Five Must Know Tips When Buying an Engagement Ring
Asking the person you adore to marry you is heart-thumping enough without the added terror of buying the wrong ring. Take a break and relax, if the person you love is worth asking to marry, then you can rest assured that you know them well enough to know exactly how to take their breath away. If you’re about to shop for a ring keep the following five points in mind…
1. Money isn’t everything
Despite what adverts, snobby acquaintances and salespeople at jewellery stores will have you believe, the amount of money you spend on a ring is not a direct indication of how worthy you are – or how much you love your significant other. If you’ve got a material girl then sure, a huge diamond will probably impress her, and if she’s an anti-establishment punk then you’ll probably impress her more by going against the grain. You should know – and you should always remember that sentiment, meaning and sincerity are far more memorable than a price tag. That being said – whatever you choose, make sure it’s good quality and that it will last.
2. Talk to a best friend, mom or sister
Yes, you probably know your lover best, but it can’t hurt to get some input from someone who knows them equally as well too. You may find out about a particular stone, a sentimental tradition or a preferred design that she’s fawned over with friends. It’s good to trust your gut, but advisable to do some added recon too.
3. Pick a stone
If it’s a diamond, make sure you know the rules of buying a good one – you can go for a lower clarity diamond with a high colour and cut to save some money, or you can follow the Four Cs of diamond buying to source the best one possible. Where you can, avoid buying pre-set and rather choose the stone separately. For something different, there are hundreds of other stones you can choose, some brilliantly colourful, others luminous and magical – it all depends on what colour scheme you’re going for and what precious stones your girl will love.
4. Choose a metal
Gold doesn’t have to be the obvious choice and everyone has their tastes when it comes to metals. Some prefer silver, others may like platinum or even yellow gold. Choose a colour to compliment your stone and also keep in mind how long lasting you want the metal to be. White gold may need to be regularly coated to keep it looking polished, certain silvers may scratch easily… it simply depends on how hard-wearing you want it to be. A rock-climbing girl may need something made from titanium, for instance.
5. Finalise the design and make sure it’s the right size
That’s easy enough if you have other rings to take to your jeweler to compare sizes. Once you have a final design, whether intricate patterns or simple and sleek, go for it. If the finished product looks spectacular to you, you can be sure the person you love will adore it too.
Jacky Letard writes on various topics including diamond engagement rings and other types of engagement rings. Want to buy fragrance, check out her favorites.
