Shopping for the right engagement ring can be a baffling experience to begin for most people. If they have never shopped or bought diamonds before how do they know what quality they are looking at? Maybe these tips will assist you in knowing where to start. It should be fun shopping for an engagement ring. Try not to get stressed about this purchase because this is supposed to be an exciting time! Let's examine the 1st 3 things for you to do. Once you do these things you can turn your attention the most important section of the ring, which is the diamond.
1) Set a budget
This is the first thing I recommend to my clients. You want to set a price that you can afford and stick to it. There isn't any rule that is set in stone about how much you would spend, but many people fork out about two months worth of salary for their ring.
Please don't spend more than you can afford. I have friends who took out a massive loan just so they could buy a bigger ring and they are still paying it off years after the fact. There is no point putting you (and her) in financial difficulties. If you can't get her the size of diamond you want right now, you can always "upgrade" her ring later on in life when money isn't as tight. Your budget is going to depend on a number of different factors, but be prepared to fork over a decent chunk of change. Diamond aren't cheap, but she will wear it forever and I promise the smile on her face will make it worth it.
Choose what type metal for the band.
White gold, yellow gold, and platinum are the 3 main choices for bands. Pay attention to what type of jewelry she owns now. If she owns or wears mostly yellow gold the choice is easy. If she wears white gold or silver than you need to choose either platinum or white gold. The cost of platinum is 3 times that of gold. Platinum is the most durable of the metals. That makes it an attractive choice for people who think about passing it down through the years to family. There is not much maintenance to platinum other than having it polished once in awhile to keep it from having a matte look.
White gold is cheaper and a bit more shiny than platinum. It will damage a bit easier but not enough to worry about. You may have to have it replated once every year or so. White gold is not actually white; it is actually gold combined with different metals that give it a look of white. Rhodium is used to plate it with to take the yellow tinge away. If this plating comes off you will start seeing the yellow tinge return. Replating is not very expensive just remember this will need to be done.
You need to compare the looks of both platinum and white gold at this point. You will be able to see which you prefer this way. This will help you decide which to buy.
Choose the Type of Setting
The basic style of a ring is called the setting. Does the ring have one diamond? Does the ring have numerous diamonds? This is what decides what the setting will be on your engagement ring. You can make your decision from 3 varied choices. The simplest setting is that of the solitaire engagement ring and it is the #1 choice. On the band a singular diamond is mounted. This is absolutely fantastic for showing the diamond off. A 3 stone configuration includes one diamond in the middle and then two of lesser size with one on each side. These smaller diamonds are normally 30-60% of the size of the diamond in the center.
The last choice is the engagement ring with a center diamond and side stones - the side stones are numerous small diamonds. These small diamonds do not cost much because they are so small. If you are undecided as to which one she wants, try to discover her preference. Put one of her friends up to finding out after you swear them to secrecy. Since women chat about diamonds and jewelry so much she shouldn't get suspicious. You will also know whether you have made the best choice which will make you feel better.
After you have these three steps down, you can move on to the fun part - choosing the diamond! She is going to be wearing this for life so make sure you focus on getting a stunning diamond - it's so much fun seeing my wife get compliments on it. Reminds me of the good job I did! - 16003
1) Set a budget
This is the first thing I recommend to my clients. You want to set a price that you can afford and stick to it. There isn't any rule that is set in stone about how much you would spend, but many people fork out about two months worth of salary for their ring.
Please don't spend more than you can afford. I have friends who took out a massive loan just so they could buy a bigger ring and they are still paying it off years after the fact. There is no point putting you (and her) in financial difficulties. If you can't get her the size of diamond you want right now, you can always "upgrade" her ring later on in life when money isn't as tight. Your budget is going to depend on a number of different factors, but be prepared to fork over a decent chunk of change. Diamond aren't cheap, but she will wear it forever and I promise the smile on her face will make it worth it.
Choose what type metal for the band.
White gold, yellow gold, and platinum are the 3 main choices for bands. Pay attention to what type of jewelry she owns now. If she owns or wears mostly yellow gold the choice is easy. If she wears white gold or silver than you need to choose either platinum or white gold. The cost of platinum is 3 times that of gold. Platinum is the most durable of the metals. That makes it an attractive choice for people who think about passing it down through the years to family. There is not much maintenance to platinum other than having it polished once in awhile to keep it from having a matte look.
White gold is cheaper and a bit more shiny than platinum. It will damage a bit easier but not enough to worry about. You may have to have it replated once every year or so. White gold is not actually white; it is actually gold combined with different metals that give it a look of white. Rhodium is used to plate it with to take the yellow tinge away. If this plating comes off you will start seeing the yellow tinge return. Replating is not very expensive just remember this will need to be done.
You need to compare the looks of both platinum and white gold at this point. You will be able to see which you prefer this way. This will help you decide which to buy.
Choose the Type of Setting
The basic style of a ring is called the setting. Does the ring have one diamond? Does the ring have numerous diamonds? This is what decides what the setting will be on your engagement ring. You can make your decision from 3 varied choices. The simplest setting is that of the solitaire engagement ring and it is the #1 choice. On the band a singular diamond is mounted. This is absolutely fantastic for showing the diamond off. A 3 stone configuration includes one diamond in the middle and then two of lesser size with one on each side. These smaller diamonds are normally 30-60% of the size of the diamond in the center.
The last choice is the engagement ring with a center diamond and side stones - the side stones are numerous small diamonds. These small diamonds do not cost much because they are so small. If you are undecided as to which one she wants, try to discover her preference. Put one of her friends up to finding out after you swear them to secrecy. Since women chat about diamonds and jewelry so much she shouldn't get suspicious. You will also know whether you have made the best choice which will make you feel better.
After you have these three steps down, you can move on to the fun part - choosing the diamond! She is going to be wearing this for life so make sure you focus on getting a stunning diamond - it's so much fun seeing my wife get compliments on it. Reminds me of the good job I did! - 16003
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