How to Pick an Engagement Ring: Everything You Need to Know

An engagement is an occasion where two people commit to staying together forever. The physical symbol of this beautiful moment is an engagement ring. Engagement rings are available in a wide variety of styles and there is a lot that goes into crafting this perfect token of love. So if you are in the market to find the perfect engagement ring, here’s all that you need to know on how to pick an engagement ring.  Keep reading…

Select The Stone

The first step while shopping for an engagement ring is to select the stone for your ring. An engagement ring can have precious stones like diamonds, emeralds, sapphires and rubies. While these are the tried-and-true classic options, modern engagement rings also feature aquamarines, morganites, blue topaz, amethysts and several colored gemstones, perfect for those who choose to take the non-traditional route.

When considering the best gemstones for engagement rings, it’s also important to keep in mind the wearer’s lifestyle. If you’re looking for an engagement ring for an active girl, tougher gemstones such as diamonds, rubies and sapphires are an excellent choice.

Whatever your favorite color or gemstone, select the one that represents your style or your relationship with your significant other. You can also choose a suitable birthstone to go on the center of your sparkler. However, if you ask, which is the most popular stone for an engagement ring? Diamonds are by far the most popular pick for engagement rings. A diamond’s irresistible sparkle, superior hardness and association with unbreakable love make it a crowd favorite.

While selecting a diamond for your engagement ring, there are some crucial factors to learn in terms of its physical properties and grade. Explore each aspect in detail to know your diamond better and make an informed buying decision.

The 4Cs Of Diamonds

Talking of diamond engagement rings, their quality and value are determined by the diamond’s cut, color, clarity and carat weight.

1. Cut

A diamond’s cut refers to the proportion of facets, angles and symmetry that impacts the diamond’s ability to reflect light and sparkle. A well-cut diamond will exude impeccable brilliance and fire, which are one of its most important characteristics. Below are some of the most stunning diamond cuts to pick from:

• Round Brilliant: It is a timeless and most popular cut used for diamond engagement rings. A round cut maximizes fire and brilliance with its 58 facets. If you want a sparkly diamond center on your ring, the round cut is the way to go. It is also a versatile shape as it is easily accommodated in any style and design.
•  Princess Cut: A princess cut resembles an inverted pyramid with beveled edges. It features a squarish profile with over 50 chevron-style facets. A perfectly cut princess diamond has exceptional fire and brilliance, and is the second most popular option, after a brilliant round.
• Emerald Cut: Some of the most amazing engagement rings feature an emerald-cut diamond. They don’t exhibit as much brilliance as a round cut diamond, rather characterized by their ‘hall of mirror’s effect achieved by long and linear lines that give the appearance of a step cut.  An emerald-cut diamond also has a large table top that makes it appear larger than other diamond cuts.
• Cushion Cut: Also known as pillow cut, cushion-cut diamonds can be rectangular or square. They are famous for their large tabletop, squarish profile with rounded corners. It is a modern version of the old-mine cut, with the brilliance of a round diamond. Like emerald-cut, cushion-cut diamonds also appear larger for their size and look exceptionally elegant and timeless.

Also Read: Cushion-Cut Engagement Rings: Everything You Need To Know

• Asscher cut: Featuring a chunky squarish profile, clipped corners and stepped facets like that of the emerald cut, Asscher cut diamonds enchant with their old-world appeal. Unlike emerald-cut, it has a smaller tabletop and the facets are more layered which leads to more brilliance through light reflection. This cut was created in the early 20th century and became popular during the Art Deco era. So if you are looking for a subtle vintage vibe in your ring, an Asscher cut diamond center will do the job.

2. Diamond Color:

The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grades diamond color, starting with the letter D (colorless) to the letter Z (progressively more yellow). A well-cut diamond that is colorless and falling between the range of D and F, fetches a higher price tag. In their natural form, diamonds do occur in every color and shade – pink, blue, yellow, lavender, red, green, brown and even black. These are known as fancy diamonds, and some of them are actually quite expensive.

3. Diamond Clarity:

Before making up your mind about a certain engagement ring, you must look into the clarity of the diamond. Inclusions are internal imperfections, such as whitish dots, small cracks, or dark spots. Blemishes are external flaws. Usually, the fewer the inclusions and blemishes, the clearer and better the diamond, the more it’s worth and the rarer it is.

4. Carat Weight:

Talking of how to pick an engagement ring, a diamond’s carat size is also an important characteristic to consider as it impacts the ring’s cost. Gemologists measure the size of diamonds in terms of weight, particularly in carats. Although carat weight is an important factor to consider for a buyer, do remember that all the 4 Cs of a diamond, including the cut, clarity, color as well as carat weight are taken into consideration for determining the value of the diamond. A large stone that is flawed, dull or incorrectly cut is worth less money than a perfect little diamond. So, if you ask what diamond size is ideal for an engagement ring the answer to that question is that there is no one-size-fits-all rule for picking a diamond carat weight, and it’s up to your preference for all the 4Cs and how you weigh them while deciding the carat size.

Select the Metal

Here’s the next step in how to choose an engagement ring.  After selecting the stone based on its size, shape and quality, choose a suitable metal for your ring. While yellow gold, rose gold and white gold are the most popular metal options for engagement rings, platinum is too a great choice if you’re looking for a hypoallergenic metal. The choice of metal also depends on the wearer’s skin tone or their collection of jewelry and what suits them best. After deciding on the metal, you can pick a ring design that speaks to you.

Narrow Down On the Design

Another way to choose an engagement ring is based on the ring style. Want to know how to choose an engagement ring to suit your hand? Well, consider your personal style and how you’d like your ring to look on your hand. If you want a statement piece, choose a ring with a large center gemstone. Prefer a chic, elongated look? Choose rings with gemstones in pear, emerald-cut, oval, cushion rectangular and marquise shapes. No matter what you choose, whether a simple and timeless design, an exquisitely crafted vintage-style sparkler or a sleek and modern piece, it will be the token of your forever love and the most significant piece of jewelry. Depending on your personal taste and your budget, pick a design that speaks to you. And at Angara, there are a plethora of designs to choose from and you are sure to find what is exactly on your mind. Conversely, if you have a design on your mind that is not listed on our website, do share it with our jewelry advisors and your ring can be custom-made as per your design for an additional cost.

Timeline

While you are out there for engagement ring shopping online, it is also imperative to know ‘how long does it take to get an engagement ring. Especially if you are looking to get a custom-designed engagement ring, you need to have extra time at hand as the whole process from discussing the design with your jeweler to receiving the ring can take about 6-8 weeks on average.  So, before picking an engagement ring, here’s what you need to do. The first step is to pick a jeweler and have a basic design scheme in your mind. Some of our popular engagement ring styles include solitaire, halo, side-stone, two-stone, three-stone, infinity and vintage-inspired designs. The steps following this include selecting the diamond or gemstone with the jeweler and moving to the CAD design or sketch phase. Once you approve of the stone and the ring specifications, the ring will take another 3-4 weeks to be crafted from scratch. Hence, the whole process can take over a month and it is advisable to begin your engagement ring search well in advance.

Finance

Engagements and wedding ceremonies that follow, are among life’s most expensive affairs. As far as the ring for your proposal goes, the best time to buy an engagement ring is when there are hefty discounts. Jewelers offer discounts on Black Friday and Cyber Monday, before and after Christmas, around Valentine’s Day, as well as seasonal discounts. To find a ring in your budget, do plan your purchase in advance and take the opportunity to avail one of these discounts provided by the jeweler. And if you are thinking of splurging on a large and stunning engagement ring, you can also consider financing it. This is how to finance an engagement ring:

• You can finance the engagement ring with no interest using a 0% introductory Credit Card. These Credit Cards have promotional periods of 15 to 21 months, during which you pay zero interest on the purchases you make.
• The ‘buy now, pay later’ services can allow you to break your purchase into smaller installments, sometimes with zero interest. The companies who provide this service partner with jewelers and are worth considering.
• Some jewelers offer payment plans that include low or zero interest promotional periods but high interest rates, after the period ends.
• Well-qualified borrowers can get a low interest rate on a personal loan that can be used to buy an engagement ring. These loans provide a lump sum amount of money that can be repaid in monthly installments.

Also Read: 3 Month Salary Rule for Engagement Rings

Shopping engagement rings can be a daunting task, both financially and emotionally. The final decision must be based on the you and your partner’s choice after careful consideration of all the aspects of the ring. The above-mentioned suggestions would help you in taking one of the most important decisions of your life.  And don’t forget to dive into our engagement ring buying guide for more tips and tricks to help you find your perfect token of love.