Unique engagement rings, you’ve come to the right place. The standard engagement ring for so long has been the classic, solitaire diamond. What started as a simple – yet clever – marketing trick by a certain diamond company turned into a societal convention and couples over the past several decades have tossed their own tastes aside and even gone into debt to buy the ring they assumed was a “must” for engaged couples.
Thankfully, we now know better. Everything we do these days is customized. We don’t have to listen to the radio. We got our iPods. We don’t need to interact with the “mainstream.” We got niche dating sites.
So it makes sense that we should opt for the engagement ring that suits US – not everyone else.
If you’re ready to ditch the idea of the solitaire diamond ring and wander into the exciting – and beautiful – waters of unique engagement rings, read on for some suggestions on what you should know…
BEFORE YOU BUY
Take some time and consider what you want in an engagement ring and more importantly what your bride will want. You may have discussed rings before and if you haven’t, ask around!
Consider talking to one of her friends and get some ideas from that person on what it is that she likes in engagement rings. Make a list of ideas and then take advantage of the Internet to window shop based on your notes. No need to go stomping the pavement in this day and age.
Simply grab your notes from her friends and your own observations and take yourself online to peruse unique engagement rings. Be sure to really look around and don’t buy until you know you’ve found THE ring.
Color Matters
One of the first things that comes to mind when you’re considering a unique engagement ring is… color! And that’s no surprise – the best part of being liberated from the conventional solitaire diamond is that it opens you up to a world of COLOR.
Colored engagement rings are available in diamonds – yes, diamonds come in a whole rainbow array of colors – but colored diamonds tend to be pretty pricey.
If you know there’s a certain color that your girlfriend holds dear to her heart, you can check out more affordable options. There are tons of beautifully colored gemstones out there – get to know them! One option might be to go with an engagement ring that has the birthstone of your bride to be. This is a very unique wedding engagement ring that not many people would ever think of.
If you’re not quite certain about choosing other stones and suspect that your girlfriend might still want a diamond, you can pick up colored diamonds for bargain prices sometimes. Check out Ring Around Her Finger for a comprehensive guide to engagement rings.
To Engrave or Not to Engrave
It’s always great to go with a ring that has some sort of engraving. What you put on the ring is entirely up to you but an engraving can be a unique feature for a wedding engagement ring.
You could go with a basic band and add some engraving to the band. The engraving doesn’t have to be letters or words it could be a design of some description. Maybe you could add some lyrics to the favorite song you both like or perhaps some special saying that means something to the both of you. You’re free to do whatever you like with your engraving.
Custom Made is as Unique as You’re Going to Get
One unique ring you should definitely consider is a custom-made ring. You have tons of options here and you can have whatever ring you want to be designed. This shows a lot of love and effort on your part and a custom ring is going to be a cherished possession for your bride.
Change Up the Classic
Take the old classic like the plain band and make it a bit modern. Get a band with multiple stones or diamonds in it or neat designs. You might change the finish for example and go with rose gold or white instead of regular gold. You could go with unique shaped diamonds instead of regular cuts which would add style and sophistication to your engagement ring.
Buying an engagement ring is a confusing and tricky process. There are so many questions thrown at you. How are you supposed to know the difference between setting, style and design anyway?
Choosing a Diamond Engagement Ring Design
Your diamond engagement ring design is simply how you want your ring to look. This is far more important than most people realize. This is not just about buying a piece of jewelry; this is about you wanting to tell your fiancé just how you feel about her and the prospect of spending the rest of your lives together.
Most guys automatically think that women want the ‘Wow factor but going on this alone can often lead to really disappointing results.
You need to balance ‘The wow factor with finding a ring that she is comfortable wearing. She might love the idea of a 14 Carat diamond engagement ring design – who wouldn’t? But the realities of actually wearing and protecting such a valuable treasure will make it a burden for you both and completely take the focus away from your relationship.
It may sound petty, but when you choose your vintage diamond engagement ring design think about what your fiancé would want to wear as often as possible. Most women love the idea of wearing their engagement ring everywhere, but if the ring is designed so that it makes it impractical to wear comfortably, then she will wear it less and less until it spends all its time in the jewelry box and not on her finger as intended.
If your fiancé is used to wearing jewelry, loves to be a bit flamboyant or can only wear her precious ring outside her normal work hours or activities, then you can pretty well choose any diamond engagement ring design that you want for her, just make sure that it is understated enough that it compliments any other accessory that she wants to wear.
But for those women who have lifestyles that demand practicality, here are a couple of tips;
Watch the number of prongs – Intricately designed rings that have many diamonds that are held in place by small metal prongs are called a pave’ set. The more prongs that you have on your ring, the more chances there are for it to get snagged in clothing, hair, gloves and blankets and the more chance she has of inadvertently scratching herself, or anyone else with it. This is a particular problem if you have young children.
If your fiancé would get driven mad by this, then choose a diamond engagement ring design that uses channels instead of prongs. This way the diamonds will still look stunning, but because they will be flush against the ring they will be more protected.
Rings with large or unusually shaped stones – Bigger is not always better for practicality and functionality for the same reasons as above.
Unusually shaped rings – There are many different designers out there, all of whom do stunning work, but some rings are definitely better as ‘special occasion’ rings than your engagement ring. Rings shaped like butterflies, dolphins, lovebirds are amazing, but unless your fiancé wants a ring that she can only wear on really special occasions, then they are very impractical as engagement rings.
Hellishly expensive rings – The last thing that you want your fiancé to feel is self-conscious about her ring either because you have paid so much for it that she feels uncomfortable about showing it off to her friends or because she feels anxious about keeping it safe.
The most important part about choosing any diamond engagement ring design is to think of your fiancé, her taste, her lifestyle, her attitude, and how you feel about her. Buy her a high-quality engagement ring that she loves to wear now, and I bet that she will still love to wear it in 50 years’ time.
When should Mark select the engagement ring?
He may select a new ring, or he may have an heirloom he feels certain Caroline will cherish. He should make certain of the ring size, however, and have a good idea of Caroline’s taste and preferences.
Customarily the engagement and wedding rings are chosen sometime after the proposal, and Caroline goes with Mark to make the selection. Young people today usually discuss frankly how much should be spent for the rings. The wedding ring is mentioned here because it is often purchased with the engagement ring” to match.” If he prefers, Mark may make a preliminary trip to the jeweller and arrange to have only those rings shown which are within his budget when Caroline later comes with him.
There are times when a bride desires to give her fiancé an engagement ring. Should she decide to do this, it is important that she think in terms of a ring suitable for a man. It should not be too “light” a type, should possibly be plain gold or a gold seal ring. Birthstones are considered good taste for a man’s ring. Unless she is quite sure of his taste and his ring size, she would probably do better to take him along in the selection of the ring.
What is appropriate for an engagement ring?
It may be the traditional diamond, large or small, and in any chosen setting, according to Caroline’s taste and Mark’s financial resources. Or, and quite as appropriately, it may be Caroline’s birthstone, or any gem such as a ruby, an aquamarine, an emerald, an amethyst, a topaz, or a cultured pearl. One stone, large or small, a cluster of small stones, a large stone surrounded by diamonds-the choice is as varied as personal taste and needs to follow no tradition. There are instances of even costume jewelry being accepted for engagement rings.
What are important facts to know in selecting a diamond?
Anyone not an expert in precious stones requires trustworthy professional advice when selecting a gem, especially a diamond. The most satisfactory and economical procedure is to consult a reliable jeweler. Diamonds that appear similar in size and general appearance frequently differ widely in price, a fact puzzling to the novice.
Size alone is not the determining factor in the value of diamond color, cut, clarity and carat weight are the standards on which the price of diamonds is based. Further to confuse the inexperienced purchaser, a carat, which is the unit of measuring diamond weight, is divided into 100 points. While it would seem that a half-carat diamond would logically weigh 50 points, in professional practice the weight may vary 6 points or so either way and still be called a half-carat stone. It is important, therefore, to know the point weight of stones. The best “color” for a diamond to be is as colorless as possible. It is the expertness and skill in cutting: the shaping and arrangement of the facets: that give a diamond its brilliance and sparkle. Clarity means the relative flawlessness: freedom from carbon spots or any internal or surface flaws: of the stone. To gauge the value of a diamond on each of these counts, the stone is examined under a jeweler’s glass and, depending upon the scoring of each classification, diamonds of the same carat weight may vary in price from one hundred to three hundred and fifty dollars.
It may be helpful to bear in mind that you get more value for your money when you buy a solitaire (single stone ring) than when you buy a stone set with small side stones.
Once she has decided upon the stone, what does Caroline consider in choosing the setting? She is careful to decide first upon the kind of wedding ring she will have. She will want the same metal in both. The traditional wedding band is yellow or white gold, but platinum or palladium makes a diamond appear whiter. Then she will consider the contour of her hand, its size, and the shape of her fingers. The jeweler will help her by trying on various kinds of rings. If Caroline is small, she will find a small stone in a simple setting becoming, while a larger stone in a more elaborate setting will be more becoming if her hand is larger.
Is it customary to mark the engagement ring or present?
This is entirely a question of personal taste. Frequently the ring or present is engraved on the inside with Caroline’s and Mark’s initials and the date of the engagement.
When may Caroline wear her engagement ring?
After the formal announcement is made. This applies also to any present made in place of a ring. Note: The engagement may be announced, however, without an engagement ring or present.
Note: A widow or divorcee removes her first engagement ring before any public announcement of her second engagement. She wears her second engagement ring following public or formal announcements of her second engagement. Sometimes, she wears her first engagement ring again as an important piece of jewelry on her right hand sometime after her second marriage if her new husband has no particular objection or feeling on the matter. It is, of course, unheard of for a lady waiting for a divorce decree to wear a second engagement ring until her first divorce has been established.
