How to Shop for Luxury Engagement Rings in 6 steps

The time has finally come and you’re planning to Shop for Luxury engagement rings. And make a beautiful proposal that’s unique to your relationship. Buying an engagement ring for your other half may be the most important buy of your life. It goes without saying that you should choose something they’ll love. After all, they’ll be wearing it for years to come. Our six-step guide to Shop for Luxury engagement rings breaks it down. All the steps you should take to ensure that you pick the right ring. From setting a budget, choosing a stone, and finding out her ring size, covers everything. If you’re still unsure, why not schedule a free consultation.  One of our dedicated advisors will help you shop for Luxury engagement rings.

Here is your six-step guide to Shop for Luxury Engagement Rings

Step One: Know the 4Cs

The first tip to Shop for Luxury engagement rings is to know the 4Cs: Color, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight. Created by GIA, the 4Cs are the global standard for assessing the quality of diamonds. And also allow you to compare one diamond to another.

In brief, the 4Cs are:

• Color: D-to-Z diamond color grades rate a diamond’s lack of color. Diamonds with less color are rarer.
• Cut: The quality of a diamond’s cut determines how well it unleashes its light.
• Clarity: Diamond clarity refers to the absence of inclusions and blemishes.
• Carat Weight: Diamond carat weight determines a diamond’s clear size.

Once you understand what the 4Cs mean, the next step is to ask yourself “What is the most important C to me?” Prioritizing the 4Cs will help you drop some diamonds from your search. And also zero in on ones that will thrill your bride-to-be.

Understanding the 4Cs is worth your time. It is the universal language to describe diamond quality. Understanding this empowers you to buy a diamond engagement ring with confidence.

Step Two: Understand the difference between diamond shapes, diamond cutting styles, and diamond cut quality

Before you Shop for Luxury engagement rings. You should know the difference between a diamond’s cutting style and its cut quality. Shape describes a diamond’s outline when viewed face-up. By far, the most popular diamond shape is round. But there are other shapes—known as fancy shapes. Which include the marquise, pear, oval, rectangle, square, and heart.

Cutting style refers to how the diamond’s facets are arranged. For instance, the facet arrangement for round diamonds is standard brilliant cutting style. Along with a specific arrangement of 57 or 58 facets. Other cutting styles include the emerald cut. 

Which is a square or rectangular shape that is categorized by four longer facets.  And it’s along the sides and beveled corners. A radiant cut diamond also has a square or rectangular shape but is cut in a brilliant style.

Cut quality refers to how well a diamond’s facets interact with light. Diamonds cut in the same shape and style can vary in table size, girdle thickness, polish, and symmetry. These differences have an effect on their face-up appearances and impact cut quality.

Step Three: Pick a metal for the band

Before you Shop for Luxury engagement rings, the type of metal you pick affects the look of the piece. White gold and platinum have been popular for many years, and both make for a sleek, modern look. They are good choices for diamonds graded in colorless to near-colorless ranges. Which is–D through J on the GIA color scale—as they highlight the diamond’s colorlessness. Setting these diamonds in yellow prongs would cause it to look yellowish.

If you love gold, consider that white prongs or bezels are integrated into yellow gold bands. To create contrast with the diamond. Rose gold is trending, has a warm and soothing appearance. And also was a popular choice for engagement rings from the Retro era.

Here is some important information on these metals:

1. Platinum

It is a gray-white metal that is elegant, durable, and corrosion-resistant. Because platinum is soft in its pure state. It is alloyed with other metals such as iridium, ruthenium and cobalt, the most popular alloys in the U.S. 

The U.S. Federal Trade Commission states that only 950 platinum can be marked.  And have settings with 90% or 85% platinum that must be marked: e.g., 850Plat or 850Pt. Settings that contain 50% to 80% platinum must also include the percentage of each alloy (e.g., 800 Pt. 200 Ir., for platinum alloyed with iridium). Platinum is generally more expensive than gold. But it is also hypoallergenic and more durable.

2. Gold

It has been used in jewelry for thousands of years. It is enchanting because of its color, rarity, and luster. Like platinum, pure gold is soft, so it is alloyed with other metals. 

Karat is the term used to state gold’s fineness, which is based on 24 parts. Gold that is 75% pure—18K gold—is 18 parts gold and six parts an alloying metal. The most popular karatage in the U.S.—14K gold—is 14 parts gold and 10 parts another metal.

– Rose gold is usually made by alloying gold with copper and silver. Companies closely guard their special blends. Rose gold is usually more durable than yellow gold, and is said to complement any skin tone.

– White gold is made by alloying pure gold with white metals such as palladium or silver. It is a beautiful and durable choice for engagement rings. Note, however, that white gold is usually plated with rhodium. It’s plated for a better shine and to protect against scratching. This can wear away over time, requiring re-plating.

3. Sterling silver

It is often used in jewelry but rarely in engagement rings. This is because it is not the most durable of metals and tarnishes over time. It is also comparatively soft. Sterling silver is an alloy of 925 parts (92.5%) silver and 75 parts (7.5%) copper or other metal (usually nickel or zinc).

Step Four: Choose the setting

When you need to Shop for Luxury engagement rings, a diamond is held in place by a setting. The setting has two jobs: to highlight the beauty of the diamond, and to protect it from damage. Different settings offer different degrees of protection.

Here are three common types of settings:

• Prong: A diamond is held in place with four to six prongs (narrow metal supports). When prongs are used to secure a single stone, the ring is often called a “solitaire.” There are many variations to the prong setting. Much like the cathedral setting, which has slopes extending into the band from each prong.  To further protect the diamond.
• Bezel: For this engagement ring setting style, a thin metal strip is pushed. Or it is hammered around the gem to hold it in place. The bezel setting provides excellent protection for the center stone.
• Halo: Tiny diamonds encircle the center stone. A halo can add more sparkle to an engagement ring and make the center stone look larger.

Step Five: Pick side stones

Side stones are a dazzling way to dress up an engagement ring. They bring a dash of elegance, creating a look that’s simply sophisticated. Popular choices include channel or pavé set diamonds. Which is along the shank of the ring, diamond baguettes on either side of the center stone. And colored gems in any number of configurations. If you want diamond side stones that complement the center stone. Choose ones that grade close to the center diamond in color, clarity, and cut.

Step Six: Look at a diamond under different lighting conditions

Daylight, candlelight, fluorescent lighting, or spotlighting. If you have to Shop for Luxury engagement rings. Keep in mind that a diamond looks very different under various lighting conditions. The reason: A diamond’s facets act like tiny mirrors, reflecting their surroundings. Any movement causes the facets to reflect light onto each other, producing mesmerizing flashes of light and color. When you have to Shop for Luxury engagement rings, be sure to look at it under these four different lighting conditions to see how it performs:

• An environment where spot lighting is not overwhelming
• Diffused lighting—fluorescent lights that bounce light off a white ceiling are best
• A mixed lighting environment of spot and diffused lighting
• Natural daylight – directly under the sun, or under the dappled shade of a tree that breaks up the diamond’s light into thousands of slivers

Also consider where your bride-to-be will wear her engagement ring most. You’ll want to choose a diamond engagement ring that performs best in this environment.

BONUS TIPS

Pick a ring that suits your partner

An engagement ring is intended to be worn everyday for life. It should make the wearer’s heart sing. That said, it’s time to put your own tastes aside and find out what style she prefers. The easiest way is to ask them, but if you want to protect the element of surprise there are other ways of finding out:

• Observe. What style jewelry does she wear most often? What color metal?
• Ask their best friend. You may have created a Pinterest board of her dream engagement rings or jewelry. If she hasn’t shared it with you, chances are she has with her friend.
• Go shopping for jewelry together. Pay attention to what draws her to a particular piece of jewelry.

Her style might be classic if she has a refined look and loves to surround herself with things that have an old-world elegance. Engagement rings featuring a single rectangular-shaped diamond or a round diamond faceted in the brilliant style are timeless choices that would probably suit her style.

Know her ring size

When you need to Shop for Luxury engagement rings, but don’t know your beloved’s ring size, here are a few tips on how to (subtly) get it. Wait till she’s out of the room and then borrow a ring she owns and trace the inner circle on a piece of paper, or press the ring into a bar of soap and make an impression. You can also slide it down one of your fingers and draw a line where it stops. A jeweler can use these measurements to estimate her ring size. There are other ways to determine her ring size if she doesn’t wear rings.

Decide how much to spend

The bottom line: Spend as much as you think is appropriate.

We’ve debunked common diamond engagement ring myths before, and here’s a good place to debunk them again. The myth of spending three months’ salary on an engagement ring dates back to the 1950s and doesn’t have much merit. Here’s a far better tip: Properly understand the 4Cs, do some comparison shopping and find an engagement ring that fits your budget. In the end, it’s not how much you spend, but how much love the ring represents.

Pick a jeweler

Since an engagement ring is an expensive purchase, you’ll want to buy it from a jeweler you can trust (Diamonds by Raymond Lee). Tip – start by looking for a jeweler who has earned a credential from an accredited school like GIA. The GIA Retailer Look Up can help you find retailers who carry GIA-graded diamonds or have GIA-trained staff.

Reminder: Keep in mind Your Proposal Timeline

While this is not necessarily a step in the engagement ring shopping process, it is important to note that it is important to be mindful of your proposal timeline if you need to Shop for Luxury engagement rings. 

If you plan on proposing to your partner during a previously scheduled vacation or event, you need a clear engagement ring delivery timeline to ensure you will indeed have an engagement ring with which to propose. Engagement ring customizations are a brilliant way to create a unique engagement ring that will scream effort to your partner, but customizations take time to execute, so you need to plan accordingly. 

Diamonds by Raymond Lee Has got your back

Despite any secretive arrangements you have planned for your proposal, you are not on this engagement ring shopping journey alone. At Diamonds by Raymond Lee, we have spent years helping grooms, brides, and couples Shop for Luxury engagement rings and wedding band stacks. Our sales specialists are equipped with the knowledge and expertise to ask the right questions, set you in the right direction, and ensure that you create a ring with which you are proud and confident to present to your partner.