Valentine’s Day is only a few weeks away, so that means romance is on everyone’s minds. For some of you, it might also mean taking your relationship to the next level and getting engaged. Have you been thinking about getting engaged to your special someone? Many couples find that Valentine’s is the perfect time of year to commit to each other for the rest of their lives. If you’re one of them this year, then you’re surely excited to get engaged and promise to love each other forever.
Of course, you want to make sure there’s some sizzle factor when you do it. We’ve written before on the Birkat blog about some of the best ways to propose, but all the best intentions and right preparations in the world won’t amount to much if you don’t get one other important factor right. Yes, I’m talking about the ring. I cannot stress this enough: you can’t miss on the ring; it has to be perfect.
Our female readers already know that, of course. Actually, even our male readers should know as much. Some of them might find themselves a little bit confused when it comes to picking out the ring, though. That’s OK, but they need to overcome that problem before they start shopping. Lucky for them, Jewellery Monthly came up with some excellent tips to empower you to shop for the right engagement ring, and we’ve added some thoughts of our own to their best pointers. Read on to learn up on what you should consider when making one of the most important purchases of your life.
- Figure out your budget. The classic thinking is that two months’ worth of salary is the right amount to pay for an engagement ring. That may be right, for some people. But everyone has different incomes, expenses and lifestyles, so it’s impossible to make a sweeping statement about what the right budget is for every man. Yes, you want to get the most beautiful ring that you’re able to, but make sure you actually are able to get the huge rock you have your eye on. Figure out what you can afford before you worry about anything else. Once you set your price range, then you’ll be able to go about picking out a gorgeous ring that fits into it.
- Think about stone shape. As women know and men should, not all rings are the same. One of the key differences is the shape of the stone, and everyone has different preferences as to which shapes they want on their rings. There are many different shapes to choose from: oval diamonds, marquise diamonds, emerald cuts, princess cuts, trilliants, round brilliant diamonds, and on and on and on. Think about what shape will best suit your special someone to narrow down your search.
- Consider metal type. Gentlemen, take a look at what’s in her jewelry box right now. Is there lots of yellow gold? Platinum? Rose gold? Silver? Every woman has different preferences when it comes to metal types, and looking at what she currently owns is a great way to figure out what she might like in an engagement ring. Keep in mind that price will vary depending on metal type, with platinum costing the most and silver the least. (Ladies, if you’re not convinced he’ll take the initiative to go looking, try occasionally leaving some of your favorite pieces out somewhere you’re sure he’ll see them.)
- Don’t skimp on the details. Before walking into a jewelry store to purchase an engagement ring you should be well versed in the four C’s: color, cut, clarity and carat (size). On the subject of color, a D grade is going to be the most costly, as it’s graded for being particularly white. Those with a grade of J will have a slight yellow hue to them and be more affordable, but be certain not to buy anything with a lower grade than that. Clarity, on the other hand, starts with an FL grade for “flawless” and then continues on down like this: IF – VVS1 – VVS2 – VS1 VVS2 – VS1 – VS2 – SI1 – SI2. Stones further down the scale will have more inclusions (microscopic lines or black dots) and be less costly.
- Think about getting it insured. Whether you’re spending one month’s, two months’, three months’ salary or whatever you can afford on an engagement ring, it’s going to be a major investment on your part. You can’t ever replace its sentimental value, but at least you can replace the monetary one. Consider getting your ring insured to protect it from getting lost, stolen or damaged. I know you don’t even want to think about something like that happening, and if it’s insured, you really won’t have to. You’ll be protected.
Of course, there’s another alternative for protecting your engagement ring. You don’t want your future fiancé and wife to be traveling with an expensive ring on her finger even if it is insured. The solution?A cubic zirconia engagement ring from BirkatElyon to wear while traveling.