Engagement ring .. Erm help??

[Ringsming]

Soooo it's fairly clear that my DP is going to pop the question. Presumably at an opportune moment, no rush! Anyway the other day he said something about being worried about getting a ring for me, he's not the best at style let's say. I guess I might just say he shouldn't worry and we can look together or something???

But then I thought about it and realised I have no clue about engagement rings?

What should I think about? I guess I probably don't need a big rock per se, maybe more into vintage like art nouveau style?? Is it nice to have a bit of colour?

Erm help??

This entirely depends on your own personal taste and preference.

A lot of traditional engagement rings are diamond solitaires. These can have quite a high setting and be awkward to wear in everyday life so definitely need to be tried on to see if you feel comfortable. I have a small eternity styled ring with five diamonds in a flat setting which I love and wear all the time.

Another consideration is what type of wedding ring you will have. Some engagement rings have matching/ coordinating wedding bands. Also think about whether you like yellow gold, white gold or platinum and get the wedding ring in the same metal.

A vintage ring sounds absolutely lovely. I suggest dropping a huge hint to your intended that your dream is to go shopping together to find the perfect ring. Have fun.

I choose one with a flat (rubover) setting as I didn't want it snagging on towels etc. Also it is fairly straight as I didn't want to have to have a shaped wedding band, just a very simple plain one.

But yes, it is down to taste to a large extent.

yes, go shopping together - much better idea.

huge knuckle-dusters are very impractical and look naff. Something slim and subtle is good. BTW it needs to be the same carat as your wedding ring; otherwise the softer one will be wrecked by the harder one.

9 carat is best for long-lasting, which obviously is the idea!

(oh, and congratulations!)

It's totally about your own personal preference. Have a look here. They have tons of styles for you to look over.

www.weddingrings-direct.com/

Thanks for the tips about the type of metal etc!

I am just not feeling very confident in my taste, seems like such a massive decision ..

Guess I'll take the pressure off dp to choose and if and when we can go together!

Actually beginning to get a bit excited !

I love mine, I'm totally going to show it off here for 'Inspiration' It's sparkly and elegant(imo) but practical. We designed it together and had a jeweller on Etsy make it for us and it was much cheaper than a store bought ring but still good quality. We went and got it checked by a jeweller after it was delivered to make sure it was real because we couldn't believe the price I can pm you his details if this is something you'd like to look into?

I didn't know what I wanted either, I found thinking about what I didn't want helped and browsing pinterest for ideas. After a while I had an idea in my head and spoke to the jeweller about what was possible and we went from there!

Ah beautiful stay!

Good plan on Pinterest. If things do develop I'll maybe pm let's see. Might well not be immediate :-)

Thank you!

Browse etsy too? Even just for premade ones. They have lots of antique ones and unique styles. I saw Dr Who themed ones when I was looking but they have more traditional styles too

Mine's 3 stones in Rubover style.
Went for quality stones rather than bigger stones/less quality for the same money.
Went to a local small jeweller rather than a chain.
Thing is......they all look nice.

Bear in mind there is different shaping in the band. For instance......D shape is very comfy.

Mine's a diamond solitaire and it's lovely, and will look amazing with the half-eternity ring DP bought me for my wedding ring. [excited!] He asked me what I liked and that's what we agreed together.

But in hindsight, I should've chosen a different stone. Like an aquamarine or a garnet. Then I could've had a MASSIVE ROCK for the same price (or less) than the diamond, and it would've been more original. Some semi-precious stones are beautiful.

I would honestly recommend trying on some rings before you make a decision.

DP popped the question without a ring last October. I had always thought I'd want a round brilliant with baguette side stones or a Princess Di style sapphire with a halo. Both looked distinctly ordinary on my rather broad paws. I ended up with a round brilliant diamond and pear side stones in a relatively low profile setting.

If you are near London, the Burlington arcade is a treasure trove of various modern and antique styles. Hatton Gardens/Birmingham Jewellery Quarter is the place to get your ring made. Even if you are looking at a modest stone it is much cheaper to buy a diamond and setting separately.

77Diamonds, Cool Diamonds and Purely Diamonds are good websites for a gander at styles and cost.

I'd also look at Bonhams auction house - the jewellers I spoke to alluded to it being one of the best value places to buy a diamond ring / precious jewellery. Have a stroll through Grays Antiques, and look online at Tiffanys et al. Sometimes what you love isn't what you expected to. That's what happened to me - had one ring in mind, ending up loving and getting something completely different. I'd only get a diamond or sapphire, as most other stones just aren't hard enough for daily wear.

Mine is from Ingle and Rhode as ethics are important to me. I went for a sapphire

I got an utterly beautiful sapphire and diamond ring second hand as a PFB gift. I love it. I had it valued for insurance replacement purposes and its worth over double what we paid for it. Good jewellers will have a nice 2nd hand section, ours does and he is obviously selective because its full of lovely things.

What I am trying to say is that you will get a lot more diamond/precious stone for your money if you go 2nd hand. Also if you find nice diamonds, a good jeweller can re-set them for you.

Personally I wouldn't buy a ring retail. You would be far better off buying a stone and having it set by a jeweller in Hatton garden or Birmingham jewellery quarter. It's likely to cost you about half what it would cost in the shops. Another alternative would be to buy a secondhand ring for the stone and have it reset which is generally very reasonable.

I agree with buying the stone and have it set. I enjoyed looking at different diamonds under special magnifying equipment and choosing the stone together. Much nicer quality diamond than retail.. Whatever you do enjoy choosing!

I'd agree with Bonhams. Their catalogues are beautiful too.

Go for something other than a diamond, diamond engagement rings are pretty dull.

I screen shot a lot of pictures of rings I liked on (now) DH's phone
He bought a raw stone and had it cut to design.
I would never buy retail.

Posting mine too. 18k rose gold, 0.9c diamond.
Setting is high but i love it

This is mine.

Wow some great ideas and beautiful rings ldn and grin. If you don't buy retail, out of interest, is there somewhere known to be good ethically? Ie good on tracing etc?