The Ring
Soo, you think you've found a real catch? Someone who wants to be more than just the "girl friend?" Well buddy, get ready for a whole new world of information. It's called the jewelers' world, and you're lucky because I have decided that us soon to be husbands need a little primer on the ins and outs of the "ENGAGEMENT RING".
First, what you need to realize is that what everyone else says about "diamonds being a girl's best friend" is a bunch of crap. You, my man, should be your future fiance's best friend, not a stupid little rock.
With that said, I'm sure you realize that without the ring, you can't really get the girl(as a wife anyway). There are a lot of options these days, and that means that you can spend as much money as you want. The opposite doesn't hold true. Cheap, quality, near flawless diamond rings are very hard to come by. If your lady doesn't really care for a diamond, then you have some really cool options - such as saphires. Remember though, people are very much traditionalists, especially in - laws.
If you want to buy a diamond ring, there are some things you need to know about diamonds. First, they are not all equal. You may be able to find a massive rock for a good price, but size isn't everything, especially when it comes to diamonds. You see, there's a color and clarity grade that jewelers use, which rates a gem not only on weight(for that's how you determine the size - it's called the carat) but also on looks. There's also the shape of a diamond. Yes, they come in many different shapes as well. So, here are some brief definitions that should help you out.
Diamond Color: Degree to which a diamond is colorless
Diamond Clarity: Presence of inclusions in a diamond
Diamond Carat: Weight of a diamond
Diamond Cut: Angles and proportions of a diamond
A good informative web site is http://www.jewelbasket.com/aboutdiamonds.html. This site has the charts, diamond shapes, etc.
The gem is not the only part of a ring, albeit the most important. There is also the setting and the band. The different bands and settings are innumerable. It all depends on how creative you want to be.
Now, once you've educated yourself on jeweler talk, you can get down to the nitty gritty of choosing an engagement ring.
First, it's a good idea to talk with your woman and see what type of jewelry she likes. You can be very unassuming with this. Take her to some shops and just observe her, or look at some magazines or catalogs with her that just happen to have jewelry in them. See what really gets her attention.
Once you know what she likes, go talk to a lot of jewelers, by yourself (no girlfriend). I say jewelers, because you don't need to talk to sales people. There's a big difference. Jewelers are gemoligists and sales people are people who just want you to buy a ring.
Hopefully, after you have learned about rings, talked to your girlfriend, and chatted with a few jewelers, you have started to get a feel for what type of ring you may like to invest in.
The option that I chose to follow was to work with a jeweler up in NY. I had a very specific design in mind and wanted the ring to be very unique and personal. I talked with the jeweler and the artist that actually makes the rings and we came up with what I thought would be a good design. They made a wax mold, I liked the mold, and so they proceeded with the ring. I already had the diamond, so one step was already out of the way.
My biggest advise I could give on finding the engagement ring is - don't sacrifice the sentiment of the ring because you want to buy it quickly. I strongly suggest designing a ring to not only fit the woman's finger but also her whole person. But, that takes a little work on your part. I am a big fan of creativity, and so are girls. Creativity shows that you are really trying to make this extra special. For men and women that means alot. If you choose to purchase an already made ring, don't be hasty. Take your time and do the proper research. If you do that, you will be assured to get the best ring for your money.
A good size stone for an engagement ring is one carat. You can go bigger, but if the woman really loves you, she will be happy with whatever you give her.
After the you find the ring, you can start working on the PROPOSAL.
First, what you need to realize is that what everyone else says about "diamonds being a girl's best friend" is a bunch of crap. You, my man, should be your future fiance's best friend, not a stupid little rock.
With that said, I'm sure you realize that without the ring, you can't really get the girl(as a wife anyway). There are a lot of options these days, and that means that you can spend as much money as you want. The opposite doesn't hold true. Cheap, quality, near flawless diamond rings are very hard to come by. If your lady doesn't really care for a diamond, then you have some really cool options - such as saphires. Remember though, people are very much traditionalists, especially in - laws.
If you want to buy a diamond ring, there are some things you need to know about diamonds. First, they are not all equal. You may be able to find a massive rock for a good price, but size isn't everything, especially when it comes to diamonds. You see, there's a color and clarity grade that jewelers use, which rates a gem not only on weight(for that's how you determine the size - it's called the carat) but also on looks. There's also the shape of a diamond. Yes, they come in many different shapes as well. So, here are some brief definitions that should help you out.
Diamond Color: Degree to which a diamond is colorless
Diamond Clarity: Presence of inclusions in a diamond
Diamond Carat: Weight of a diamond
Diamond Cut: Angles and proportions of a diamond
A good informative web site is http://www.jewelbasket.com/aboutdiamonds.html. This site has the charts, diamond shapes, etc.
The gem is not the only part of a ring, albeit the most important. There is also the setting and the band. The different bands and settings are innumerable. It all depends on how creative you want to be.
Now, once you've educated yourself on jeweler talk, you can get down to the nitty gritty of choosing an engagement ring.
First, it's a good idea to talk with your woman and see what type of jewelry she likes. You can be very unassuming with this. Take her to some shops and just observe her, or look at some magazines or catalogs with her that just happen to have jewelry in them. See what really gets her attention.
Once you know what she likes, go talk to a lot of jewelers, by yourself (no girlfriend). I say jewelers, because you don't need to talk to sales people. There's a big difference. Jewelers are gemoligists and sales people are people who just want you to buy a ring.
Hopefully, after you have learned about rings, talked to your girlfriend, and chatted with a few jewelers, you have started to get a feel for what type of ring you may like to invest in.
The option that I chose to follow was to work with a jeweler up in NY. I had a very specific design in mind and wanted the ring to be very unique and personal. I talked with the jeweler and the artist that actually makes the rings and we came up with what I thought would be a good design. They made a wax mold, I liked the mold, and so they proceeded with the ring. I already had the diamond, so one step was already out of the way.
My biggest advise I could give on finding the engagement ring is - don't sacrifice the sentiment of the ring because you want to buy it quickly. I strongly suggest designing a ring to not only fit the woman's finger but also her whole person. But, that takes a little work on your part. I am a big fan of creativity, and so are girls. Creativity shows that you are really trying to make this extra special. For men and women that means alot. If you choose to purchase an already made ring, don't be hasty. Take your time and do the proper research. If you do that, you will be assured to get the best ring for your money.
A good size stone for an engagement ring is one carat. You can go bigger, but if the woman really loves you, she will be happy with whatever you give her.
After the you find the ring, you can start working on the PROPOSAL.
posted by Tim at 1:14 PM
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