How to Buy an Engagement Ring: The Ultimate Guide

If you are here reading this, I’m assuming you are finally ready to take the most important step of your life. First of all, congratulations! Nothing is more exciting than finding the one you want to spend the rest of your life with. With that being said, you are at the right place because buying a ring that is just right may feel a bit intimidating.

Engagement rings come in many styles and shapes. Most feature a diamond, which has pretty much become a standard symbol for engagement rings these days. But these diamonds are often sourced in unethical manners and a socially aware person would definitely not like to be proposed with a ring like that! In fact, in an era of social awareness such as this, we should all be a part of the conscientious consumer community and steer clear of anything that exploits our environment or workers. So it is important that you know where you are getting your engagement ring from, given that you and your partner give value to such issues.

How to Buy an Engagement Ring?

First of all, you should consider factors like your budget, any particular style you’re looking for, the type of diamond you want etc. Let’s take a look at them one by one.

Set Up a Budget

Setting a budget will make sure that you don’t overspend. In addition to that, a budget also helps you narrow down your search. Finding a match between the budget and your desired ring is the key here.

There are many online jewelry stores these days that help you with this factor. One such store is the Brilliant Earth. You can set a range you want while choosing a diamond, and they will show you the rings accordingly. The price range starts from $510.

They also have physical stores, if online shopping isn’t really your thing. Just go to this one or any other physical store you feel like you can count on, and ask for the salesperson’s help. Although this is option is more tedious and time-consuming.

Make It a Surprise

It’s also okay if you want to take your partner to the store with you to make sure that ring is perfect. But a surprise proposal with you on your knee and a ring in your hand is just more romantic and thoughtful! The main key point here is to make sure that the ring fits and something they’d absolutely love, so pay close attention to their ring preferences and style from ahead.

Picking out a ring that they like is not exactly easy, but at least a lot more manageable these days. Stores like Brilliant Earth give complete customization options, so if you know what your partner likes you can make them a customized one accordingly.

Find the Ring Size

This of course, is not needed when you take them to buy the ring but crucial if you are planning to propose out of the blue. Don’t worry about tipping your partner off. Finding a ring size is easy. Just get a ring they usually wear and has the right fit, and get it measured. Taking it to the store is enough as the salesperson will have it measured for you.

For online shopping, you need to know the ring size and here’s how you do it: Take a piece of string and use it to measure the ring you took from them. If that seems like a hassle, Brilliant Earth can send you a free plastic ring sizer too.

Find Out the Style

Take note of your partner’s jewelry choices. If they don’t wear much jewelry, opting for a minimal looking band with a simple diamond is the way to go. But if they have an outgoing personality and like to draw attention to themselves, get a sparkly one to suit their style. Depending on the jewelry they already wear, it should be easy to determine their style. The rest is simple as stores like Brilliant Earth have customization options in choosing the band style, color, diamond cut style etc.

Picking the Diamond

Now, time for the big finale: picking out the diamond. While choosing a diamond, look out for the 4 Cs.

Cut

By cut we mean the angles and proportions of the diamond. Let’s break it down- A well-cut diamond is what gives its sparkle. Diamonds with too deep or shallow cuts will not give a very shiny and sparkly appearance since the light can leak through the bottom or sides.

This is the most important C because if the cut isn’t right, the other Cs won’t matter much. At Brilliant Earth, you can choose the Cut from 5 options, starting from Fair to Super Ideal!

Color

Yes, diamonds do have colors. They range from Colorless (Denoted by a D) to Light Yellow (Z). Colorless diamonds are the rarest and thus are the most expensive. White diamonds are the most popular, of course. If you’re not sure about your partner’s preference, go for a white diamond. At Brilliant Earth, you can choose from the color D to J.

Clarity

Clarity for diamonds equals fewer imperfections. Fewer imperfections mean more expensive. Clarity is measured on a scale. SI1 and SI2 are diamonds with good clarity as the imperfections can’t be seen with naked eyes. Go for a diamond within this range. Another thing is ‘Inclusions’. They are tiny fractures or minerals. The less inclusion the diamond has, the better it is. Avoid the ones which have inclusions on the top and the middle as this interrupts the light to disperse properly.

Brilliant Earth carries diamonds with clarity range starting from FL to SI2.

Carat

Carat is the weight of the diamond. The more weight it has, the more expensive and sparkly it is. But a good jeweler can make any diamond look good with proper mounting. Brilliant Earth has carats in 0.25-17.57 range.

Value

As mentioned earlier, not all diamonds are sourced ethically. If you are looking for a conflict-free diamond, it is better to go with a seller that ensures that. Note that many sellers, despite being conflict free, don’t actually follow the proper rules. Brilliant Earth is one store that has the ‘Beyond Conflict-free’ policy, which means not only the diamonds are ethically sourced, but each of the diamonds can be traced back to their origin.

You can check Brilliant Earth Reviews where previous buyers have shared their feelings about buying a conflict-free engagement ring and it’s absolutely worth it.

Final Words

An engagement ring is a commitment for a lifetime. It’s important that the ring has sentimental values. Getting an ethically sourced ring is a good first step. We wish you all the very best!

xoxo D.