An engagement ring is one of the biggest and most important purchases you will make in your life. Diamond rings are especially coveted, but they are also incredibly expensive, so anybody making such a purchase is going to need some of the best top tips for buying engagement rings. Doing your homework before going out and buying a ring is going to go a long way in ensuring that you get the best value for money. And when it comes to diamonds, you can be sure that the information on the list of top tips for buying engagement rings will help you sift out the crooks from the cowboys in no time.
Understanding Diamonds –The Four C’s
The famous Four C’s – Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat: Knowing a bit about these four areas of diamond classification will help you get the best quality you can afford and obviously, the best value for money you can get.
Diamonds are able to produce the most brilliance – so much that it outclasses any other gemstone. A completely blemish free diamond is extremely rare, and extremely expensive. The more blemishes on your diamond, the more the price goes down.
The best colour for diamond rings is colourless, and the colours of each diamond are graded on a colour scale from white to yellow.
Choose Something She Will Like
The purchaser of the ring and the wearer of the ring are more than likely to have very different ideas of the perfect ring. When choosing a ring for your soon to be fiancé, take a moment to reflect on what kind of design they like to wear.
Are they traditional, do they sport a more classic style or are they totally way out and avant garde? Just because you love the solitaire, doesn’t mean your unconventional, artist-extraordinaire fiancé to be is going to love the setting you do.
Look at what other jewellery they wear, and ask yourself about the practicality of the setting you like. Your fiancé may be very heavy handed, work in the garden, paint, do woodwork or hobbies, and a delicate setting isn’t going to last very long.
Set a Budget
Setting a budget is a very important part of purchasing diamond rings, and you may think this is the easy part. And it is, just try and stick to it when your dream ring crosses your path. Despite being socialised to believe that it’s necessary to spend three months’ salary on a ring – it is not the ultimate expression of your love.
Love is the friendship, respect and unconditional appreciation of each other every day – not the price tag on a ring. Do not buy a ring that will put you and your future marriage on the doorstep of debt – many couples when they first get married don’t have a lot of money, so it’s reasonable to buy a smaller ring, one that is affordable. A few years later as wedding anniversary gift couples can splurge on an expensive ring, but everyone says that their first ring still means everything to them – much more than the pricier, newer one bought years later.
Online Jewellers vs High Street
Buying jewellery online has become a very popular way of shopping. Although you are not able to see the item in person, a reputable online jewellery retailer will have a returns policy in the event you are not completely satisfied. Buying jewellery online can be more affordable as online retailers don’t’ have the heavy overheads of a flashy main street store and are able to provide quality items for less.
Store purchases are still popular because shoppers can see and feel the items they are buying, and there’s the possibility of haggling over the price.
New vs Second Hand Jewellery
Second hand jewellery is becoming popular as people are using their family heirlooms and recreating them, putting a modern stamp on them or reinforcing delicate settings to make them more wearable.
Also, as opposed to new jewellery which is all very fresh and sparkly, the sentimental value of hand me downs or second-hand items, means that your piece can continue to be passed down from generation to generation gaining more heritage each time.
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Ross Davies writes about all aspects of jewellery including buying and selling jewellery and choosing jewellery as a gift.
