Engagement Ring Shopping In 12 Practical Steps

Have you found the woman of your dreams; the beginning to your end; the yin to your yang; the sun to your moon? Now, it is time for you to pop the question, but first: engagement ring shopping!

It is said that the best way to any lady’s heart is through an adorable ring. Therefore, getting your engagement ring shopping right is non-negotiable. Moreover, she will wear that engagement ring every day for life. So, the least the ring should do is to make her heart sing.

While you just want to make it a special day of love, there is still no room for mistakes. Hence, having a plan for your engagement ring shopping is always a good idea. However, many intending grooms out there cannot figure out the right way to shop for the perfect engagement rings. 

Are you planning to buy a diamond engagement ring? Here are 12 practical tips that will ease you through the process and get you the best ring out there. 

1. Get Familiar With The 4Cs

Our first tip when shopping for an engagement ring is to get familiar with the 4Cs. Do you know what the Color, Cut, Clarity, and Carat Weight of any diamond engagement ring mean? 

GIA created the 4Cs as the universal standard for measuring the quality of diamonds. Since most engagement rings use diamonds, the 4Cs will help you distinguish a bad diamond from a good one.

Here are the 4Cs and what they stand for briefly:

• Color

There is a D-to-Z diamond color scale that grades how much a diamond lacks color. You rarely find a diamond that has less color.

• Cut

This C rates the quality of a diamond’s cut and how its cut affects its light reflection.

• Clarity

The name says it all. The diamond clarity checks to ensure there are no inclusions and blemishes on the diamond you want to use.

• Carat Weight

Finally, you need to know the size of the diamond and the carat weight checks that for you.

Now that you know what the 4Cs stand for, find out which of the Cs is most important to your bride-to-be. By drawing up your scale of preference in the 4Cs, you can quickly narrow down your search. Take out every diamond that will not interest your bride-to-be using the 4Cs’ ratings.

Moreover, you’re wrong if you think the 4Cs are not worth your time. These 4Cs represent the universal description of the quality of every ring’s diamond. Being familiar with this description makes shopping for an engagement ring come with conviction.

2. Know The Difference Between A Diamond’s Cutting Style, Cut Quality, And Shape

Here is a golden rule. Avoid shopping for an engagement ring without knowing the difference between a diamond’s cutting style, cut quality, and shape. 

• The Diamond’s Shape

The shape is the frame you see when you look at it face up.  The most common diamond shape out there is the round shape. But, that’s not the only shape. There are other fancy shapes like the heart, oval, marquise, pear, square, and rectangle.

• The Diamond’s Cutting Style 

The cutting style refers to the arrangement of the diamond’s facets.  The most popular facet arrangement for the most popular shape (round) is the standard brilliant cutting style. This shape and cutting style comes with a specific arrangement of 58 facets.  

There are other cutting styles like the emerald cut. This cut comes in a square or rectangular shape. Its arrangement features four longer facets on the sides known as step cuts and beveled edges.  Also, there is the radiant cut diamond with a square or rectangular shape, but with a brilliant cutting style.

• The Diamond’s Cut Quality

When we consider the cut quality, we imply how well a diamond’s facets reflect light. For the cut quality, diamonds cut in the same shape and style can vary in certain ways. These include their table size, symmetry, polish, and girdle thickness. You can see the difference when you vie them face up.

Overall, this might sound boring and too technical. Still, you must consider all of these details when you’re ring shopping.

3. Select The Right Metal For The Band

Your choice of metal for your engagement ring band has a great influence on the overall look of the ring. Therefore, your engagement ring shopping will be rendered useless if you fail to select the right metal for the band.

For your options, platinum and white gold are very popular choices. These two metal options create the sleekest and most modern appearance on an engagement ring. In addition, they work perfectly with diamonds graded in the colorless to near-colorless ranges. 

These metal options elegantly intensify the diamond’s colorlessness. When you set any of these diamonds in yellow prongs, the diamond gets a more yellowish look.

Furthermore, if your bride-to-be is a fan of the gold color, consider rose gold. It is no coincidence that it is trending. The rose gold gives off a warm and delicate look. This metal option was a famous pick for engagement rings from the Retro era between 1935 and the 1950s.

4. Decide What Setting To Use

When shopping for an engagement ring, keep in mind that the setting is how the diamond will be clutched. There are two tasks the setting takes on with engagement rings. The setting highlights the grace of the diamond, and it also protects it from any defect. More so, the degree of protection offered by each setting varies.

Below are three popular types of settings you should consider when ring shopping:

• The Prong Setting

Here, a diamond is fastened with four to six prongs serving as narrow metal supports. Most times, prong setting securing a single stone is called a “solitaire.” 

Meanwhile, there are numerous variations to the prong setting. There is the cathedral setting with slopes from each prong extending into the band. to protect the diamond better.

• The Bezel Setting

The bezel setting hammers or pushes a thin metal strip around the diamond or gemstone to hold it in place. This setting style delivers terrific protection for the center stone.

• The Halo Setting 

The halo setting encircles the center stone with tiny diamonds. With the halo setting, you can add extra sparkle when shopping for an engagement ring. Plus, the halo setting makes the center stone appear bigger.

5. Side Stones Are Always Adorable Additions 

Adding side stones during your engagement ring shopping is a fascinating way to add elegance to that engagement ring. Trust side stones to add that sprinkle of charm and create a refined look.

Thinking of side stone choices you can try? Either channel or pavé set diamonds along the shank of the ring will be great additions. You can also try diamond baguettes on either side of the centerpiece or try colored gems in any number of layouts. 

Finally, it is best to get diamond side stones that complete the center stone. Adding side stones that grade close to the center diamond in color, clarity and cut will be terrific.

6. Check Out That Diamond Under Different Lighting Conditions

The appearance of every diamond in an engagement ring differs depending on the lighting conditions. The appearance of a diamond under daylight conditions will differ from how it appears under candlelight conditions.

This difference is caused by the diamond’s facets. These facets are like small mirrors. They reflect their environment. A slight movement can cause the facets to reflect light onto each other. This situation reproduces captivating twinkles of light and color. 

So, when shopping for an engagement ring, be sure to check it out under at least four different lighting conditions. Consider the way it appears before making a choice.

Additionally, we recommend considering where your bride-to-be will wear her engagement ring most. Whatever diamond engagement ring you choose must reflect well in such a setting.

7. Go For Sparkle And Size When Shopping For An Engagement Ring

When diamonds have the same color and clarity grades, the cut decides the stone’s sparkle. Go for a GIA cut grade of “Excellent” or “Very Good” for a round brilliant diamond that sparkles. 

In addition, keep in mind that the more diamonds on an engagement ring, the more sparkle it produces. Why then would you not consider adding diamond side stones?

As for the size, here are two ways to go for size when shopping for an engagement ring:

• Go for an illusion setting where the diamond is set in a head made of fluted white metal. This setting will make the diamond appear the size of the whole head.
• Cluster setting where you place many small diamonds of the same size next to one another also helps. This strategy maximizes sparkle and offers the illusion of a larger-sized single diamond piece. It doesn’t look anything like the melee diamonds used to create it.

8. Your Engagement Ring Shopping Should Focus On Her Style Not Yours

She is the one expected to wear this engagement ring all her life. So, this is not the time to put your tastes ahead. You should be focused on finding out what style she prefers and you can just go ahead and ask her. 

However, that might not be an option for you if you want it to be a surprise. Thankfully, there are other ways you can find out her preference. 

You can start by observing what style of jewelry she wears most often and her preferred color metal. Also, you can ask her best friend. She might have a Pinterest board where she created her dream engagement rings or jewelry. You might not know that; but, chances are that her friend knows already. 

Another way to find out is by going jewelry shopping together. There, you can pay attention to what she loves about a particular piece of jewelry.

9. Find Out Her Ring Size Before Ring Shopping

Shopping for an engagement ring without knowing your sweetheart’s ring size is a looming failure. However, you have to do this subtly. The following tips will help. 

When you’re sure she’s out, borrow one of her rings and trace the inner circle on a piece of paper. You can also press the ring into a bar of soap to create an impression. Another way to do this is to slide it down one of your fingers and mark the exact point it stops. 

With any of these, a jeweler can easily figure out her ring size.

10. Engagement Ring Shopping Should Have A Budget

Do not continue to follow the myth of spending three months’ salary on an engagement ring. This myth dates back to the 1950s and has long become stale. Plus, we have a far better tip for you.

Start by understanding the 4Cs properly. Then, do some comparison shopping based on the 4Cs to pick out an engagement ring that fits your budget. Eventually, it doesn’t matter how much you spend. It is how much love the ring symbolizes that matters.

11. Ensure You Get A Diamond Grading Report

When shopping for an engagement ring, ensure you get a diamond grading report. This report provides you with the specific qualities the diamond possesses. With the report, you can get rid of any uncertainty before making your buying decision.

12. Work On An Insurance For That Engagement Ring

As soon as you find an engagement ring that will make your significant other’s heart sing, get it insured. With insurance, you would get reasonable compensation should the ring ever be lost or stolen.

Meanwhile, you can’t get insurance without a diamond grading report because an insurer will ask for it. So, you see why a diamond grading report is important.

Bonus Shopping Tip: Have You Chosen A Jeweler?

An engagement ring is not a cheap bargain. So having a jeweler you can trust will do you a lot of good. A jeweler with credentials from authorities like GIA is a great idea. But, that doesn’t mean that GIA is the yardstick for choosing a jeweler. 

Overall, choose a jeweler you can trust. For residents of Boca Raton and beyond, Diamonds By Raymond Lee is your best choice for your engagement ring shopping.