Frequently asked questions when buying an engagement ring

What are the most common questions people ask when buying an engagement ring for their partner?

Deciding between Lab Grown or Natural Diamonds?

When a customer comes in enquiring about an Engagement Ring, I like to use the opportunity to educate the customer as to what factors need to be considered before spending a lot of money on an Engagement Ring.

These factors include:

How much does a Diamond cost?

When asked this question, I respond by asking, “How much do you know about Diamonds?”, the answer is generally, “Not much”, at which I have found that giving the customer a better understanding of how the 4 C’s (Colour, Clarity, Carat & Cut) all influence and determine the cost of the Diamond.

Not only does it put the price into perspective, but most times, the person will generally trust my judgment better when I have selected certain stones for them to look at and they have been given the opportunity to make a ‘fairly’ educated decision before buying the Diamond/Ring.

Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds

When it comes to Lab Grown vs Natural Diamonds, I’ve noticed two different outlooks customers have to either of the Diamonds.

One customer is in the camp where the size of the Diamond is of utmost importance, but the budget doesn’t allow for a Natural Diamond, thus, a Lab Grown is the only other option.

The other customer steers towards the sentimental side of Diamonds, meaning, that they prefer the idea of the stone being formed deep in the earth over millennia and eventually unearthed, cut & polished and finally to be set in their special ring. Although budget does factor into their decision, they more often than not, tend to want a smaller stone, but emphasize on the quality and cut of the Diamond as opposed to the size.

Practicality

Practicality of the ring is very important, especially to me when designing an Engagement Ring, meaning:

• Is the ring going to hook on clothes etc?
• Wear and tear of the ring, both short and long term.
• Aesthetics
• Comfort

Claw settings can tend to hook and also require more maintenance compared to a bezel setting, having said that, setting stones in claws allows more light into the stone and can make the stone appear slightly bigger than it is.

I also encourage the idea of doing a basic design of the wedding ring first, so the engagement ring will be designed around the wedding ring which will ensure both fit perfectly together, when the time comes to getting the wedding ring physically made and worn.

Another important thing to consider is, that there needs to be enough room on the finger to fit a Wedding and Eternity Ring (including the Engagement Ring) in the future, which all fit together and are comfortable for the wearer to wear them every day, remembering that it’s for death till us part.

Care and maintenance

 A way to look at this topic is, spend a little more initially, saving money in the long term by not having to keep repairing or even eventually having to replace/remake the ring later.

If the ring has claws, they will need to be checked at least once a year, so as to make sure there is sufficient metal there to hold the stones securely and to maintain the claws.

 Letting them wear out too far can result in loosing stones, and the claws will either need to be replaced or re-tipped, which when there are a larger number of claws, the cost adds up and can be very expensive, not to mention the monetary and sentimental cost of losing and replacing lost stones, especially the main Diamond.

What metal is better, 9ct or 18ct?

The metal is important, especially when it comes to white gold, as it will need to be re-rhodium plated, probably every 3-12 months at a nominal cost of approx. each time. I also point out that traditionally, the Engagement, Wedding and Eternity rings are made in 18ct Gold. In modern times, some couples forgo tradition, especially when it comes to budget constraints and are happy to go with 9ct Gold.

Booking a complimentary consult with a jeweller at Latitude Jewellers is the first step.

Hope you’ve enjoyed the read.

Regards

Steven Richards

Jeweller