I dunno man , just other kinds of precious stones than diamonds maybe.
So I finally found a use for the Google ai. It gave some decent looking, more minimalist suggestions for wedding bands and rings. Auto translated from the original Chinese. Could look up “極簡的結婚戒指” or something to that effect (add 台北購買 or something）
Taipei offers numerous shops specializing in minimalist wedding rings, with Japanese-style elegance and classic European and American designs being the most popular. We recommend visiting brand boutiques in the Zhongshan and East districts, such as…I-PRIMO , ALUXE , Ginza Shiraishi , as well as ith and DDS , which offer customized services , are all known for their simple and timeless designs.
Recommended minimalist wedding rings from Taipei:
- Japanese style is refined (emphasizing delicacy and timeless appeal):
- I-PRIMO : Japan’s largest brand, offering a variety of minimalist wedding rings with or without diamonds.
- ith : Custom wedding rings from Japan, specializing in delicate matte or handcrafted textures, suitable for those who love a minimalist style with a warm and gentle feel.
- Ginza Diamond Shiraishi : A renowned Japanese wedding ring shop, known for its simple yet elegant designs.
- Customization and designer brands (emphasizing individuality and uniqueness):
- DDS Custom Wedding Rings : Located in Taipei, specializing in minimalist platinum designs, with customizable ring designs to suit individual needs.
- Henry & Eddy Jewelry (H&E) : Offers highly customizable options, including minimalist styles such as no diamond setting and classic four-prong setting.
- ith Ring Workshop : Customized designs with handcrafted warmth.
- High cost-performance ratio and Japanese chain stores:
- ALUXE : A wide variety of styles, with a rich selection of simple and classic designs, and affordable prices.
- Chow Sang Sang : A chain brand that offers a wide selection of simple 18K gold rings suitable for everyday wear.
We recommend visiting the area around Zhongshan MRT station or Shin Kong Mitsukoshi in Xinyi District, where you can visit multiple brands at once.
You could make a ring with her birthstone on it, or use Opal, or make your own ring without a stone. Tons of ideas for rings with or without a stone. Pick something simple for now and a more expensive/fancy one for a wedding gift later.
Good idea. And tell her a better one will come later.
Going to be cheaper outside of malls. Start dropping into random jewelry shops and check prices. Taoyuan and Zhongli areas will generally be cheaper than Taipei.
Congratulations first of all.
Just remember that you can always start with something small and later on you can give her something else.
That’s what I did since when I proposed at the time I had no money for anything really..but later on we replaced it with something more blingy.
A downpayment to a property would b better id think
https://www.instagram.com/reel/DWLqyJ5gP58/?
Dis guy is ryt too
Agree with most posts saying to go simple/small first…unless you really know what she would want…which is obviously not the case since you are here asking. I spent alot of time on the proposal part with no ring. She then agreed to go together to pick out a wedding ring. She rarely wore it but did not go for something fancy.
For proposal night I gave her various stuff. A glass heart representing I will give her my heart. A big crystal diamond representing that I don’t have money now but hope to provide more in future. And some other stuff I forgot.
Where you going to pop the question ? I did it up on Taipingshan with champagne even though we had an argument on the way up as we were getting dizzy from my driving.
You can’t pop the question in 7 Rick you better get working on the plan.
I bought a diamond and had it set. It seems it can be cheaper this way. If she doesn’t like bling, get a modest size and focus on cut and clearity. I know most people actually buy lab grown now as well.
Not limited to Taiwan, it’s sisters anywhere. Do you not have sisters, or know any?
Your g/f might be miffed to learn on your first anniversary (for instance) that her sister knew about your proposal before she did. You might be asking that sister to keep a lifelong secret if that’s the case. That’s a big ask. Or she might spill the beans unintentionally, or in some other way tip off your g/f in ways that only sisters have.
Good grief, man, this is one reason they live longer than us. They don’t usually do secrets among sisters, especially big secrets like this one. Has nothing to do with Taiwan.
That’s cool. Of course you’re paying the big dollar component - the diamond - up front… If this isn’t going to be a surprise (and should an engagement really be a surprise?), I say just bring her in and choose together. Maybe discuss budget up front. 
The engagement proposal doesn’t have to be a surprise, but maybe the timing can.
good idea……where? lol.
I don’t know if all brands do this, but in AMC they pretty much gave me a test to see how good I am at judging the 3Cs, first without comparison, then with comparison. Then they asked do you really want to buy a diamond of grades you can’t really differenciate yourself. I also went in with a set budget, and wasn’t looking for a big stone to begin with. In the end the diamond probably cost a bit less than the ring.
Popular brands, include i-Primo and Hearts on fire. These two are Asian owned brands, but leans more pricey, but if you go the Tiffany’s or other Western brand route, it’s even more expensive. Then you have the local AMC and Aluxe brands.
Like a smaller but above average quality GIA certified diamond should be around 20k NTD.
Well in Taiwan they traditionally have an engagement ring and party and a wedding ring and wedding reception. Back in my dry they did.
Do people even have engagement parties anymore ? Interesting question. I’m an interesting guy I suppose…anyway…
The engagement ring was the diamond one.
This whole diamond thing is a big racket in my opinion. Always has been. That’s why now that there are many options why play their game.
The engagement banquet is for the bride’s family to host, and the wedding banquet is for the groom’s family to host. People now would choose to merge them, as large extended family connections is slowly fading.
Cheers, I was looking at AMC. Their website does seem to have the right sort of less blingy style and its at a decent price. Did you get just the one diamond? Thats the normal thing to do isn’t it? I agree I’m not after a big stone either.
Did you go to the Taipei store? I saw they have a store in Taipei and another in Sanchong. Do you reckon their staff speaks English?
For English speaking and not getting rushed/pushed I recommend DY Diamond 大亞鑽石. I used the DaAn branch, but other branches also had at least one person with decent English.
I went a long ass time ago to the old Hsinchu AMC store, which has moved 3 times since then. My wife is also very not into bling. So it could be that I got the diamond engagement ring more to satisfy my expectation for a proposal than her’s.
Once you go a full carat, the price really shoots up. I got a 35-pointer, if I remember correctly. I think she wore it a total of 5 times since I first gave it to her 9 years ago.
As for the wedding bands, we tried to wear it everyday, but stopped doing it when the pandemic hit because all the sanitizers and hand washing that were required.
Cheers for the recommendation. Went to AMC. Managed to get through it with chinese only.
Gonna do a rent thing then come back after the proposal is done to choose a ring. Wooo.