How To Choose Your Perfect Engagement Ring?
Your fiancée’s engagement ring will be one of her most treasured, most valuable possessions. Valuable not just in money terms but because of what it signifies about your life, your relationship and your shared love. We do not often buy engagement rings, so it is not something that gets better with practice! Because you want to make the best engagement ring choice, I asked our experts to share some pointers about what to look for in an engagement ring.
1) Choose a style that flatters her hand. Hands come in all shapes and sizes, look for a style of ring that compliments her hand. If you have a photograph of her hand, then share it with the jeweller so they can advise about the cut of the main stone and ring width.
2) Consider the shape of the central diamond. When you have narrowed down the shape of the stone for the engagement ring, your search will be made much more manageable. Each cut, or shape, of diamond, has a different price per carat. Round diamonds are the costliest while marquise and pear-shaped diamonds are the least expensive. This means that you can buy a larger diamond for less money when you choose a more economical shape. Study pictures of diamonds and have some favourite shapes in mind. Studying the selection of diamond engagement rings at a good online jeweller such as Tresor Paris can be a great help in your initial research!
3) Form an idea of the carat size of the diamond in the engagement ring. Cost is always a deciding factor in making the choice of a perfect diamond engagement ring. You might want to choose a larger diamond, but of slightly less clarity or whiteness (and thus cost) or perhaps you simply want the highest quality stone that fits your budget, even if that means buying a slightly smaller diamond. When you have an idea of your preference in terms of the quality and size balance, you will be able to start to narrow down the choices quite well.
4) Choose the right metal for the ring. Typically, you will be choosing between platinum, white, rose or yellow gold. The colour of the band can be used to flatter the diamond you choose. A white metal will enhance the colour of a very pure white stone while yellow gold will enhance a slightly yellow diamond. Silver, white gold and platinum look almost the same, but platinum is more costly and softer so will scratch more easily. Silver is less expensive than white gold, making it easier to spend a little more on the diamond, but silver needs more maintenance than white gold due to its softness.
5) Buy the right size ring. This might be a little difficult if buying the ring as a surprise, but that’s why jewellers offer a resizing service! Perhaps your girlfriend has already dropped a hint about her ring size to you, or you might discreetly slip the subject into a conversation – but no matter how subtle you are, the chances are that she will get wind of your intentions.
The last and most discreet method is to measure one of her existing rings. Best is to take an existing ring with you to the jeweller, but you can measure the ring yourself if this is not possible. Measure from the inside of the upper edge to the inside of the lower edge in millimetres. A jeweller will be able to give you the ring size from this measurement.
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Ring size can vary slightly according to the width of the band and by the season. In the summer the fingers are at their thickest and so sizing needs to account for the largest size that your girlfriend’s finger is likely to be.
NB. It is only possible to resize engagement rings where the diamonds are set halfway around the band.
6) Buy GIA Certified diamonds. When you buy a large diamond such as that found in an engagement ring, you should always make sure that it carries a certificate that attests to the standard of the gem. The certificate should describe the famous 4Cs of diamond quality: Colour, Carat (weight), Cut and Clarity.
Try to insist on buying diamonds that carry the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) certification, as this is the most respected and trustworthy certification. Some lesser certification laboratories practice a deceit called quality inflation whereby the certificate will show a better grade for a stone than it truly deserves. This gives the buyer a false sense of value because it makes the diamond seem cheap in comparison to diamonds with more reputable certification.
When you buy a diamond engagement ring from All Diamond, you can see the certificate that goes with each stone before you purchase so you know exactly what you are getting.
7) Check that the diamond certificate matches the diamond you are buying! You always what to make sure that you are getting what you paid for. These days, most diamonds are laser etched with the certificate identification. You can check the stone with a jeweller’s loupe and match it to the certificate. If there are inclusions in the stone, these will usually show up at the same time and match with the certificate’s description.
8) Be willing to compromise on colour and clarity. If you want to get the biggest gem for your budget, then go for the lowest colour of diamond that, to the naked eye, will still look colourless. The same applies to clarity. If the diamond looks clean to the naked eye, then that is good enough, but there will be a considerable saving in cost, meaning that you can buy a much larger, more impressive, diamond within your budget.
Don’t economise on the cut! The quality of the cut is what gives a diamond its classic sparkle. An average quality diamond that is perfectly cut will outshine an almost perfect diamond that is not cut well. Your bride to be will be thrilled with the result of careful compromise on the choice of the diamond!
9) Match the engagement ring to the wedding ring. Some types of setting do not work too well with a wedding ring, they can force the rings to be separated. If you want a flush pairing of engagement ring and wedding ring take advice from your jeweller about the type of setting that will work best.
10) Don’t be afraid to negotiate! Some jewellers put higher than normal profit margins on their engagement rings. Do your research into pricing before making a purchase and be prepared to negotiate on the price. A good jeweller will work to help you get the best diamond engagement ring for your budget.
11) Consider buying online. Buying online from a high-class jeweller can give you great value. You don’t have to pay the overheads that high street retailers must charge to pay for their staff and premises. But it is not just about saving money. With All Diamond, you can take as long as you want choosing the perfect diamond engagement ring and you can even design your very own custom ring, an engagement ring that is absolutely unique and embodies your own personality in a way that a mass-produced ring from a high street jeweller can never do.
Finally, a bonus tip from our jewellers: You can save money by choosing a less common diamond carat size. You will save good money by selecting a .93 carat stone as compared to a 1-carat diamond, but nobody will ever be able to tell the difference!
Armed with these tips, you are now ready to get a better deal on the perfect diamond engagement ring. You know how to save money, how to get the best deals, and how to get the right ring for your bride to be – congratulations!
