How to find the perfect engagement ring?

[Daniel Brown]

Hi!

I see a lot of posts on this community about how to find the right ring. Today I am going to share with you some things I learnt as a wedding planner myself.

Whew! Choosing the right ring is a tough job. When the bride likes the ring, the man doesn't and when the man likes the ring he is fearful whether 'she' will like it or not. This is why we go with mass appeal.

A good-looking ring, just like all good-looking things, will appeal to everyone.

When choosing the ring, ask the person sitting next to you – "how does that look?" –assuming that they'll give you their honest opinion (yeah! That's important).

First things first, know the basics about your diamond –

• Learn about the cut, carat, clarity and color (4Cs of judgment) (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diamond_clarity) –these are the first things that you will be asked when you visit the store.

• Find out the shape of the diamond: there are many shapes like heart, round, triangle (http://www.wixonjewelers.com/education/diamonds/diamond-shapes-and-cut/) etc. But when in doubt always go with round because it is always in trend and women always like it (you can take my word for it).

• Diamond settings are the bases on which your ring will go. The bling is going to always look about 20% bigger when it sits on the setting.

• One thing you will learn that the diamond and the setting are very rarely found in one package. You can also buy the diamond and the setting separately. You can actually use your own creativity to make the setting!

• Your budget will be tested! When you think that you have found just the right ring within your budget, you will feel the pressure of going higher. A trick to avoid this is to refrain from telling the jeweler your limit. If you are shopping online, these things can be avoided.

• When shopping online, take a look at the different diamond pictures. Often you will see that it is written "sample photo"–this means that the diamond you are getting and the diamond you are seeing are different.

• Always check out the cut –many jewelers will skip this part because the cut is where most buyers get duped. When it is cut perfectly, the diamond is reflected back the most. But in most jewelry shops there are light fixations which make the diamond appear shiny even if it poorly cut.

• Cut is not the shape! Many a times you will see that it says "shape/cut –round". It is very tricky. Don't fall for it. Try to find out the cut grade.

But this is like finding a needle in a haystack with so many options out there. This is why I always stick to a few websites like http://www.leohamel.com/ which don't make me work much [I like to work smart ;-)].

So to sum it up here͛s what you need to do –

• Know the basics of a diamond ring

• Ensure what you see is what you buy

• Check out the specs of the diamond

Always do your own research!

Hope that helped!

Cheers!

[AC Silver Antiques]

Great read, thanks Daniel!