How to Choose the Perfect Engagement Ring: Tips & Advice
When it comes time to buy an engagement ring, you may be wondering where to begin.
To help you learn how to choose the perfect engagement ring, we’ve compiled our best tips to help you make the right choice.
5 Key Points to Consider When Choosing an Engagement Ring
Before you start considering specific styles and get into the fine details of engagement rings, there are five essential points to consider.
1. Consider Their Personal Style
There is a perfect engagement ring for everyone, and the best way to ensure your partner adores what you choose is to think about what they already wear.
For instance, an extroverted person who loves bold styles may love a larger or unconventional stone besides a traditional diamond.
Alternatively, a more casual, less extroverted partner will likely prefer a subtle design that goes with everything.
2. Find Out Their Ring Size
This can be the most challenging step because you want the engagement to be a surprise!
The easiest way to find out your partner’s ring size is to measure a ring that she already wears. Be sure to watch your partner’s hand and identify a ring she wears on her ring finger. You can do it yourself by ordering a mandril or bringing it to a professional jeweller. We would also be happy to lend you a mandril if you don’t want to buy one. If in turn your partner does not wear rings then please get in touch and we will do our best to advise you about your options.
Most of all don’t stress yourself - every person that has ever bought an engagement ring has been in the same conundrum. That is why we include a free resizing of engagement rings bought with us of up to 2 sizes up or down.
3. Choosing the Right Size Diamond
The same stone will look different on each wearer’s hand; a small stone on a petite hand can look large, but in turn it could appear tiny on someone with a larger hand. This is why we recommend you first find out the ring size before choosing the stone as it will help inform your decision greatly.
Larger stones may be beautiful, but if they are too large, they may become less practical for day to day wear
It’s not about a status symbol or buying the biggest stone for the sake of it — you want to ensure that the stone you buy will look flattering on your partner’s hand and best reflects their personal style.
Collaborating with a jeweller can take away a lot of the stressful guesswork when choosing the perfect engagement ring. We would be happy to advise you with your decision and help take away the stressful guesswork of choosing the perfect engagement ring
4. Get More Details
If you are open to it, recruit a close friend of your partner’s to get involved and provide as much insight as they can on their ring preferences.
Questions you want to explore:
Do they like large or small stones?
Do they prefer white gold or rose gold?
Are they a fan of coloured diamonds or other types of gemstones?
What is their ring size?
Do they have a mood board already created?
5. When in Doubt, Go With a Diamond
If you cannot get more insight into your partner’s preference, you can’t go wrong with a gorgeous diamond engagement ring. Diamonds have been the standard for centuries — their beautiful variety, design, and striking appearance make them perfect for anyone. Furthermore, diamonds are by far the hardest of all the gemstones and as such, are ideal for rings that are supposed to be worn for a lifetime and beyond.
As you coordinate with us, you can explore different options and have styles explained to you with visual examples that make deciding on the right ring a wonderful experience.
How Much Should You Spend on an Engagement Ring?
Everyone’s budget is different, so a ring has no definitive price point. While the price tag shouldn’t define the depth of your love, figuring out your ideal budget will be important as you explore all the options.
There are many stunning engagement rings under $5,000. Alternatively, if you are seeking a truly unique and personal engagement ring, there are also custom options to make your ring a family heirloom that will be cherished for generations.
One of the most significant determinants of your engagement ring's price will be the diamond's size and stone type. Natural diamonds are traditionally more expensive, but lab-grown diamonds offer a beautiful and more affordable alternative.
Ring Styles & Stone Types: Weighing Your Options
There are many engagement ring styles ranging from modern to solitaire, halo to vintage. Each type of ring has its unique charm. However, any ring can be an engagement ring and it doesn’t even have to contain a diamond - most of all it should reflect your partners taste and make them happy. Here is a closer look at the most common styles.
Solitaire Engagement Rings
Classic and refined, solitaire engagement rings feature a single stone on a band without any extra side stones surrounding it. About 70% of all engagement rings sold are solitaires. This is a truly timeless design - when in doubt, this is the style to go for.
Although it may be a timeless style, solitaire engagement rings still come in various cuts, shapes, and weights that make them easy to customise for your sweetheart.
Halo Engagement Rings
A halo engagement ring features a stone surrounded by a series of other small stones, forming a “halo” around the center stone. These bands are visually striking.
The halo design first rose to popularity in the 1920s and 30s, and it has been in style ever since. An interesting fact about a halo engagement ring is that it can make a diamond or other stone appear larger; because smaller stones surround it, the centerpiece can look up to half a carat bigger.
Halo engagement rings can have either one row of surrounding diamonds (single halo) or two rows to form what is known as a “double halo.”
Vintage Engagement Rings
Any ring that is at least 50 years old is considered vintage. There are many unique cuts, stones, and styles to choose from, so if your partner would prefer something less traditional, you may find what you’re looking for with a vintage engagement ring. In turn if you like the style of a vintage ring, however would like some changes made to it, or would simply like it made to modern quality standards, we also love to design new rings inspired by old styles.
Modern Engagement Rings
Other gemstones are popular in modern engagement rings, such as blue sapphire, purple amethyst, and rosy morganite. The solitaire style is still popular in modern designs, though elongated center stones have become more trendy.
Modern engagement rings feature clean lines that give them a versatile appearance. They can look excellent with any outfit and are able to be further customised to suit your partner’s tastes.
Alternative Rings
As mentioned above an engagement ring can be anything you want it to be. We recommend to forget about social norms and what others might say - the most important factor in choosing your engagement ring is that it would make your partner happy. So what ring do you get if your partner doesn’t like diamonds or flashy gemstones? In that case we love adding symbolism to the rings. For instance our ivy rings are available in a double wrap version where two rings intertwine into each other. We find this beautifully symbolises your life long partnership. But this is just one of many options. If you are unsure which style might best fit to your partner, we would love to chat to you in our atelier to go over your options. Feel free to book your appointment here.
Gemstone and Metal Choices For The Perfect Engagement Ring
There are various gemstones to choose from in an engagement ring, like the classic diamond, sapphire, emerald, ruby, morganite, and opal. The gemstone choice can be made on two factors: meaning and durability.
Gemstone Meaning
Diamonds are prized for their rarity, clarity, sparkle, and that they symbolise eternal love. However, many other gemstones have wonderful meanings as well. For example, amethyst symbolises deep love, sincerity, and happiness, among other things; emerald is the symbol of royalty and elegance. What meaning is prescribed to a certain gemstone very much depends on local culture - however we invite you to look into this, as any piece of jewellery’s true value is the meaning the wearer gives it.
Gemstone Durability
Durability in gemstones refers to their ability to withstand exposure to humidity, light, chemicals, and most of all daily wear and tear. The most important factor is the stone’s hardness.
The hardness of stones is measured on the Mohs scale. Diamonds are the hardest gemstones, with a score of 10. We recommend a Mohs rating of at least 7 for engagement rings, to ensure that it can be worn each day without being easily scratched or marred.
The design also plays a role in a ring’s durability; if you want a solitaire ring with an exposed stone, a bezel setting offers greater protection than a prong setting.
Like our hammered rings, a ring with the stone directly set in the ring can also offer greater protection from daily use and may be an alternative for people that don’t want a solitaire but still want a bit of bling. With this design, you can use any stone because it is built into the ring itself and is not prone to being damaged easily.
Choosing the Right Metal
The most popular metal alloy choices for your engagement ring are yellow, rosé white gold, and platinum.
We mainly offer 14kt gold, as it is more subtle in colour and harder than higher purity golds such as 18kt. However, we can offer gold in any purity you want, and we are always happy to advise you on different alloy types for your engagement ring.
Below are some of our favorite 14kt gold engagement ring metals:
Natural white gold retains a subtle golden hue, making it a great choice for those who prefer a warmer white tone that is very subtle on the skin.
Yellow gold is classic and bright. Yellow gold is a truly timeless choice.
Rose gold is crafted with copper. This metal offers a unique, feminine hue that pairs beautifully with various stones.
Palladium white gold is a gorgeous white gold with a darker hue.
Diamond Certification and Quality
Diamond Certification
When buying any engagement ring with diamonds larger than 0,40ct., be sure to check the certification of the diamonds or other gemstones. It’s essential to only purchase from reputable jewellers and request certificates of authenticity before making a final decision.
Diamond Quality
When choosing a diamond, it is important to consider the four C’s of diamond quality. These are:
Cut — Cut is not the same as the shape of the stone; in this case, it refers to how perfectly the stone has been cut to best allow light to pass through it. Cut is rated on a scale of poor through an ideal rating of 0-6.
Colour — Colour is rated on a scale of D-Z, with D being the highest grade and Z being the lowest. A very white diamond has a colour D to F.
Clarity — Clarity refers to the absence of blemishes and inclusions in a diamond. Inclusions can be small crystals, bubbles, coloured or blurry spots, and other imperfections. While no diamond is 100% pure, a good clarity score for diamonds is VS2 or higher.
Carat — Carat refers to how much a diamond weighs; the ideal carat will vary by personal opinion. The carat will also play the most considerable role in determining the diamond’s cost.
Summary
From understanding your partner's preferences to exploring styles, gemstones, and metals, use this guide as a way to navigate your journey. Remember, the most valuable element is the love the ring represents.
Please schedule an appointment with us at Katie g. to browse our collection, or just get advice on how to find the perfect ring for your partner. You can email info@katiegruber.com or book a free consultation.