A Gentleman’s Guide To Buying An Engagement Ring

The Fashion For Men – Picking an engagement ring is tricky. It’s scary enough to propose, but what happens if she doesn’t like the ring?! Are you still able to swap it? And how do you know whether you’ve found a quality diamond?

Ultimate guide to buying an engagement ring

To take away some of your worries, we’ve compiled the ultimate guide to buying an engagement ring.

1. Finding out what they like

If you’ve never discussed engagement rings with your partner, try finding out what they like by talking to their best friend and keeping an eye on what type of jewellery they normally wear. See which jewellery shops they like visiting and take a look in there. If you don’t know where to buy the ring from click here to visit Jacobs The Jeweller for free.

Are they a fan of big, bold statement jewellery or do they like subtle rings? You can drop hints, but if you want to truly surprise them, stay on the safe side and buy a loose diamond rather than a preset design. There are plenty of cool rings for men on the market. You can ask the jeweller for a temporary setting to propose with, so that they can later choose the ring that they like with the diamond you’ve chosen. All that’s left to do then is to decide what shape of diamond they’ll like and whether it’s high quality.

2. What diamond shapes are available?

You might think this is the easy bit, however, there are so many different shapes to choose from, some of which you will never have even heard of before. Take a look at this diamond ring buying guide to get started, but bear in mind that every soon-to-be-bride will have an idea of which shape is their favorite. A round diamond is the most popular diamond choice for engagement rings. Approximately 75% of all diamonds sold have a round shape, so it’s a safe option to go for if you’re not sure your partner likes big jewellery. If she has expressed a preference for fancier cuts, it might be worth looking at a princess cut diamond, that is the second most popular diamond shape.

It’s very flexible and can be combined with any style of ring. Other options are oval, marquise, cushion, emerald, heart and pear shaped diamonds.

3. Assessing the quality of the diamond

Now you’ve decided on the shape, you want to make sure you’ve actually chosen a diamond that’s high quality and lasts for an eternity. To assess the quality of the diamond, familiarise yourself with the four C’s (cut, colour, carat and clarity) and prioritise them in this order of importance. There are four simple rules to keep in mind:
– Cut: The better the cut, the more your diamond will sparkle.
– Colour: Colourless diamonds are more valuable than diamonds with a yellowish colour.
– Carat: Differences in carat weight affect the price of the diamond. You can save tons of money by choosing a slightly lighter carat that looks almost exactly the same.
– Clarity: The less inclusions and blemishes your diamond has, the more valuable it is.

Always make sure you visit a jeweller that sells GIA-graded diamonds. GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is the world’s largest institute of gemmological research and upholds the highest standards regarding diamond quality.

Be careful of purchasing a diamond that hasn’t been graded by the GIA, since it might be fake or mined in a war zone (a so called blood diamond).

If you take all of the above into account, we bet she won’t be able to say no to your ring!

And hey, you can get more information about diamond in a site like Beyond 4Cs. Good luck!

Biography:

Lisa van der Steen is a freelance writer based in Manchester, UK. With a passion for all things jewellery, she knows everything about the latest trends. You can follow her on Twitter here.