Choosing the perfect engagement ring if a tough choice for some people, but for Nick Flanigan it took a couple of tries until he found the one.
After proposing in Hawaii with a 7.25 carat diamond ring, fiancé Michelle Fraser was “blown away” by the massive ring but little did she know Nick had a backup diamond if needed.
“Nick is an old-school romantic,” Michelle told news.com.au
“It’s definitely hard to take in the ring,” she added. “It exceeded any of my expectations.”
Nick had previously spent $75,000 on a diamond from the US which, when it arrived, was smaller than anticipated and so he didn’t propose with it as it didn’t meet his expectations. This smaller diamond is just 3.24 carats, compared with the 7.25 carat he gave Michelle.
Yes, we know it’s not actually small…
“He’s a perfectionist. Nick went a little crazy and ended up finding this [7.25 carat] one in Melbourne,” Michelle said. After initially trying to hide the smaller diamond ring from his fiancé, Nick came clean and admitted the mistake.
“He is a big planner, and likes to check off the list and make sure he does things right. So he made a very big statement.”
But what is a girl to do with a second engagement ring she doesn’t need? Sell it on Facebook of course.
The gutsy move was made on private Facebook group High End, where users can buy and sell designer clothes and accessories. However Michelle’s asking price of $50,000 (a saving of $25,000 we might add) was too much for the group to handle.
“I wasn’t expecting it to pick up so much traction,” she explained.
“The post started to get a couple of negative bits and pieces, and I decided to delete it because people were getting catty with each other.”
Michelle posted both rings side by side for “comparison sake” but emphasised that the smaller diamond on its own was just as stunning.
However Michelle’s spare diamond isn’t the biggest gem to hit the market lately, with this mind-blowing 59.60 carat pink diamond, nicknamed “The Pink Star” up for auction at Sotheby’s Hong Kong on April 4.
It’s the Largest Internally Flawless Fancy Vivid Pink diamond ever graded by the Gemological Institute of America, and is valued at approximately AUD$94 million.
Rumours on the diamond scene (how do we get on that scene?) are that the Pink Star will shatter the record as the most valuable diamond sold at auction, currently held by the 14.62 carat “Oppenheimer Blue,” which sold for more than AUD$76 million AUD in 2016.
If Michelle is any indicator, diamonds are hot property right now and if the Pink Star isn’t for you, maybe 3.24 carats suits.
Just a moment while we grab our bank cards.
