Your choices are limited to learning to live with it or to walk away. Any changing on her part has to be of her doing.

Glad you guys are getting along well other than that one bump! Hope things continue to get better and better!

[Mars]

The woman is an emotional roller coaster! One day up, the next down and she drags me with her!

We wrestle and tickle until we're both almost wetting our pants and drunk with laughter. I was raised up with the same behavior, my whole family would end up on the floor tickling and laughing, it feels good to find another person who likes that.

As I told her, I am at the age where I have to take my future serious. I can't afford to make a silly decision at this point. 2 or 3 years wasted on a relationship would put me at 53 or 54. An age where I don't want to be looking for another mate.

I think you, like most everyone else, will tire of a partner who does the emotional roller coaster thing.  The sooner you realize this and realize that you aren't going to change her then the sooner . . . . .

The tickling and wrestling is a lot a fun where both parties enjoy.  I was with a gal for a month vacation and we did this every day.  She would build 'forts' around her on the bed with pillows, cushions, etc.  I would attack over and under the fort with my hands.  We had a blast, but the relationship did not work out for many other reasons.
Since then, I have hoped to find other women who enjoy this also, but they have all nixed the idea entirely.

And the idea that you can't afford to make a bad decision because you are too old.  Well that's a quite naive approach.  And it is especially foolish when you talk about such things to an intended mate.  What is she supposed to say; something like she promises everything will work out?  Well duh; so what's new?

[dobradavid]

The cost of the ring was likely for the design setting, not the diamond.  If James and his fiancee are happy, it is nobody else's business.

Congratulations, James.  I wish you happiness.

I agree 

[travelua2009]

I know one man who came to ukraine (Nikolaev) with great desire to find wife, he rented a flat for a few months, found job and started his search. I saw him last time a few months ago and he was single, this moment he has a girlfriend and plan marriege