Engagement Rings: A Basic Guide
This article is for all the grooms-to-be out there. Finding the right engagement ring for the woman you love can be a pretty overwhelming task, even if she has already accepted your wedding proposal. The engagement ring is not just a symbol of your love; it’s also an investment into your future together. Since this is one of the most important and expensive purchases you will make in your life, you need to keep several considerations in mind when you shop for the engagement ring.
Do research
Before you start shopping for a wedding ring, educate yourself on the basics of engagements rings and diamonds. Know the terminology, learn the four C’s of diamond quality as well as how to tell the difference between shapes, settings, and types of engagement rings. This will make shopping easier.
If you aren’t familiar with your fiancee’s tastes in jewelry, I suggest that you bring her mother or her best friend when you go shopping for engagement rings.
Budget
Determine how much you can spend on your engagement ring. Keep in mind that you might also have to shoulder part of the wedding cost, the honeymoon costs, not to mention a life together. Do not go into debt for the ring before you meet your other expenses.
Find a jeweler
Find a trustworthy and reputable jeweler who will help you choose your engagement ring. Ask your family , friends, or fiancee’s friends for recommendations, or start with a local jeweler who has a long, credible history.
Choose the metal
Engagement rings come in either yellow gold, white gold, or platinum. Yellow gold is used for most engagement and wedding rings. 24-karat gold rings are pure gold, while 18-karat gold rings are 1/4. The higher the karat, the more prone to damage it becomes as the metal is soft and flexible. White gold has the same standards as yellow gold, but they have a silver-like finish. The finish wears off easily and needs to be reapplied. Platinum is considered to be rarer than gold and is the strongest of all the three metals. It is also the most expensive.
Choose a setting
Although the different kinds of engagement ring settings might make your head spin, you can familiarize yourself with the more common ones.
A solitaire engagement ring is made up of a single, elegant diamond that come in different shapes (round, heart, marquise, oval), settings (bezel, channel, flush, tiffany) and sizes.
Accent stone settings has a diamond ring surrounded by several small stones that embellish the ring band. The accent stones are usually set in channels to protect them from damage.
Bridal sets are engagement rings that come with matching wedding bands. Usually, the wedding bands are made up of solid gold with a matching solitaire engagement ring. Most bridal set engagement rings cannot be worn without the wedding band, and it’s fairly common for them to be soldered before the wedding.
Continue reading here: Ethical Wedding Jewelry: Jewelmer Pearls
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