Engagement Ring Shopping: Where to Start

Shoe shopping? Easy

Ingredients for meat pie? You can buy them in your sleep.

Shopping for an engagement ring? Yikes!

You’re not alone if shopping for an engagement ring gives you nightmares. It’s a big deal. You’re about to purchase the most expensive piece of jewellery in your life (potentially), and you don’t want to make a mistake.

Fortunately, when you prepare ahead of time, engagement ring shopping can be an enjoyable experience. You’re taking a big step toward your future happiness. We’re here to help, and that’s why we’ve put together this handy guide.

Start with the Numbers

It’s not romantic, but starting with a budget will set firm parameters around your search and significantly reduce your stress. Before you step foot in a jewellery store, decide how much you want to spend on the engagement ring.

You’ve probably seen guidelines like this one: “Spend the equivalent of two months’ salary on your engagement ring.” “Rules” like this were created by diamond sellers decades ago. Those diamond sellers don’t know the first thing about your budget, upcoming expenses, or personal taste.

So forego the advice of faraway experts and determine the right amount for you. Chances are good that you’ll be spending money on other wedding-related items shortly, so look at all of your income and expenses as you prepare your engagement ring budget.

Survey Your Options

For many people, engagement ring shopping marks the first time they’ve genuinely paid attention to topics like the 4C’s of diamond grading (carat, cut, clarity and colour). You’ve likely known about the existence of precious metals like platinum and rose gold, but did you know that platinum is hypo-allergenic, and rose gold owes its rosy tint to the high copper content in the alloy?

Pricing varies for precious metals and gemstones, and you’ll be in a better position to make decisions when you know the going prices for various elements.

Learn about Common Styles

It’s one thing to walk into a jewellery store to look at “engagement rings.” It’s another thing entirely to step in and ask to see their selection of split-shank diamond rings in white and yellow gold.

It doesn’t take much effort to learn the basic vocabulary of today’s engagement rings. By scrolling through Pinterest and Instagram, you can quickly learn to spot today’s most popular trends and staples, including the following:

• • Solitaire

  • Halo

  • Pave band

  • Bezel setting

  • Tension setting

  • Hidden halo

  • Three stone rings

It’s also helpful to learn about the standard diamond shapes you’ll encounter:

• • Round brilliant

  • Cushion

  • Oval

  • Marquise

  • Pear

  • Princess

  • Emerald

  • Radiant

  • Asscher

  • Heart

Determine Her Style

If the two of you go engagement ring shopping together, it will be easy to learn what styles she likes best. However, if you’re aiming for a surprise proposal, your job becomes trickier.

How can you glean information about her preferences? Check out her Pinterest boards, pay attention to the other jewellery items she wears, and covertly ask her mother or friends or sisters what she likes.

Consider her lifestyle as well. If she loves to work out and enjoy the great outdoors, rethink your plan for a large marquise set in a cathedral setting. The ring will continuously be in danger, and she’ll snag it on clothing and climbing ropes.

Remember that she’ll wear this piece of jewellery every day. It should enhance her style, feel comfortable, and be strong enough to withstand daily life.

Choose a Jeweller

When you choose a jeweller, you create a partnership. Over the years, you’ll probably return to your original jeweller for cleaning and maintenance, and if the ring ever requires repairs or replacement, the jeweller will be your rescue hero.

So look for a jeweller with a solid reputation. But that’s not all. You’ll want to find a jeweller that fits your sense of style and design. If you’re shopping online, browse many different websites and read about policies on returns and resizing. Visiting a jeweller in person allows you to ask questions, try on rings, and inspect diamonds under the microscope.

Insure Your Purchase

It’s not too early to think about engagement ring insurance. In fact, when you plan ahead of time, you can protect your purchase from the moment you walk it out of the store. After so much research, planning, saving, and hoping, you’ll want the peace of mind that comes from knowing your engagement ring is insured.

Talk to us at JewelCover about insuring your ring from the very beginning. Shopping for a ring can be fun, especially when you know it will be protected from theft, damage and loss. Enjoy the process of sealing the deal on your love and commitment to each other. We wish you all the very best, and look forward to providing you with peace of mind.