Diamond Engagement Rings Buying Guide

One of the most exciting times in life is the prospect of engagement and the planning of a wedding.  It takes time to find that special someone and when you do you want the physical representation of your engagement to be perfect.  Before you even propose you might want to consider doing ring shopping together.  If this kills the mystery then pair up with your fiancé's friends or relatives.  Find someone that knows her really well.  She may have discussed this with a friend and it will show initiative if you have sought the advice of a friend.  Or, she may have been "dropping" hints to you!

Quick Tips

Focus on personality type- Rings are likely to be understated or dramatic depending on personality and this makes them highly adaptable.

Design it yourself- The plus with buying an Angara engagement ring is that you are in the designer driving seat.  You can select the shape, setting and size of diamond and you can create your own design of the ring.  It would be a unique piece and that attests your involvement.

Other alternatives- Rings can be set with other gemstones such as sapphires, rubies and emeralds.  Choose according to month of birth or her preference.  The gems can come in different shapes which are very popular choices or they can be positioned with a single diamond.

Discover her choice- In order to discover which engagement ring she will love and cherish most, you'll need to be observant.  If ring preferences have never been discussed, asking close ones is a wise thing to do.  Take a look at her current jewelry.  This may be of help to you.

Listen to her- Women often drop hints about what they would like.  Pay attention.  You could use a ring sizer on one of her present rings to know the size.

Budget- Budget comes first.  While you may have heard of the two month salary norm, the need is to decide how much you are willing and able to spend on an engagement ring.  You don't want to go bankrupt, and you don't want her to think of you as a miser.  Only you can decide what you can afford.  Bear in mind that you will also be purchasing a wedding band sometime later.

Her Choice- Give some thought to the jewelry she likes to wear; does she go for cutting edge contemporary, or is she thoroughly traditional.  What color metal does she usually go for - white gold, yellow gold, a mixture of the two?  Perhaps she has a thing about platinum jewelry - you need to find out.

Most Important in a Diamond Engagement Ring

Choose quality over size and choose the nicest engagement ring you can afford.  The jewelry industry uses the four Cs to evaluate diamond quality: Cut, Carat, Clarity, and Color.

Carat- Diamond size is measured by weight in carats.  Prices rise as carat weight increases.  Choosing a slightly smaller carat weight, can save you money and still allow you to present your future spouse with a dazzling diamond.

Clarity- Most diamonds have tiny flaws called inclusions, often invisible to the naked eye.  Pay special attention to product details when deciding.  Most diamonds do contain some blemishes inside the stones and these are what give each diamond its own uniqueness.  The most important thing to remember about clarity is that you do not want inclusions to be visible to the naked eye, nor should they be so excessive that they affect the diamond's brilliance or durability.

Clarity is a critical C and has a great effect on the diamond's value.  When diamonds are moved up on the clarity scale, you generally see a significant increase in price.  The object is to choose a diamond as high on the clarity scale as your budget will allow, while still taking the other C's into account.

Cut- The cut of a diamond determines how well a diamond reflects light to shows its brilliance.  A standard report describes cut by the shape or outline of the diamond and the facet arrangement, also known as cutting style.  Shapes range from traditional round to hearts, pears, emerald, and more.  Choose a shape that reflects the tastes of the person who will wear the stone.

Cut becomes very relevant when zeroing down on the choice of diamond.  The cut is the result of transforming the diamond into a gem.  A better cut will have a great effect on the beauty of the diamond.  Diamonds with correct proportions better refract the light out of the top of the stone.  Lesser cut diamonds allow some light to escape from the bottom of the stone, resulting in a less brilliant diamond.

Shape- Another factor you need to consider when choosing a diamond is its shape.  Although shape and cut are sometimes used interchangeably, they are not the same.  Cut refers to the proportions and symmetry.  Shape, on the other hand, refers to the actual shape or contour of the diamond.  There are 8 popular shapes including: round (also called brilliant cut), Princess cut, Emerald cut, Asscher cut, Marquise cut, Radiant cut, Pear cut, and Heart cut.  When you select a shape, the most important factor is simply what appeals to you.

If you want a diamond that looks as big as possible, consider the Marquise or Pear shapes, which look bigger than other shaped diamonds of the same weight.

Most common and popular shapes are as under:

Color- It is a myth that all diamonds are colorless.  While most diamonds appear white, all include trace amounts of yellow.  Colorless diamonds typically hold the most value, with nearly colorless following suit.  However, deeply colored fancy diamonds can sometimes cost more than colorless diamonds of the same carat weight.  Fancy diamonds are popular in many celebrity engagement rings and come in a variety of colors, such as pink, grey, yellow and orange.

This was about the diamonds.
Other Things to Consider in An Engagement Ring.

• The setting (which holds the diamond)
• The band (which surrounds the finger)

The Settings

Settings can be made of platinum (even on a gold ring) because of platinum's strength and durability.  In case of a solitaire, the common choice is to get 4 or 6 prongs.  6 prongs hold the diamond much more securely.  If the ring will be worn regularly, 6 prongs are highly recommended to avoid losing the stone.  There are other types of settings that do not use prongs.  A few of these are listed below.

Tension- The metal holds the precious stone using tension, giving the impression that the stone is floating in its setting.  This setting requires the best craftsmen to ensure the stone is held secure even though it doesn't look like it's held at all.

Channel- The precious stones are secured between two bands of precious metal, thus allowing them to be set close together.  The result is a line of diamonds with no metal showing in between.

Pave - This setting requires excellent craftsmanship and stone setting skills.  Numerous stones are set onto precious metal in the manner of paving stones - hence the term pave. Very little metal is allowed to show through the stones and the resulting ring literally appears as if it's paved with diamonds.

The Band

The decision regarding the band is about choice of materials.  By far, the most common choices for engagement rings are white and yellow gold.  Although your choice is ultimately a matter of personal style, here are a few facts about each metal:

Gold- Gold has been popular in jewelry-making since the beginning of time, but because pure gold bends easily, it is usually alloyed with nickel, copper, and/or zinc.  The purity of gold is measured in karats.  Most gold jewelry sold in the United States is 14 karats, whereas 18-karat jewelry is more popular outside of the U.S.Sometimes 10 karat gold offers a cheaper option, since the alloy metal is more.

Platinum- Because platinum is an extremely hard metal, its popularity in jewelry-making is not as long-lived as that of gold.  Platinum is also more rare than gold; in fact it costs roughly four times as much as gold.  However, you could settle for a white gold band.  But if your partner is in any way allergic to metals, platinum is the choice since it is hypoallergenic and will not irritate the skin.

Band Styles

There are a number of band styles to choose from, all upon preference.  There are twin shanks, two tone shanks, split shanks, crossovers and many others.  It all comes to maximum personal appeal.

Know Your Purchase

Carefully read the product details in item listings.

Figure delivery costs into your final price.  If you spend a lot of money, make sure you don't incur extra expenditure on shipping.

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