Ring Set

Ring Set

When it comes to buying a diamond engagement ring, every man wants to pick the perfect one for his future bride. It will after all be the ring that she will wear for the rest of her life. And with so much emotion and symbolism tied up with a single piece of diamond jewelry, choosing an engagement ring can be simple or traumatic depending upon how you go about it. So if you are wondering what to look for in an engagement ring, here are some tips to help.

Quality Counts

This should go without saying. An engagement ring should last a lifetime, and you should buy a fine jewelry ring which will stay the course. You should look for a well made ring in a precious metal such as silver, gold or platinum if your budget stretches to it. The ring should be set with a natural mined diamond or other natural precious gemstone, such as a ruby, emerald or sapphire. Do not choose created gemstones. Your bride deserves the best. All the gemstones should be set into a pretty, well made setting.

Check the Proportions

The whole piece should look attractive and well balanced. If it does not, ask to have the band or the gemstones exchanged. A solitaire should be well proportioned between the diamond, its setting and the width of the band. The diamond should sit up well and be the focus of attention. A prong set quarter carat diamond will be lost on a wide band, but would look good in a tension setting within the band. A two carat rock will look top-heavy on a thin band. And it will be difficult to wear because the weight of the gemstone will cause the ring to rotate around the finger.

If the ring contains more than one gemstone, such as a three stone trilogy ring, the gemstones should be well proportioned and easy on the eye. The central gemstone should be larger than or the same size as the outlying two gemstones, which themselves should be as near to identical in size and cut as possible. If the ring looks odd to you, you can bet your bottom dollar that it will look peculiar and be unacceptable to your intended!

Let the Diamond Shine

An excellent diamond with great clarity, lots of fire and brilliance needs a plain band. An elaborate band with lots of detailed metalwork will draw attention away from the diamond and is better suited to a lower quality gemstone.

View it in Natural Daylight

Some gemstones change color in natural light. Others flare. And diamonds have different amounts of fire and sparkle in them according to their cut and clarity. Ask to view the diamond ring in natural light to see how the gemstones look. After all, your fiancee will!

For more engagement ring buying tips, or if you want to build your own engagement ring please click on the links.

How much would it be to take the diamonds from my old engagement ring and set them in a wedding band?

My first engagement ring only a cheapy (£99.99) has 3 small set diamonds and i have since been brought another engagement but would particularaly like the diamonds from my first set into my wedding band.

can this be done? what kind of prica am i looking at for this kind of work?
i am in the UK

When we flush-set (right into the band, not prong-set) the customer's diamonds, we charge $55 per stone for the setting charge. Can't say for sure what UK jewelers would charge but it shouldn't be much more for small flush-settings. (£25-30)