This is a guide for someone looking for the engagement ring of their dreams, not necessarily for the bargain shopper but a guide to help your money go further and to make the experience easy, interesting and even a little fun.
An engagement ring is one of the major purchases in your life. It is important that you find something that stands the test of time and gives you pleasure every time you look at it. Choosing the right quality ring can mean a lifetime of joy, even future generations can enjoy it too – wouldn’t this represent excellent value for you?
It is not necessarily the amount you spend or the size of stone as most people think but the quality of engagement ring that maximises your investment and makes your dollar go furthest.
The old adage quality lives on long after the price is forgotten is definitely something to keep in mind when shopping for that special ring.
Yes, a lot of people think size is important when it comes to a diamond but if the diamond is poor quality why would you even want to amplify it? This why quality is imperative when choosing the perfect ring.
With this in mind, I will teach you how to get the best for your money.
Another important thing to keep in mind is that the price of a ring should be divided over the many years it’s worn. Not necessarily how many months pay check should be accumulated. A great quality ring should become an heirloom.
It’s great to start with your favourite shape of stone as this commands the style and shape of your setting and the overall design.
Consider your budget, once you know what you’re looking for in a ring, how are you going to pay for it. Credit, interest free finance, lay-by or cold hard cash. most jewellers will accept all these facilities.
DIAMONDS
The most concentrated form of wealth on the planet. Made purely of carbon and created in the earth over millions to billions of years.
“A diamond is forever” why? It is the hardest substance on the planet – what could be a better choice to stand the test of time in an engagement ring?
Beauty, another key reason the diamond is by far the most popular choice of stone for an engagement ring, this wonderful gemstone can emit the most brilliance and sparkle out of all the gemstones.
Surely this is why diamonds are a girls best friend!
Diamonds are graded based on the 4 c’s – cut, colour, clarity and carat weight. The best aspect of the scale is opinion based and like a great marriage it is the best compromise of all the features which results in the most beautiful diamond.
Starting at D in the alphabet, which represents colourless, diamonds gradually tint and eventually become a poor brown colour. It is best to stay in the top 5 white colour grades when considering a white diamond D colour through to H. Have a look below at this helpful diamond grading scale.
Coloured diamonds
If you find white diamond to be too common and you know she wants some unique colour in her engagement ring, your budget can stretch far enough then maybe a coloured diamond is the choice for you. They are the rarest of the rare and known to be 100 times the price of white diamond, they are the priceless Argyle Australian pink diamond. With only a teaspoon amount found annually in the Western Australian Argyle mine, the gorgeous and elusive pink diamond is in huge demand throughout the world, it is very challenging to supply this demand.
These rare Earth treasures can b easily fetch upwards of 1 million dollars for a 1ct sized stone! You can see why the celebrities favour coloured diamond engagement rings! A pink diamond in a lighter colour, suitable for an engagement ring can start around the $30,000 mark.
Other Australian coloured diamonds can include the exceptional “ray of sunshine” Ellendale yellow diamond, mined near Australia’s Northern Territory.
They can compare in price to the white diamond and beyond based on colour intensity and clarity of the stone.
Clarity
So why is clarity so important I hear you say. How could something so small affect the price of a diamond. The clarity can be the difference between a crushed ice looking diamond to a stone that literally appears like a “star” visually. From flawless through to a fracture filled gem it is more important to consider a better clarity diamond than it is a larger size of stone. A smaller diamond of better quality can actually appear larger visually.
A poor clarity diamond can hinder that gorgeous fire coming from within the diamond and not to mention a visible fracture or carbon spot front and centre in your diamond can affect intrinsic value forever.
So diamond is by far the most popular.
The great thing about a lot of diamonds is that they are graded by these 4 attributes, most will even come with its own certificate displaying these grades qualities.
Cut
One of the more important features of the “4 C’s” is the cut of diamond. Often neglected when choosing a diamond the cut grade of a diamond can tell you a lot about your stone. What shape, how well cut it is, how symmetrical, how proportionate it is to the next diamond and most importantly how well polished your diamond is.
A great laboratory that grades all this is the GIA or Gemmological association of America. They are known to be the most stringent laboratory and by choosing a GIA certificate with your diamond you can have peace of mind that the diamond is reputably sourced and conflict free.
Carat weight
The least important feature of the 4 C’s in comparison I feel is the carat weight. A carat of diamond/s is represented with 100 points. This is the measurement of diamond weight and one carat of diamond is one fifth of a gram. Size of the diamond seems important to a lot of people however as aforementioned the quality gives the most impact when choosing the perfect engagement ring. A large diamond can be striking however a small top quality stone can resemble a glowing star. A great compromise of both these features will give you something to treasure forever.
Coloured gemstones
With diamond so popular, it can tend to over shadow the fact the coloured gems can be incredibly beautiful when used in an engagement ring. A poor colour white diamond, seemingly tinted is often best replaced by purchasing a coloured gemstone instead. Let’s not forget Princess Kate’s exquisite blue sapphire and diamond engagement ring. The great thing also with sapphire is that it is next hardest after diamond and it comes in virtually every colour of the rainbow.
What’s your favourite colour of gemstone?
It is important when choosing a coloured gemstone for an engagement ring that the durability of the gemstone is suitable for wearing every day in an engagement ring. Your jeweller should tell you if the particular stone is too soft for this situation as some gemstones are too brittle or soft and can abrade over time or even fracture and can also be hard to clean. Moh’s scale of hardness is a chart relied upon in the Gemmological industry and can tell you where a particular gem sits in relation to its hardness to diamond which sits at the top, at number ten for hardness. Sapphire is next hardest at number 9.
Some gemstones are cut in relation to their natural crystal shape. This can determine what shape or cut your
favourite gemstone will be. For instance the “emerald cut” is ideal for emerald as it was designed to display the gorgeous even green colour of an emerald and is the most suitable cut for this long cylindrical crystal found in the earth.
18ct white gold handmade oval cut sapphire and diamond engagement ring.
THERE IS MORE TO GOLD THAN JUST GOLD
18 ct carat gold is the alloy I would recommend for an engagement ring. This is available in yellow, white or rose colour and is a fine quality standard of material for an engagement ring. Although all precious metals used in the jewellery trade are relatively soft, this standard of gold alloy is the best choice in relation to wear and is still a beautiful coloured precious metal that stands up to day to day wear and tear. Maintenance is always recommended however to make sure claws and stones are secured and clean and the metal is looking it’s very best. The White coloured precious metal seems to be most fashionable these days although pink gold (also known as rose gold, red gold) has been increasingly popular again.
Another white precious metal includes platinum. Like gold, platinum is an element and is sometimes alloyed with non precious metals for extra strength. It behaves differently to gold in relation to wear and is often used in settings for its strength and durability. Platinums polish diminishes more quickly than white gold but doesn’t require rhodium plating like white gold. (rhodium is the precious white plating all white gold must have to make it look nice and white) therefore the benefits of platinum to white gold are much of a muchness when considering maintenance on an engagement ring.
SETTING AND STYLE
It is your choice for setting style. A claw set stone can allow light throughout the stone to show off a vibrant coloured gemstone or beautiful brilliance of a diamond. Like the ring below.
Claw settings can be 4 or 6 claw depending on the shape of the stone. The more claws in the design, naturally the more security of the stone. Less claws for instance the 4 claw setting can give the design simplicity.
A bezel style setting surrounding a gemstone like emerald can help protect the gemstone from light knocks. A bezel can help frame the stone to make it the “hero” of your engagement ring.
Would you like small stones on your engagement ring band? This can be a way to enhance the overall design and compliment the centre stone.
HOW YOU CAN SAVE MONEY WITH THESE SIMPLE TIPS
1. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY – a better quality stone will appear bigger in comparison to the same sized poor quality stone.
2. THE STONE CARAT WEIGHT Choose a diamond just below the whole number eg 0.96cts instead of 1.00ct. This can be substantially less money than that perfect 1.00ct weight but appear virtually identical in dimensions. You will also pay more for a while weight due to supply and demand.
3. THE SHAPE OF DIAMOND other than the round brilliant cut, known as a fancy cut will save you money as there’s not as much waste age when the diamond is cut from the crystal. Eg square princess cut, cushion cut or oval cut diamonds.
4. SETTING STYLE
can substantially enhance size of the stone so you can focus on a better quality stone. Choose a 6 claw or bezel setting. This will frame the stone and dramatically improve its presence.
5. BAND STYLE
Tapering the engagement ring band smaller towards the setting helps enhance the size of the stone but more importantly lets the centre stone be the “hero” and focus of the design.
HANDMADE VS MASS PRODUCED JEWELLERY
Handmade jewellery is produced by working the metal into shape using traditional tools to bend, hammer, saw, file and polish. Custom jewellery is often designed and made this way. This is the best way to ensure the quality and consistency of the metal strength and settings.
Jewellery created this way has much better durability and longevity. It will also usually be more structural and wear resistant. Jewellery created this way will also allow for custom design and adjustment at any stage of its creation.
Mass produced jewellery is often an imitation of the original handmade and traditional version. It is cast and is cheaper to purchase but not always great for longevity. It often can become expensive in the future to repair or replace if not looked after particularly well.
QUESTIONS TO ANSWER BEFORE YOU GO SHOPPING
1. What is your budget? How are you paying?
2. What stone colour and shape would you both prefer ?
3. What colour precious metal would she prefer? What has she worn before?
4. What style setting would she love eg claw or bezel? Is it practical for her lifestyle?
5. Is the perfect ring you choose going to last a lifetime?