Choosing an engagement ring
Apr 18th, 2008 by Katie
Tim Rhode of Ingle & Rhode, ethical jewellery designers and our featured supplier of the week, shares some practical tips on choosing an engagement ring… over to Tim:
How to choose the right engagement ring?
Choosing a ring can be time consuming, expensive and stressful. So how do you find a deal that will leave both you and your fiancée smiling?
BUDGET:
An obvious starting point is to consider how much you want to spend. Traditionally, men have been expected to part with between one and two months salary. But the short answer is that you should invest as much as you feel you can realistically afford - it’s certainly not worth getting yourself into financial difficulties.
JEWELLER:
Make sure that you are dealing with a reputable retailer. They should be willing for you to examine their rings under a jeweller’s loupe, and should be more than happy to answer any technical questions that you might have.
You might want to consider only buying a diamond that comes with independent certification from a recognised laboratory. If a particular stone hasn’t been certified independently, your jeweller should have no objection to you getting it certified at your own expense before committing to purchase.
And remember you are entitled to ask your jeweller to prove to you exactly where his diamonds come from. If he or she is in any way unhelpful or evasive, perhaps think twice about buying.
DIAMONDS:
How do you choose the best diamond to suit your budget? At this point you will have to wade through a bit of technical jargon to make sure you get it right.
Carat Weight: Generally speaking, the bigger the diamond, the more valuable it is. Traditionally, men often bought one-carat stones for engagement rings, but it is perfectly acceptable to buy stones of less than a carat as prices go up exponentially with size.
TIP: A good quality stone of less than a carat may well represent better value for money.
Cut: The better the cut, the more effectively the stone will reflect and refract light. This is one area where it is not worth compromising. Budget permitting, try to choose a diamond with at least a ‘Good’ cut grade. The term cut can also be a reference to the stones shape, whether it is Round Brilliant, Princess, or some other fancy shape.
TIP: The Round Brilliant cut has been evolved over decades to maximize a diamond’s sparkle more than other cuts.
Colour: Very few diamonds are perfectly white; most have a natural hint of colour in them. Colour is graded from D down to Z. Ideally, you would aim for something in the range E-H, anything above ‘H’ will look white to the naked eye.
Clarity: Most diamonds have small imperfections or impurities trapped inside them, known as inclusions. Stones graded I1 and below contain inclusions that are visible with the naked eye. Ideally, you would aim for at least VS2 clarity, but if your budget is stretched you could consider dropping to SI clarity without it being a problem.
SETTINGS:
Most modern engagement rings are made from white metals with a solitaire diamond. But any information you have about your partner’s taste in jewellery is priceless. Do you have access to any other rings she has bought, or does she have a friend you can trust to advise you? Some jewellers will offer you an exchange for another ring of similar value.
TIP: You might choose to buy a loose diamond, which you can present to her at the moment you get engaged. Then the two of you can go shopping together, and she can pick a ring to set it in.
Finally, if you are reading this blog, you will know that there are significant ethical considerations to buying an engagement ring or wedding band. You can read about how we tackle these issues at Ingle & Rhode under our ethical jewellery policies or talk about them with other brides and grooms in the ethical engagement ring section of the Ethical Weddings Forum