I've decided to buy a ring. Why? I want one. I've just started driving, finally, so it's a convenient excuse. I'm not terribly worried about peoples' reactions as it's about the least reactionary thing about my appearance. I'm bouncing between simple alternating settings and some that have more elaborate clusters.

Lab grown of course, I can't afford natural. I hate diamonds but they do accent the other stones nicely.
I originally intended to get an emerald, but the more I look the more I'm liking rubies. A list of rings I made actually has emerald/ruby split 50:50, several in the same setting. The gold will be 10k because I'm spending *at most* $200, probably low $100s.

I know rubies and emeralds are harder than most standard substances so I shouldn't have to worry much about the gems themselves, but I realize adding a ring will mean extra precautions that I never thought about without one. It's the gold/brackets that are the biggest concern, right? I'm totally thinking that whatever replacement/repair plan the vendor offers would be worth getting.

edit: Also, what faux paux are there to avoid with rings? Left ring finger obviously being the main one

IME, the biggest thing to pay attention to are the following things:
The amount of gold used in the ring.  A smaller band looks more feminine and pretty, uses less gold (which makes it cheaper) but it will also bend easily.  I have rather long fingers, so I tend to go with wider bands, of moderate thickness.  Part of the decision here is going to be the shape of your fingers and what looks good on you.  Also, consider what you're doing while you're wearing the ring.  If you're only driving a car, then you can get a very thin band and not worry.  If you're going to be more active, you want a ring with a little more gold in it so that it won't bend (it's happened to me before). 

Which leads me to the next point--the security of the setting).  Depending on what you're doing, you may not want a ring where the stone is set way off the surface of the band (like many engagement rings).  Again, this should be part personal preference and part practical-- what are you going to be doing.  Again, only driving, it's not going to matter much.  If you're doing anything where the stone might get snagged, caught, bumped or whatever, you want to make sure it's not going to get knocked right out of the setting at the slightest provocation. 
Good things to check are the thickness of the prongs, if you get a prong setting.  Small prongs can break easily, and then it doesn't matter how secure the setting is.  Once the prongs are gone, so is your stone.  You want to analyze this around the concept of what you're going to be doing while wearing the ring.  Small, thin prongs look nice and emphasize the stone well, but won't handle much abuse.  Big thick prongs, or a setting that holds the stone closer to your finger will be more sturdy but less flashy. 

As far as a replacement/repair program-- for the amount you're spending, it may not be worth it.  That's up to you.  A better option would be to add your jewelry and other valuables to your renter's or homeowner's insurance.  If you're renting and you don't have renter's insurance, I'd really recommend it.  It can usually be got for pretty cheap plus you'll get a discount on your auto insurance if you get it through the same place.  The auto discount winds up equaling the cost of the renter's insurance, so you basically get it for free.  Really.  I'm not making this up. 

Aside from the left ring finger, I don't think there are any other things you have to worry about.  I've worn rings on just about every finger of either hand, though usually not all at the same time.  I would wear rings on my left ring finger even before I was married.  Usually only when I was dating someone, but that wasn't even a hard and fast rule.  Wear your ring on whatever finger/hand you like it best.  That's the best rule. 

And post pictures!  I love jewelry!

oooh. good advice Jessica. I've been considering treating myself to one or two bits of jewelery as well.

Ideally I'd like to wear it most of the time. Not while playing sports obviously, or if I have to move a bunch of junk at work, but it's something that I'd like to be able to wear on most occasions.

Just while driving?  No, I mean that's a convenient reason to treat myself and a good excuse to other people if they ask. Me not driving was kind of a prominent fact about myself at this point and that's changed now.

And thank you, Jessica, that's pretty much what I thought about the stones being set way above the band. I didn't think about the size of the prongs/band itself though. With 10k, will the ring be stronger (since gold is soft) or more brittle?

And of course I'll have to post a picture.

I've been thinking about getting a nice ring, too.  How funny.  I'm thinking either ruby or emeralds (green and red are my favorite colors). 

Some of my earlier advice comes from my brother's experience.  He had no end of trouble with the ring he got for his wife-- the setting just wasn't up for real life.  He wound up having to take it to a jeweler and have part of the ring re-made.  I was privy to the whole, sad saga.  Sometimes it really is worth it to pay a little extra, especially for jewelry. 

Here's some photos of things I've been looking at:

or in ruby:


I love flowers, but I'm not convinced about this one.  I'd probably have to see it in person:


and here's an emerald ring I like (but probably white gold rather than yellow):


Nothing amazing about it, but I do like it.  Nice simple design. 

Went to the store today and looked at some of the rings I was looking at on line. Oh god, they're gorgeous in person. Some of the ones that I really liked are definitely not feasible for everyday wear (three or four dozen diamonds in a raised setting just beg to be knocked out  ) but lord they're pretty.

I found out that i'm a size 5 to 5.5 generally, 6 on a few of my main hand fingers. Jeeps. I have to decide which finger I want to wear it on, resizing is free with the care plan (which is $20-30 for 2-3 years and covers stone/band replacement.) Hard to argue with that.

The emerald/ruby rings are similar to one style I'm looking at. But they've got a lot less stones and are interspersed with diamonds, set in yellow gold.

Posted on: March 12, 2008, 04:14:46 AM

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Well, each piece of jewelry should have a story, right? My mother gave me her rings today, there was a diamond band in the style I was looking at. Not as flashy, but I can tell people that I got this the night mom offered me a murder-suicide pact because I got laser hair removal.

OMG!  LOL! 
That's a great story!  Way better than just "I found this online and really liked it"

Quote from: Autumn on March 14, 2008, 12:08:12 AM
Not as flashy, but I can tell people that I got this the night mom offered me a murder-suicide pact because I got laser hair removal.

Gee hon. I don't know whether to laugh or cry at that one. I hope things get better between you and your mom, dear heart.

I think your way over thinking the ring thing.

Just try some on and buy the one you like in your price range,

They really don't break all that often - especially 10k gold, it is decently hard and is not brittle. My 18k wedding ring gets marked fairly easy (like against concrete) but it is sturdy enough that it is just not going to break. If it did I think I would loose a few fingers in the process and probably the better part of my hand. The gems just don't fall out all that easy either. I wear my engagement ring full time, I don't take it off except to knead bread (it is a bit like the emerald ring in jessicas post but has a ruby) - hunting, fishing and downhill mt biking, gardening, it takes the knocks no problem.

The one finger that gets the most comment is your wedding finger. Apart from that a ring on your thumb and little finger are more noticable than anywhere else, but nobody seems to care one way or another.

Yeah, I was worrying way too much about it. I ordered a fairly plain silver ring I liked that was dirt cheap and know of a good upcoming deal where I'll be buying a fancier ring I like. Mom's ring doesn't actually fit me most days I found out.

I need to see a dermatologist about getting some ear lobe cysts cleared up because all this ring shopping has given me a real interest in earrings, but I've had these knots in my ear lobe for 4 years that have resisted all forms of hygenic assault

Ha!  Maybe a little better to overthink than do something totally off the wall.
You should see about getting your Mom's ring sized.  Even if it's too small and they have to add some gold to it, it's usually not that expensive. 
It's funny you should mention getting your ears pierced, I'm going to go do mine tomorrow (my wife has agreed to go with me).  I'm totally nervous about it.
Good luck with your ears!

i have been thinking about ring,s and different type,s myself. but for some reason it,s kinda like it,s so hard

to pick and choose what ring i like. now ear ring,s thats a different matter there but i will say that

pic of the green ring with green all around . is pretty . thanks for psoting that Jessica L.