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HOW TO CHOOSE AN ENGAGEMENT RING
or
The Diamond was Easy - but Which Ring Style Will Suit My Fiance?

Ok. You know your 4 C's of Diamond Buying. You've found the right stone at the right price, and now you have to choose a mounting to put it in. EEK! So many engagement ring styles to choose from! Let's see if we can give you some hints which will make this process easier. You need to at least examine the repairability of the engagement rings, the bride's lifestyle, how the engagement ring will work with a wedding band, and finally, the bride's general tastes in jewelry.

REPAIRABILITY - First of all, I have a general rule I tell my customers when they come to buy a ring: The fewer the prongs, the less you should wear it. So in looking for a wedding set, stay away from those flowery sets where you only have one or two prongs holding in the side stones. If you are buying a cluster of stones, take a good look at the ring, and use the jeweler's loupe or microscope. How hard would it be to knock a stone out of the setting? Will the loss of one prong cause the loss of the stone? Wedding sets need to be durable, so pay attention to how they are built and don't let all that glitter blind your practicality.

BRIDE'S LIFESTYLE - What the bride does for a living should weigh in your equation when choosing a wedding set. Sure, you want durability if she's a mountain climber, but there are other considerations. For example: Does she do office work, where she can catch the little crevices on the ring on the files? Rings with lots of pointy edges are not good for a woman who is, or who will be, dealing with small children who can get scratched. Nurses have to take gloves on and off all day long - will her rings make this difficult? Women who type or use their hands a lot want rings with evenly distributed weight, so all that pounding doesn't make the ring turn downward or stay lopsided all day (there are ways around this, though, by adding bumps of gold inside the band to stabilize the rings). So there is more than just style to think of.

ENGAGEMENT RING AND WEDDING BAND - You want to buy an engagement ring mounting with a little pizzazz to it - something other than the traditional skinny solitaire ring...good for you! But be careful! When setting the stone in a mounting with width, or any shape which does not have at least one totally flat side, be aware that when you go to choose wedding rings this may be an issue. Whenever possible, look for a jazzy engagement ring which already has a matching wedding ring available for purchase! If you don't find a set you like, ask the jeweler how difficult (and especially how expensive!) it will be to make a wedding ring sit up close against the edge of the engagement ring you do choose. Most women hate having a gap between their two rings, so addressing this problem when you buy the engagement ring mounting will save you headaches later.

BRIDE'S TASTE IN JEWELRY - Some women wear more silver than gold, some more gold than silver. Some women want all their jewelry to match, some like to mix it up. Some women seem to have very simple tastes in jewelry - but in reality, they simply have been buying what they can afford, not what they really want! The best way to figure out what your gal wants (if you want to surprise her) is to pay attention when you go window shopping. Make a point of dragging her along when you get a watch battery changed, or when you want a ring of your own re-sized or cleaned. Go where there are lots of bridal sets on display, and window shop with her. Don't tell her what YOU like, pay attention to what SHE likes. If she's ooo-ing and aw-ing over rings that only Mr. Trump can afford, don't simply freak over the price range she's window shopping in, pay attention to the shape of the center stone, how glitzy or simple the affect is, how many side stones it has, what color is the setting (platinum, white or yellow gold)? How are the stones set (channel set, prong set, bar set...)? Is the look really modern, or old-fashioned? Later, noting these things will help you pick out a ring for her that she will like, and you can pick one you can afford - and best of all, you don't have to give the surprise away! And remember, SHOP AROUND when you are ready to buy. You can save hundreds to thousands of dollars by shopping around for stones and mountings.

We hope this discussion helps you when you choose your engagement ring - if you have any other questions - please feel free to email us.

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