7 Tips for Picking the Perfect Engagement Ring

By Tess DiNapoli

Photo Credit: TranStudios Photography & Video from Pexels

Shopping for an engagement ring can be daunting especially when there are so many options to choose from. For the nervous proposers who don’t know where to begin, don’t worry, just follow these steps and you’re sure to find something they’ll love.

7 Tips for Picking the Perfect Engagement Ring

1. Decide on a Budget

There are several online articles out there that will give you ridiculous advice on setting a budget. For example, “spend 2-3 months of your salary”, “save XYZ% from your monthly income for a year” and so on and so forth. To be honest, you don’t need to get a second mortgage on your house to pay for a good engagement ring. Most of these guides and popular methods for calculating budgets are curated by diamond sellers as marketing gimmicks.

A good way to start setting a budget is to consider your current financial situation along with any specific preferences for a ring your fiancé-to-be may have. Planning a wedding is an expensive ordeal as is, so purchase an engagement ring that you can afford and doesn’t add to your financial stress and anxiety.

2. Match Her Style

It’s easy to get caught up in engagement ring trends or fixate on those seen on celebrities. Though it’s good to get inspiration, at the end of the day an engagement ring should be timeless, classic, and something that your fiancé-to-be will want to wear forever.

The best way to go about this is by finding an engagement ring that matches her style. Talk to her friends and family, sneak a peek at her current jewelry collection, and maybe just pick up on context cues when trying to figure out what she may like. Is her style more minimal or does she like to stand out? Is most of her jewelry made of yellow gold or silver? Does she gravitate more towards modern or vintage designs? Maybe your significant other has already spoken about the kinds of rings she likes.

3. Understand the 4 C’s of Diamonds

If you’ve ever been ring shopping or accompanied someone who has, you’ve probably heard of the 4 C’s — cut, color, clarity, and carat. All of these attributes are important in choosing an engagement ring that aligns with your vision and budget.

Photo Credit: Peter Huang from Pexels

Cut:
This is the quality of angles, facets, finishing details, and proportions. There are three categories of diamond cuts — shallow, ideal, and deep cut. Shallow and deep-cut diamonds allow light to escape, which makes them lose value, sparkle, and appeal. Make sure you pay attention to a diamond’s cut (not to be confused for shape) as that will have the greatest impact on its overall look.

Color:
This refers to how colorless the diamond is — the less color the better but also the more expensive. We’d recommend not focusing too much on this factor if you’re on a tighter budget. To the naked eye, the color grading won’t be as noticeable as the cut or the carat of the diamond. Opt for a diamond in the nearly colorless range of G-I as it’ll most likely appear just as colorless as diamonds in the D-F range but will cost significantly less.

Clarity:
This measures the density of imperfections with the highest grade being “flawless”. Again, there is no need to overspend or fixate on this factor as it won’t make much of a difference to the overall look of the diamond. Our recommendation would be opting for a VS1 or VS2 Clarity as it offers the best value for your money and has no noticeable imperfections.

Carat:
Finally, the most popular factor is a diamond’s carat. This refers to the weight of the diamond. Once you’ve determined your budget as well as the other 3 C’s, find the largest carat diamond that fits your criteria. Bonus tip: If carats are important to your fiancé, you can get more carats for a better price if you pick an alternate shape (marquise tends to be cheaper). No matter what diamond you choose, do not forget to get a diamond grading report!

4. Select a Shape

Diamond shapes are commonly confused with diamond cuts, however, they are two separate factors. If you happen to know the shape of the diamond your fiancé likes, you can narrow down your options a lot faster. Diamonds come in a wide variety of shapes, including round, princess, cushion cut, emerald, marquise, and many more.

Round diamonds tend to be on the more expensive side while marquise diamonds are more inexpensive. Before going on your hunt to buy an engagement ring, study up on diamond shapes and have one or two favorites in mind.

Photo Credit: Esther Tuttle on Unsplash

5. Choose a Metal for the Band

As previously mentioned, you must understand your partner’s style especially when it comes to picking a metal for the ring’s band. If most of her jewelry is silver, choose a white gold or platinum band. On the other hand, if she likes wearing more gold, choose a yellow gold band. If neither works for you, try something more modern and alternative like rose gold.

If you’re contemplating between white gold and platinum, we’d recommend going for white gold as it’s less expensive, looks nearly identical, and is easier to maintain. Keep in mind that gold is graded based on its alloy composition and the popular choice of gold tends to be 14K gold (rather than 18K) as it’s less expensive but looks pretty much the same.

6. Browse Different Setting Designs

There are countless ways a stone can be set in the ring like a halo design, vintage design, solitaire design, and more. When choosing a setting, consider your future fiancé’s personality as well as her lifestyle. If she leads a very active lifestyle, a bezel or flush setting would work best as the stone is less likely to scratch her skin by accident.

For someone who loves all things vintage, opt for a vintage-inspired engagement ring design. Do your research and talk to the people closest to your soon-to-be fiancé to figure out what they’ll like best!

7. Get the Right Measurements

This may seem like an obvious tip but if you want to keep the proposal a secret, the ring’s measurements are the hardest thing to get right! A great way to subtly get her measurements is to borrow a ring she already owns and trace its inner circle on a piece of paper, or slide it down one of your fingers and draw a line where it stops. You can then use these markings and ask your jeweler to estimate her ring size. If you happen to get a ring that’s too big or too small, don’t fret you can always get it re-sized!

With all of this information in mind, you should be able to start looking at different engagement ring options for your future fiancé!

Author Bio: Tess DiNapoli is an artist, freelance writer, and content strategist. She has a passion for yoga and often writes about health and wellness, but she also enjoys covering the fashion industry and the world of fitness.

Did you try any of these tips for picking the perfect engagement ring? Do you have any other tips you’d like to share? Let us know in the comments below!