Selecting your Engagement Ring

Go with something that reveals your true feelings (community article)

photo by JewelsBoutique.com

Bridal engagement ring selection can be challenging; so much drive and desire to choose the ideal ring that conveys your true feelings, but the detailed technical specifications for diamonds make it difficult to maintain a romantic and loving frame of mind. It's no wonder why diamonds get all the attention; their impressive characteristics and brilliance bring excitement and romance to your engagement.

Women's engagement rings are more than just a diamond, they symbolize romance, beauty and the precious relationship couples have cultivated. Emphasize and showcase the diamond with a ring mounting that has individuality and character; choose a ring to compliment your fiancée and her unique style. Beautiful ring mountings furnish the frame and decoration for a beautiful diamond; both are key elements to good choreography for women's engagement rings.

When evaluating ring mountings, don't settle for simple 3 stone ring choices; seek styles that create a "visual flow" from the ring through the center stone. Some things to look for include: pave or micro-pave, channel setting, bezel setting and type of metal (18 karat or platinum). Exceptional ring mountings showcase the true grandeur of the center stone.

By design, ring mountings can accommodate certain diamond shapes and sizes. Diamonds are available in many shapes, some diamond shapes include: round, princess, oval, emerald, cushion, and pear. And for a diamond's size, it's common to talk about diamond carat weight, but carat weight does not convey the dimensions (length x width x depth). Diamond dimensions can be estimated based on shape and carat weight, but to be sure, verify dimensions against the diamond's certificate and then check the ring mounting prong spacing to make sure it will accomodate your stone.

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FashionGeek

05/05/2009 at 06:33 pm

veradevera, a "starter" ring is a great way to propose; with the diamond being such a large investment, the "starter" ring approach makes it possible to focus on the qualities of your center stone, your relationship, and popping the question!

I'm sure you fiancee wants you to be happy and proud of not only your relationship, but also the diamond and your mounting. Find ways to talk with him about the diamond and the mounting to gauge his feelings; visit shops together (online and in the mall) so you can learn from each other and establish a common goal.

During your marriage, it's possible that you choose to change your mounting. Some do this to upgrade, others do it to change styles, whatever the reason, touching base and communicating with your partner is key before making the move. Be happy together!

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Yosemitebride

05/04/2009 at 10:32 pm

Some additional things to think about are that pave or micro-pave stones are prone to loosening or coming out of their settings, and even repeated ultrasound cleaning of the ring can facilitate this. If you work with your hands or are hard on rings, settings with pave or micro-pave may not be good choices for you.

Also, the metal you choose for your setting is important. Platinum is extremely popular, but other girls like white gold because it is less expensive. White gold is also more durable in some respects than platinum. However, white gold has some drawbacks...it is usually rhodium plated to provide that nice white shine, and you have to re-plate every year or so to maintain the look. Scratches are also a consideration. With platinum, scratches simply displace the metal, so that when you buff the ring it is perfect and new again. This is not the case with white gold.

Yellow gold has different charactaristics than white gold, and is general considered the most durable of jewelry metals and is a good choice if you are hard on rings. However, yellow gold isn't as popular as it once was, and the selection of settings isn't as good as with platinum or white gold.

Palladium is another metal that is becoming popular for engagement rings and wedding bands. A member of the platinum family, it is much less expensive than platinum, with many of the positive charactaristics of platinum. But it is much lighter weight than platinum, which some brides do not like. There are other differences also.

Bottom line is do a lot of research with this important purchase and do not let the "romance" of it all get in the way of making a good decision.

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FashionGeek

05/04/2009 at 10:23 pm

jesandshan, thanks for your feedback! I've updated the article with more info on diamond shapes and sizes...I hope it helps.

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veradevera

05/02/2009 at 01:00 am

My FI proposed with a "starter" ring. I guess we're suppose to shop for the real thing now...or do we? It's cute, definitely not the vintage one I'd hoped for. Is it bad taste to find a different ring other than the one he proposed with?

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