Everything about planning a marriage seems like a whole lot of work. Even the first part of the process—buying an engagement ring and proposing—feels daunting. However, it doesn’t have to be. What makes the act of buying engagement rings so difficult is the fact that men do not regularly buy jewelry (women’s jewelry at that). Usually, buying the engagement ring is one of the few times a man ever had to buy any kind of ring for women. Needless to say, this puts the groom-to-be on a definite disadvantage. The solution here, of course, is to understand diamond engagement rings. Buying a diamond engagement ring for your beloved isn’t as hard as it seems, although it would definitely require you to do your homework so you’ll know exactly what you’re getting in to.
Preference
Many engagement ring buyers tend to forget this aspect. However, unknown to many, the preference of the woman is actually the most important consideration when buying a ring for proposing marriage. As with most things, a person prefers one thing to the other. The same applies for rings or any other kinds of jewelry. If you’re not too sure about your woman’s jewelry preference, do not fret. It’s easy to find clues without having to ask her directly.
Pay close attention to the jewelry she regularly wears; this will provide you important clues as what kind of jewelry style she prefers. Take note of the metal color she wears and whether she prefers wearing vintage looking jewelry to jewelry with a contemporary styling. The key here is to check out what she wears often—not what items she owns but doesn’t necessarily wear. This would indicate the type of items she’d be comfortable in wearing. If she doesn’t wear jewelry all the time, take the next best step: go shopping. You don’t have to shop for jewelry per se, especially if you want to subtle. In any case, it’s not very hard to navigate towards jewelry stores in shopping malls. This way, you’ll know what she wants and she wouldn’t even suspect a thing!
Other obvious factors you may forget: the ring size. If you’re planning to be extremely secretive about it, you’re going to have to ask her blood relations or her friends. Again, this is why going shopping with her prior to shopping for an engagement ring is ideal.
The specifics
But, of course, buying engagement rings is not all about her preference. Half of the process is about knowing the basics of rings and diamonds. A good diamond engagement ring need not be extremely expensive, but it will definitely cost you a significant amount of money. Your decision has to be informed if you want buy an engagement ring that’s well worth its cost.
First off, you need to know how to look at diamonds, clearly the most important part of your engagement ring. A diamond’s value is determined by the four Cs: the carat, the cut, the clarity, and the color.
A good diamond should be clear, with no color at all. A color scale defines the color grade of the diamond. The best diamonds are graded as colorless (D-F), then near colorless (G-I). Diamonds with faint color (J-K) and noticeable color (L-R) follow, while obvious color (S-Z) is the least valuable. Color is different from clarity, which is the characteristic that defines whether a diamond has blemishes. Clarity is graded from 0 to 10 (other grades use alphabets instead of numbers). Grade 0 is flawless, grade 1 to 2 has minimal blemishes, grade 3 to 4 has minor blemishes—diamonds with blemishes visible only using ten times magnification. Grade 5 to 6 has noticeable blemishes (with few or no blemishes visible even without magnification) and grade 7 to 10 has obvious, visible blemishes.
The diamond’s cut determines its sheen. The brilliant round cut is considered to be the best diamond shape as it has exactly 58 faces. Meanwhile, the carat is term for diamond measurement. Remember that “carat” is different from a “karat,” which is the term used to measure the purity of gold. While the diamond weight is usually given premium, it’s not the only determinant of quality. Needless to say, a big diamond engagement ring isn’t as valuable as a smaller diamond engagement ring with better color, clarity, and cut.
You also need to get a certificate grading for your engagement ring’s diamond. The American Gem Society and the International Gemological Institute are only two of the more reputable institutions that can provide you with certificates.
Shopping
With basic knowledge on diamonds, you’re ready to shop for diamond engagement rings. Before anything else, you need to decide on one thing: your budget. This will dictate what kind of diamond engagement ring you have to buy for your proposal. It doesn’t even need to be said, but the very first thing you need to do is save, especially if you want to buy the best engagement ring possible. Still, you should consider employing some ways to save money by making your diamond seem more valuable than it really is.
For instance, it you can get a diamond with a wider surface area. This will make the diamond look so much bigger than it actually is. Also, choosing a diamond a little less than the succeeding carat size can provide you with unbelievable savings. For instance, choose a 0.9 carat diamond over a one carat diamond. The difference may seem negligible—which is exactly the point. You’ll get a diamond of almost the same size for a lower price. Consider the quality of the band as well. Although some suggest buying a high quality band with cheaper stones and replacing the stones with a diamond later on, you can do the exact opposite—get a cheaper (yet still good) band such as white gold (instead of the usual yet more expensive platinum) so you can buy a more valuable diamond. After all, you measure the ring’s worth by its diamond, not the band.
Many experts say that it is best to buy diamond engagement rings from smaller stores instead of going directly to national or even international chains. As long as you can get a certification for the diamond grade, it wouldn’t matter where you get your ring. But what should be definite here is the planning. Plan what kind of ring you will buy—from the diamond to the setting to the band. Get the opinion of experts if needed, as well as the opinion of friends (ideally the ones with at least a little knowledge about diamond engagement rings).
In any case, as much as it also sounds to worn out, the cliché remains true: your intention and love cannot be measured by the size and value of your engagement ring and its diamond. But on the flip side, for someone you love, it’s only natural that you’ll do everything to show your love and intentions. Getting a good and remarkable diamond engagement ring is one way to do this.