We love this time of year. The snow, though a little early this year, creates a homey, gentle vibe. People around the world are getting ready to celebrate holidays, and families are preparing for yearly get-togethers. This season is also a great time to reflect on our past year, our relationships, and our future
This culmination of warm spirits and love makes Christmas one of the most spectacular times to ask for your partner’s hand in marriage. If you’re ready to make this big step, but are lost in all the particulars of engagement ring shopping, we don’t blame you!
This is an exciting part of your life, so you’ll want to get it right.
Let’s run through the most important aspects of engagement ring shopping for the holidays. Hopefully, we’ll get you on the right path to match your budget, style, and relationship!
Diamond-Shape
The shape (AKA Cut) of your diamond is one of the first things Grooms-to-be should consider. If you haven’t discussed your significant other’s personal tastes, you can quickly get lost in the options available.
Round cuts are most frequently chosen for engagement rings, however, the shape does affect the price – and round diamonds are the most expensive. That being said, while round cut diamonds are about 15% more expensive, they also look 15% larger than the same carat size with a different cut.
Other cuts that are common to engagement rings include Princess, Oval, Pear, Marquise, Radiant, and Cushion.
Not only will this help remove options outside of your budget, but shopping for two or three styles will give you a better chance of finding your perfect engagement ring!
Carat Weight
Often mistaken to mean size, the term Carat actually measures the weight of your diamond. Cut and carat go hand-in-hand when choosing an engagement ring. It is often a balancing act between the two characteristics to find the perfect diamond. This is because a high-carat diamonds can appear small when poorly cut.
As well, if you are looking for cost-savings, carat weight is what you’ll want to sacrifice. Even a minuscule drop from a 2.0-carat ring to a 1.9-carat will dramatically cut costs while retaining all the sparkle and beauty. Take these savings and put them towards your celebration!
Alternatives to Diamonds
While diamonds are undeniably the most common engagement stone, by all means, choose a stone that suits your relationship. You have no obligation to past traditions!
Sapphire, moissanite, rubies, morganite, and other coloured gemstones are all exquisite alternatives to make a statement with. We even have experts to help you design a custom engagement ring if you wanted a truly unique piece to represent your love!
Type of Setting
There are plenty of settings to choose from, and all of them have their pros and cons. Let us go through the most popular styles today, as there is no wrong answer when it comes to preference!
Prong Setting
Prong settings are fairly popular. Relatively easy to adjust and size, diamonds are mounted into 4-6 grasping metal fingers called prongs. As you can assume, the more prongs, the safer the diamond is in its setting. This style does a wonderful job of flaunting the focal diamond and can be supported with a ring gallery to further protect your diamond from dislodging itself.
Channel Setting
This setting protects diamonds by embedding them in between the metal ridges of your band. Concealed on both sides, this particular style provides wearers with extra protection against losing a diamond. The trade-off would be a lack of visibility. When embedded, only the top of your diamond will be seen. Often channel settings will be accompanied with plenty of accent stones to compensate for the lack of exposure.
Bar Setting
Almost a combination of channel and prong settings, bar settings feature a band of diamonds, each held by thin metal bars parallel to your finger. This style provides security and a contemporary look for those looking outside of traditional engagement rings.
Tension Setting
Tension rings have been gathering lots of attention over the last decade. Diamonds of this style are held in place by pressure from the band’s metal. Squeezing together like a clamp, the metal forms around the diamond with fashionable allure.
We recommend fans of this aesthetic to look at both tension-styled bands and REAL tension bands. Tension-styled settings utilize extra metal to hold a diamond more traditionally and are often cheaper than its counterpart. Real tension settings amazingly suspend diamonds like magic, but look out – tension rings are often difficult to resize.
Sizing Your Band
If you are unaware of your partner’s ring size, prying questions can lead to suspicions. Especially if your partner is expecting to be surprised.
If you have already discussed engagement with your loved one, judge the room to see if they would like a little mystery. If you are still far from engagement, feel free to openly ask their ring size. Just make sure to write it down in a place you can remember!
For those of you looking to surprise your loved one, ask their best friends! They might have already been told the ring size for this exact scenario. Friends are also a great resource for style and can also nonchalantly inquire, without creating suspicion (only if they’re good with secrets, of course).
Another option for finding a perfect fit would be to bring in one of your partner’s current rings. A jeweller can get the circumference and often size an engagement ring to a close margin. Just make sure the example is a ring that your partner actual wears. If their ring hasn’t been touched in years, the sizing might be inaccurate. Also, be sure that the ring is usually worn on the ring finger!
If sneaking in a ring isn’t possible, we do have cheat sheets available that you can bring home to help figure out the proper ring size. If the ring size still isn’t right, no need to worry, we can always resize the ring in store!
More Questions?
If you had more questions regarding an engagement ring for this holiday, don’t worry! Edwards & Davies has over 70 years helping customers find the perfect representation of love!
Feel free to browse our inventory online or at our Danforth location. Our associates are here to help you find an engagement ring that your partner will love for years to come!
So, start looking before Christmas is already here. You’ll thank yourself for getting in before the hustle and bustle!