How to Buy an Engagement Ring
What do you need to know to buy an engagement ring? Although there are quite a few things to know, if you break it down into a few parts, there’s not too much to learn.
Before we get started, do you already know what kind of ring your fiancée likes? If there is one that you know she likes, then that is the one you should get. After all, since she is going to wear the ring for the rest of her life, she really should like it.
If you’re not sure what she likes, you have to be a detective. Take a look at what kind of rings she already wears. Point out a ring in the mall and see how she reacts to it. Ask her what she thinks about her friends’ engagement rings.
Now, if you don’t know what kind of ring she wants, here’s a short introduction to buying an engagement ring.
To start out, with any diamond you have to know five things: shape, cut, color, clarity and carats.
Shape and cut go together. Shape refers to the shape of the diamond: round, emerald, princess or heart. Cut refers to how well the diamond matches certain mathematic standards, with ideal being the best.
Color refers to color, with clear being the best and yellow the worst. Clarity is how clear the store is and whether or not there are any inclusions. A clear stone with no inclusions is considered the best. Finally, carats are how big a store is.
The most expensive diamond will be ideal cut, clear in color, have no inclusions and have many carats.
The next thing to think about is the band. This can be any metal you like, but common metals are gold (yellow or white) and platinum. However, other metals are possible, such as titanium. You should consider your fiancées likes and dislikes.
Finally, you have to consider your finances. How much can you afford to spend? While two months salary is traditional, you want to be smart about what you spend. You don’t want to start your marriage with financial difficulties. Do your homework and try to find the best price you can. This may mean buying an engagement ring online at a site like Blue Nile or Amazon. Even if you buy a ring from a traditional jeweler, you still should check these sites to look at prices and get an idea of what the range of prices are.
