Well thanks for bringing THAT up again dear!
Yes, it was MY fault. And yes, I was glad we didn't spend a ton of money on the ring.
The first thing you need to do is ask your GF what SHE wants. SHE will be wearing the thing!!
Like my husband said, I don't care for diamonds (cold, boring things IMHO). I like COLOR. And the Lab-created Emeralds ... well, they POP!! And I like the lab-created kind because - they are cheaper, they are IMHO more beautiful AND they are STRONGER than the natural stones (a BIG plus for me since I do alot of work with my hands).
Here's my wedding ring. The Engagement ring was the inner ring - with the Emeralds. The wedding band was the gold wrap that goes on the outside of the ring:
I LOVE how the gold band reflects the green of the stones.
And here's my husbands ring:
Simple yet very eye-catching.
So, back to my thoughts - find out what your GF wants. Go ring shopping together but BEFORE you go discuss budgets!!