Want To Design Your Own Engagement Ring?

Want to design your own engagement ring? Here's 10 things you should know...

An engagement ring isn’t just a ring, it’s a symbol of your love towards your future wife, it will remind your wife of your love whenever she sees the engagement ring and therefore it needs to be the perfect ring in every way. Choosing and buying an engagement ring can be a very daunting experience, as it’s a gift your partner will have to wear for the rest of their life.

 Here are 10 things you should know when choosing the perfect engagement ring:

1/ Difference between an engagement ring and wedding ring  - An engagement ring is traditionally used for proposing to your girlfriend with those special 4 words ‘Will you marry me?’ since the whole engagement is meant to be a surprise, the man gets to choose the engagement ring. As the engagement ring is the promise of marriage, they tend to be flashy and more intense rings. This means that they usually consist of a diamond or gemstone in the centre of the ring. 

While wedding rings are usually plain rings without any diamonds or gemstones and most commonly consist of white or yellow gold. A wedding ring is supposed to indicate to the environment that the wearer is married. At the same time the uninterrupted circle is a symbol of eternity, with no beginning or end and thus symbolizes never-ending and immortal love.

 2/ Budget  - It’s really important to set your budget for the engagement ring before you even start looking for the perfect one. As far as the amount of money is concerned that you should spend on the engagement ring, that it is entirely up to you! You should set yourself a clear maximum budget and stick to it.

 3/Where to design - The very first question you should actually ask yourself is where you should design your own engagement ring, then be sure to look around for a place that you feel is trustworthy, safe and will not try to take advantage of you.

 4/Her preferences - Most women would prefer her man to know what kind of ring she likes and surprise her with a wonderful engagement ring with which she can fall in love on the spot. So keep an eye out for what type of ring she is wearing or if she has liked another person’s engagement ring. If you don’t have any clue about what kind of ring setting she would like, you might consider buying her just a diamond without the ring setting. Or you can simply ask one of her best friends who will surely help you choose the perfect engagement ring.

 5/Ring size  - In order to design an engagement ring it is best to know her approximate ring size. . The easiest way to get to know her ring size is to take a ring she wears on the same finger of the opposite hand without her realising, this can be measured using a printed out ring size sheet or by a jeweller. Alternatively we recommend sticking to an average finger size of L or M as these can be adjusted a couple of sizes up or down.

 6/Style of ring - The safest choice would be to design a ring similar to what she already owns. Go through her collection of rings and ask yourself; Are the majority of these rings modern or classic? Are they ornate or simple? Are they chunky or delicate? Sophisticated or feminine? Gold or silver? Diamond or sapphire? One stone or several stones?

 7/Shape of Diamond - Now that you have a style in mind, you will need to find the right stone as that is the advantage of designing your own engagement ring. The most classical diamond shapes for diamond engagement rings are round or princess cut diamonds. These two shapes reflect the most light and thus provide the maximum amount of brilliance, fire and scintillation among all shapes. However if her style is more vintage orientated Emerald cut or old cut diamonds are an excellent choice.

 8/Know about the diamond 4Cs - A diamond of good quality is a diamond that reflects the light in the best possible way and does not contain any visible flaws. In order to choose a diamond like that you will have to look at the 4Cs. The 4Cs are commonly acknowledged quality criteria for diamonds and refer to the diamond cut, carat weight, diamond clarity and diamond colour.

 9/Choosing the setting  - There are a few different setting types to choose from. A rubover set is the most secure setting. It is a continuous band of metal surrounding the stones. A claw setting is the most traditional setting. The more claws you choose the safer the stone will be, however some stones suit different numbers of claws so be sure to test the setting with your stone of choice. Pear shapes look great with three claws, whereas a brilliant round diamond would better suit a claw setting, with four, six or eight claws. For a more vintage look you can choose a grain set, or for a minimalist look use micro set, where it almost seems as if the stone floats on your finger. A channel set is also common, which uses a band of metal either side of the stone.

 10/Choosing the metal  - You will have to decide in which metal you would like to have the engagement ring made. The four main metals which are commonly used for engagement rings are yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and platinum. Just bear in mind that not every ring metal complements each skin type in the same way, so be sure to choose the metal wisely.