‘Engagement Season’ is upon us!

It’s that time of year… ‘engagement season’ as it’s known! The time of year where everyone is cosy in their homes and feeling the love during this magical holiday season.

And love makes people do crazy things… like get engaged! 

It’s absolutely FANTASTIC! 

So I know a lot of you will be out there searching for that PERFECT ring… ready to POP the question to your loved one. 

And maybe getting a little bit panicky whilst doing so! (It can certainly be a very overwhelming process!… especially if you’ve left it a little bit late to start!)

So I’ve quickly put together a list/images with all of the best ‘hacks’ and tips to make this as easy as possible for you… so that you can focus on the actual proposal! 

(If you need tips on the proposal too see my previous blog post… ‘The 5 Rules of Engagement’!).

The main place to start (and I can’t stress this enough)… PINTEREST, PINTEREST, PINTEREST! 

It has EVERY ring diagram/chart that you could possibly wish for… you could spend a longggg afternoon searching through them… but lucky for you, I’ve brought them all together for you below! 

So, let’s get started: 

First things first… 

How to get her ring size!… 

Bear in mind that the same finger on her other hand will not necessarily be the same size! (And if you’re really stressed about it… you could just get the ring re-sized after the proposal – NOTE: if you’re going down this route make sure to ask your jeweller whether that particular ring is resizable and by how much! There are many different factors which can affect this so its always best to ask the pro’s!)

Now… what sort of ring does she like? 

Let’s start with the metal… 

Bear in mind that White Gold will need to be ‘dipped’ in future to keep it’s lovely white colour – this only costs around £40, jewellers usually recommend that it’s done once a year (you must send it away with them for this to be done)… however I’ve had mine for 4 years and I only really think it’s starting to be noticeable now. 

What about the Shape…?

Your partner most likely will have hinted at which shapes and styles they prefer (whether you were listening or not is a very different question!) But just in case they didn’t and you REALLY don’t know what their style is… here’s some further images to help you decide (think about which one sounds like them the most). 

Now let’s talk about the ‘anatomy’ of a ring…

Here are some other features of a ring that you need to consider… 

Do you think they would like some side stones, a thick or thin band/shank, an engraving?… (again… try not to feel overwhelmed… just some things to consider!)

An engraving can be a lovely addition… ask your jeweller if this is possible on your particular ring, and how long it will take to be done! 

Let’s have a look at the shank, also possible embellishments and accent stones (they are a variety of different options!): 

The Four C’s

Now I’m sure by this point of your search you will have heard of the 4 C’s…

They are:

CUT, CARAT, COLOUR & CLARITY. 

Here’s a little more info on them to help you… 

Let’s start with colour: 

And Clarity:

In terms of Carat’s (size-wise)… here’s what you’re looking at:

Now for cut – here’s a tip (look at the ‘spread’ of a diamond): 

Deciding how much you want to spend can be tricky… but it’s totally up to you and your budget… to help you, Price-wise… here’s how the 4 C’s will affect the cost: 

Something else to consider is the ‘halo effect’:

And my last and final tip:

MAKE SURE TO GET THE PROPER BOX!!!

Yes the box that the ring comes in is also SO important. You want the box to match the ring you have bought, for example if you buy a Vera Wang ring you want the Vera Wang box to go with it… a lot of jewellery shops will try to swap out the box for one of their own branded boxes… don’t let them do this! Make sure to check that you have the original box before you leave the shop, and kindly ask the jewellers for the original if they have swapped it… this has happened to so many of my lad friends already (but luckily they have me… you’re welcome boys!). If you don’t like the box that the ring has come in then why not purchase a new one online (or should I say an old one!)… vintage velvet ring boxes are making a massive come back and we’re seeing them all over social media. 

This is probably one of your biggest purchases so you want to make sure the ‘packaging’ looks almost as good as the contents! It’s not a massive deal to you, but would probably mean the world to them that you’d gone that extra step and thought of this! 

Remember… the chances are they will know/hope it’s coming because of how much they’ve hinted, but they still want to be ‘surprised’ so remember to play along!! 

So there we go… everything you need to know in order to go and buy that all important rock! 

Feel free to send this post to your partner as a massive help… and by help, I mean HINT! 

Good Luck, I hope Santa brings you everything you’re wishing for! 

Merry Christmas, 

Lots of Love, 

Mrs T x