So, you’re crazy about your girlfriend, and you’re ready to start your life together, there’s nothing that would make you happier than to tie the knot with your better half and start your storybook romance, living happily and carefree together forever.
Guys Guide to Buying an Engagement Ring
It all sounds perfect, however the first of your tests is, of course, picking out an engagement ring. Let me tell you, you might not believe me, but women really do sit around and talk about the perfect engagement ring with their friends. Some ladies will know what they want, some ladies will think they know what they want, and some won’t know at all, so it is a tough task ahead of you.
Throw everything that you thought you knew about buying rings out the window. Here are a few good myths out there:
- Go for whole carat values or go home!
- You should spend 2-3 months salary.
- If you can’t pick out a beautiful ring on your own, you’re in trouble!
If you think long enough, you’ll eventually come up with someone who’s told you these very common “engagement ring myths.”
Sometimes you need a little friendly, experienced advice, right? And believe it or not, you should include your special someone in this decision.
Buying an Engagement Ring
In this article, we’ll highlight four things you need to consider when you’re picking out an engagement ring for that special someone, and hopefully it will clear up any questions that you might have on the subject. Without any further ado, we’ll dive right in:
Sparkle
Picking out a ring is about more than just picking the rock – think about the cut! Some cuts are cheaper than others, and look just as good.
There are a wide variety of different kinds of cuts. These cuts are important when you think about how you want your diamond to look in the engagement ring. To your average guy, these kinds of things aren’t that important, but women love specific shapes. In general, the shiniest varieties tend to be round or oval, but princess diamonds are peaking right now, and offer a generic square shape. For a frame of reference, round cuts tend to cost the most, because they require many precise cuts. Princess cuts, oval cuts, and cushion cuts tend to always be cheaper.
The Diamond
Scaling back on the carat a hair can save you a pretty huge chunk of change. A point 1 carat differential won’t look like much to you or her, but it means a lot when you’re picking out a wedding ring.
If you’re wondering, the biggest carat in the world is around 3,106.75 carats, and it’s called the Cullinan diamond. Good luck finding anything quite that impressive, but you shouldn’t feel intimidated. On average, most engagement rings average out around 1.00 carats. Typical jewelers will carry variations between 0.25 carats and 3.00 carats, and the price differentials can be astronomical. We suggest picking anything just below a whole value. This gets you the most for your money.
As soon as you head over a caret the costs start to jump up quite a lot, however it depends on your budget and how big you can afford to go.
Design & Style
Color, type of metal used, and the claw all play into your end costs when you’re buying a ring. Throw out fancy colors, fancy styles, and inscriptions, go in with a specific setting in mind, a specific metal, and a specific price. Do your research.
Diamonds are rated on the clarity of the stone. For the most part, you won’t be able to see any inclusions in the stones that you’re looking at unless you have a magnifying glass. The best diamonds are considered “flawless.” Colors doesn’t refer to special colors like black diamonds, pink diamonds, or other colored diamonds, in this case it refers to either completely clear diamonds, or diamonds with a yellow tint. Obviously, the clearer that a diamond is, the more it costs.
This image below shows the different aspects of diamonds to consider, the 4 Cs Of Diamonds:
- Cut
- Clarity
- Color
- Carat weight
Metals are another story all together. Some women have allergies to certain metals, and some prefer one metal to another. Common metal choices include gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum, stainless silver, and regular silver. White gold is trending now, but yellow gold is a classic.
Typically, platinum is the most expensive but is extremely strong, more robust that silver and Gold. When choosing your setting claw, think about prong holds, tension claws, bezel settings, channel holds, flush claws, cluster settings invisible claws, and paving. Each gives you a very unique look on your diamond. In general, pronged settings are the cheapest because they require less metal than other types to set the diamond. Ensure the jeweller helps you with this part and talk you through this ensuring that you purchase a ring that is strong won’t easily damage.
Budget
Look for sales. Valentines Day, Black Friday, even Labor Day, Mother’s Day- they’re all prime opportunities to catch a great deal, which is what it’s all about. Getting the most value for the lowest price.
If you haven’t heard it by now, timing is everything. Pick a good time to go shopping, and you’ll save a ton of money, and be able to buy an awesome ring. Like any other industry, jewelers try to clear inventory too, so wait for the best time to strike. If you simply can’t afford a gigantic rock, be proud of what you picked. It really does matter more about your feelings, how you portray yourself, and your love for each other than a ring, so don’t be ashamed to give it to her, just because it isn’t a three thousand carat wonder. She’ll love it!
Still not sure what to buy?
If you are still really struggling to find the perfect ring, or commit to a design that you are not 100% sure she will like you could get and use a fake ring to propose, these are offered at jewellers where they give you a metal ring that isn’t worth much and you can use this to propose to your lovely lady, once she has said yes you can then both go and pick out that ring together ensuring she gets what she wants.
Final thoughts
Whatever you go for stick to your budget, try and get a feel for the sort of jewellery your partner already has and wears, if they wear a lot of gold, rose gold or silver, then you know what material your ring should be made from. No point buying a rose gold ring if she wears all silver. Does she like contemporary pieces, or more traditional? These little things will help when it comes to finding your perfect engagement ring.
Pinterest is of course a great resource and will allow you to browse lots of rings and ideas that will help, perhaps ask her close friend, or Mum for their opinion. If you are still not sure then go for the fake ring, let her be involved and decide the ring she wants, she may not even know herself!
