Choosing An Engagement Ring
Congratulations, you’ve made the decision to ask her to marry you.
But might we suggest, before you do, that you have that ring ready and waiting? Let’s be honest here, finding the perfect engagement ring is going to take some time. This is a big decision to make, and finding something that she’s going to love is of the utmost importance, especially because this is not going to be a cheap decision.
A diamond engagement ring is a rather modern tradition, but in less than one hundred years has become the ring of choice for most women. So sit down, go through your finances and put a budget together. Do some research on prices, come up with a reasonable amount that you can afford and won’t bankrupt you and then stick to it.
Learn the four C’s: colour, cut, clarity and carat.
1. Diamond Ring Colour
White (or rather clear) diamonds are precious because of their sparkle; the clearer they are the better they sparkle. Diamonds are graded for their colour, from D (most valuable) to Z (least valuable), with those graded from G to I being colourless to the untrained naked eye. Looking for something in the G to M range, depending on your setting and companion stones, can give you a beautiful diamond that looks remarkably clear but doesn’t cost the earth.
2. Diamond Ring Cut
The cut of your diamond doesn’t actually mean the shape, but how it reflects light. The cut can make a difference in how your diamond looks because the way it sparkles will be affected; this is probably the hardest to look for with an untrained eye and is worth researching further.
3. Diamond Ring Clarity
Clarity refers to any blemishes, cracks, air bubbles or non-diamond minerals incorporated in to the structure of the diamond. Any such characteristics will lower the price of the diamond, but may not be overtly visible to the naked eye.
4. Diamond Ring Carat
Carat is a measurement of weight; one carat equals 0.2 grams. Smaller hands and slimmer fingers will make smaller carat diamonds appear bigger. And if she has her heart set on a large stone, remember that lower quality diamonds can still appear flawless to the untrained eye.
View our selection of engagement rings
