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Choosing Your Engagement Ring

These days it is a brave man who goes out and chooses his fiancé's engagement ring for her, though I am sure some still do. Many Mrs2Be will be involved in choosing their engagement ring at least in part if not in full. So we decided to bring you this article to help you consider some of the more practical aspects of choosing an engagement ring. Yes, we know that doesn't sound very romantic, but you are going to be wearing this ring for many years to come and so the practical aspects are very important!

Choosing Your Diamond

Carat

Diamonds are graded according to their Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat. Almost every diamond contains traces of non-crystallised carbon which is the element from which diamonds originate. These traces are called 'inclusions' and most of them are invisible to the naked eye. However, the greater these inclusions, the lower the clarity of the diamond as they interfere with the dispersion of light which affects the brilliance of the diamond.

Colour

The colour of a diamond is graded using letters starting from D and continuing through the letters of the alphabet with D being the most valuable. Diamonds naturally occur in various colours which range from very clear fine whites to pinks, bright yellows, greens and browns. However, the closer a diamond is to being colourless, the more valuable it is. Completely colourless diamonds are extremely rare and valuable.

Carat

A diamond's weight is gauged in carats. One carat is divided into 100 points so a diamond of 25 points would be described as being 0.25 carats or ¼ of a carat. Remember, the carat describes the weight of the diamond, not the size. A diamond which is shallow in cut but has a wide surface area can sacrifice its brilliance.

Cut

It is the cut of the diamond which gives it its sparkle as this determines the amount of light which is able to enter the diamond and be reflected back out of it. The most common shapes for diamond cuts are round (also known as brilliant cut), Oval, Baguette, Princess (square cut) and Pear Shaped.

Choosing Your Engagement Ring Metal

Most engagement rings are made from either Gold or Platinum with Platinum being the more expensive and harder wearing. Gold varies in weight and this is depicted by the Karat (not to be confused with a diamond's weight which is in carats!).

Probably the most popular choice of gold weight for engagement rings is 18ct. If you like the colour of platinum but your budget won't stretch that far then white gold might be a good option for you. I would say there is as much choice of white gold engagement rings as there are yellow gold.

Design

Of course, the most popular part of choosing an engagement ring is by design! However, the romantic part aside, there are some considerations worth bearing in mind when you choose your ring after all, you are likely to be wanting to wear this ring more than any other piece of jewellery apart from your wedding ring.

Your engagement ring needs to:

Be practical (very un-romantic, but true!)
Be hardwearing - if you intend to wear it daily
Be secure in its design
Look Fabulous!

Be Practical

This is very much dictated by your lifestyle. For example let's imagine you were a landscape gardener or you worked with small children you may find that having a big and highly set engagement ring would make it impractical to wear on a daily basis.

Be Hardwearing

You would not want to be in a position where you had to stop wearing your ring because the band had become worn down or the shanks had become damaged. So you may want to steer clear of the finer designs if you want to wear your ring on a daily basis. That does not mean you have to compromise on the design at all, simply look for a sturdier band or opt for platinum if your budget allows.

Be Secure in its design

It is vitally important your ring is designed to hold the gemstones in place securely. This is done by the little prongs that are also called claws. The best and most popular design is said to be the 6 prong. But even safer than the prong design is the bezel setting as the diamond is set low down in the ring. The lower the diamond is set the less likely it is to get caught or damaged.

Look Fabulous

Of course this is where personal choice comes in and this one is left completely up to you!