The Art Of Choosing The Perfect Engagement Ring
Engagement rings symbolize a lot of things to different people. It symbolizes devotion, lifetime commitment, or even forever. Therefore, you must be intentional when choosing one for your significant other.
But the truth is the task can be overwhelming if you have little or no insight into jewelry.
There’s more to choosing the perfect engagement ring than deciding on a pricey piece. You need to consider your partner’s preference, decide on a carat, learn the cut/clarity/size/color/shape, and more importantly have a budget.
How to Choose an Engagement Ring?
Rings in weddings can be traced back to Ancient Egypt. Back then rings made of braided reeds and hemp were exchanged. The ring is worn on the fourth finger of the left hand as it was believed that a vein of love ran through the fingers directly from the heart.
From this epoch to Ancient Greek to Romans till today, engagement has undergone many evolutions that couples now have tons of choices. There’s gold, gemstone, and diamond. But deciding on a ring transcends that. Below are some of the factors that will help answer the question: how to choose an engagement ring?
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Set A Budget
If you walk up to any Jewelry store, the first thing you will be asked after pleasantries is your budget, and here is why. Chances the store has varieties of options and knowing your budget will enable the Jeweler to show you their collections of rings within your budget. That will save you the time and stress of checking rings outside and within your budget.
Secondly, having a budget saves you from going into debt. Most people like the idea of wowing their partner with exquisite engagement, especially the ones that are Jewelry savvy. But there’s nothing sweet and romantic about going into debt. Some partners would prefer that you be debt-free. All that matters to them is that you are being thoughtful.
With that said, you should also know that oftentimes the prices are negotiable.
How Many Carats Is Good for an Engagement Ring?
You have probably heard the word “Carats” on different occasions before. But you have a faint idea of what it means.
A Carat is simply a unit of weight on which precious stones, pearls, diamonds, and more are measured. However, there is no clear cut to how many carats is perfect for a wedding. The average weight of an engagement ring should be between the range of 1.8 and 1.2 carats.
Diamonds Or Colored Gemstones
Originally, diamonds were synonymous with strength, health, and love. Three essential qualities of a long-lasting relationship. Diamond wedding rings symbolize forever and lifetime commitment. However, the trend didn’t start today.
Diamond rings for weddings became trendy in the late 1400s when Archduke Maximilian of Austria commissioned the first diamond engagement ring on his betrothed with Mary of Burgundy. Afterward, diamond rings for engagements became a thing among aristocrats and the nobles in Europe.
In recent years, colored gemstones have also been trendy for weddings. And there are numerous gemstone ideas you can explore. They include Emerald, Ruby, Sapphire, Moissanite, Garnet, Topaz, Amethyst, and more. But for this read, we will focus more on Moissanite.
You have probably come across Moissanite while surfing for gemstones or rings. These gemstones are often mistaken for diamonds. But when you look closely you will see that the difference is clear. One of the perks of gemstones is that they are eco-friendly and much more affordable when compared to diamonds. For instance, the price of a larger Moissanite gemstone could be equivalent to that one a small size diamond.
Bespoke Engagement Rings
Do you want something unique and more special? Or perhaps something that suits the lifestyle of your significant other? Then you should try out bespoke engagement rings.
Bespoke engagement rings are special and customized made rings for a customer/client by an Atelier. The engagement ring idea is perfect for people that love to infuse their creativity in the production of an engagement ring. Unlike ready-made ones, these are unique and give the chance to have a saying in the production process. Also, you get to witness each phase of the production process.
Understand The 4 C’s
Now that you have chosen a design, it's time to get familiar with the 4cs. You must have In-depth knowledge of rings.
Back in 1953, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) introduced a grading system for diamonds with the 4cs (clarity, cut, color, and carat weight). The now internationally recognized system is now used globally as a standard for comparing and evaluating the quality of a diamond. De Beers was the first Jewelry store in the world to adopt the 4cs to help their clients when choosing diamonds.
Cut: This determines how brilliant and sparkling a diamond could be. When you have a great cutting coupled with a fine symmetric, and facets that are aligned. You will have nothing but a sparkling diamond in the end. Experts considered cuts as the most important c of all cs. And that is due to the fact it determines the quality and how the stone is proportioned, polished, and faceted.
Clarity: The second C refers to internal and natural substances. This is also known as the inclusion in the diamond. It can be with the aid of 10x magnification. That being said, flawless diamonds are devoid of any imperfection and inclusion whatsoever. But when we say a diamond is internally flawless that means that it has no obvious inclusion.
Carat weight: The C is used to measure the actual weight of a diamond. A Carat is estimated to be 0.2 milligram
Color: Lastly, diamond colors are within the scale of D-Z. When it's within D, E, and F then it's completely colorless. These sets of diamonds are the most expensive. Z means the color is a light yellow hue. But standard diamonds are within D-J color grading.
Know Your Partner’s Style
With everything said on how to buy an engagement ring, you must put your partner’s style into consideration. Before you get a wedding ring, take note of the brands she likes. Does she like it flashy or something subtle? Is it gold, silver, diamond, or gemstones? Deciding on the right wedding ring transcends beyond brand name and pricing. You’ve got to do more.
Understand the Lingo
Too many people often confuse shapes with cuts. But the truth is these terms are different.
● Shapes: As the name connotes, a diamond’s shape refers to the geometric appearance of a ring.
● Cuts: Cuts revolve around how the facets interact with the light.
