Few things under the sun can be the same sort of intimidating as choosing an engagement ring for your beloved. For one, it can be among the biggest purchases you ever contemplated, and maybe also the first time you were shopping for jewelry. We have collected a range of useful tips that should serve well in picking out a stunning, top-grade ring that sits comfortably inside your budget. One or more of the following strategies should help you buy your sweetheart’s dream ring and still have money left over for big future expenses.
Pick Out a Distinctive Shape
Round diamonds form close to three-fourths of all the diamonds that are sold on the market these days, and this popularity has a lot to do with the way they get cut in the first place. Because of the latter, they also cost more. Picking out a shape other than round can see you save as high as 40% on each purchase of the same quality. If, for instance, you are interested in curved edges, you could go with an oval cut diamond. Square shapes too are pretty common and well-liked; under that you have the princess, which has angled, crisp corners; and the cushion, whose edges taper gently over the surface. Both of these pose very popular alternatives to the round cut.
Go with a Colored Gem
After diamonds, sapphires are more or less the most popular gem used in bridal engagement rings, and these also make for great studdings in everyday jewelry, thanks to the 9 point hardness score on the Moh scale, which is just under diamond’s 10. The cost too is significantly lower for a sapphire, allowing you to get a much larger stone for the same price. You have sapphires in not just the typical deep blue color, but also close to every other color in the rainbow. Yellow and pink sapphires closely resemble fancy colored diamonds. Several jewelers sell sapphire engagement rings with yellow, pink, and blue stones containing different hues, which means you would have no shortage of options if you were looking for uniqueness.
Learn About Diamonds
Diamonds are not only formed naturally; these days, they are also produced in lab-induced environments. Stones created in the latter manner have the exact same characteristics, often requiring special equipment to be picked out by even the most experienced gemologists. The main upside to these stones though (aside from the fact that no planet-marring mining needs to be done), is the lower cost, which cal fall up to 30% less than what you would otherwise dish out for a naturally mined diamond. In short, these are both eco-friendly and wallet-friendly, so you may want to consider buying one as your ring’s center stone.
Choose Gold
When it comes to engagement rings, white gold and platinum cost the most among the precious metals you can choose for the band. This is mainly because of the classic, clean appearance that each of these metals possesses. When picking between the two, you should focus on more than just the looks though. Few people can tell the difference at first sight, but platinum costs half as much again as white gold. The reason is that it is more durable, but if your plans on spending do not cover the added cost, then white gold is the better way to go, even if the ring is going to see everyday wear.
Choose Yellow or Rose Gold
Despite being rarer than white gold, yellow and rose gold are both very beautiful and classic choices. They each bring the added benefit of boosting the color of the diamond mounted on them, making it seem whiter than it actually is. All diamonds have color grades assigned to them, with the whiter instances seen as colorless or close, and costing the most. The best part of having a band made out of yellow or rose gold is that a lower-grade diamond can be passed off as almost colorless when mounted on it.
Pick a Halo Setting
The price of a diamond is exponentially relative to its size, which means the heavier a stone you are in the market for, the more money you would have to be ready to dish out. One alternative to paying a high sum for a round or princess cut solitaire gem is getting a ring with a halo setting. In this, accent stones surround the center gem and make it seem larger than it actually is. Needless to say, this also costs less. You see a lot of this when buying bridal set engagement rings.
No matter how high or low your budget stretches, it is useful to know in detail about the different diamond shapes, cuts, clarities, colors before you actually buy something. It would also be wise to be dealing with a trustworthy jeweler when buying.
