How to Buy Engagement Rings

Although you might think that weddings and their traditions have remain unchanged for hundreds of years, you would be surprised at the quite dramatic differences that are to be found since Queen Victoria popularized the white wedding gown in 1840. ​

While jewelry often formed part of the wedding ceremony throughout history, particularly in reference to dowry’s, it wasn’t until mid-1400s when an Austrian Archduke offered a thin ring set with diamonds when he proposed marriage that diamonds became a popular jewelry item for weddings, at least among the very wealthy and aristocratic. 

Although the discovery of diamonds by DeBeers Mining in South Africa saw an increase in availability of the gemstone, the skill required to not only mine, but to cut and set the precious stones meant that they were, and still are, a stone to be treasured, as the slogan says, forever. 

Of course, knowing that you want a diamond engagement ring doesn’t necessarily help you in choosing one, and it is becoming increasingly common for the bride  to choose her own design for engagement ring, which still raises the question of how to buy engagements rings? 

The 4Cs … or Shape And Setting

The more traditional engagement ring for the last while has been a solitaire in a claw setting on a gold band. Fashions and personal preferences mean that the shape of these may change, but you will often find them as a marquise (diamond), round or emerald (rectangular) shape. 

However, as more and more brides are starting to choose, and sometimes even pay for, their own engagement jewelry, styles and trends are changing in order to reflect their individual style and lifestyle. Whereas, once when it was primarily the groom, often with a friend or two, making the decision they often went with a less potentially outrageous design and focused on something that was more likely to increase the chances of their proposal being accepted. Interestingly, there is also a trend towards colored diamonds, such as Carbonado – which is black diamond. These are natural diamonds that have impurities that create a coloring other than the more traditional colorless that are particularly sort after. 

Cut, Cut, Cut

No matter what style or shape you prefer, or even what color, you will want to focus on the cut of your stone and ensure that you are looking at something that has a certification from either the GIA or the AGS. https://www.americangemsociety.org/page/diamondcut
The cut of your stone refers to how the jeweler has faceted it in order to create the right proportions and angles for the individual stone to best show off it’s fire and reflective qualities. This is different from the shape of the stone, although you will often see rings described as having a pear cut or marquise cut stone, this is referring to the shape not the proportions. 

You should be able to look at your ring without any form of magnification and see it sparkle with a rainbow effect (this multicolor effect is what is often meant when people refer to the ‘fire’ of the gem). 

When jewelers are talking about cut you will see terms like Excellent, Very Good, Ideal, AGS 0 or AGS1. You will generally want to stay away from anything that is rated as Good, Fair, Poor or AGS2 or higher. 

Cash or Credit

Although the marketing of the 1940s suggested that the cost of an engagement ring should be approximately two months’ worth of the gentleman’s wages, few people pay much attention to this idea now. It is an item of jewelry that you will (hopefully) wear for the rest of your life, and probably every day, so you can justify spending a little more to get exactly what you want. However, the trick is to get what you actually want, rather than try to compete with whatever the latest celebrity mag is showing on its front page. 

In fact, no longer is it just the bride that is getting all the bling, grooms are also starting to claim their right to beautiful jewelry, both as engagement rings and wedding rings (see here) – and as it is often the couple that are paying for the rings jointly this makes perfect sense. 
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