As with any matter of the heart, buying an engagement ring can prove a tricky and difficult task to get right. Then, here are 5 top tips for choosing an engagement ring for your significant other to help those undertaking it make the right choice.

5 Top Tips For Choosing An Engagement Ring

Face it: Size Matters

Ring size that is. After all, the last thing you want is to find the perfect ring in the wrong size. So, to ensure that doesn’t happen, it is worth at least considering sneaking a ring from your partner’s jewellery box to use as a guide and take it to a jeweller to be sized. Of course, it is important to make sure you take a ring which he/ she won’t notice is missing if you intend on making the proposal a surprise.

To further minimise the risk of being caught out, it is best to get a jeweller to size the ring and then replace it as soon as possible to avoid suspicion or the potential drama of your partner thinking they have lost one of their rings.

Lastly, remember to take a ring you have seen your partner wear and which properly fits their fourth finger of their left hand, which is, of course, the traditional wedding ring finger here in the UK.

Why Sometimes the Oldies Really is the Best

Antique diamond rings are far more affordable and to are a wonderfully eco-friendly means of purchasing a traditional diamond engagement ring. What is more, antique diamond rings have never been more fashionable, readily available since the advent of online shopping, or affordable. Hence, those willing to consider opting for an antique engagement ring on the high street stand to make a sizable saving because antique diamonds always cost far less than newly made diamond rings. Meanwhile, those further willing to buy online from a reputable antique diamond specialist such as Antique Rings Online stand to make further savings as online retailers do not have to mark up their jewellery items to factor in the overheads paid by high street jewellers.

So, if your partner is enamoured by antiques and specifically antique jewellery or better yet you happen to already know what period or era really gets their heart racing, going antique could not only ensure getting them their dream ring but could mean you get it at a dream price as well.

Why Empathy Trumps Over Budget or Stone Size Everytime

Remember, when buying an engagement ring for a loved one, you will need to look through their eyes and shop according to their heart’s desire, not your own. An engagement ring is intended to be worn for life and stand as a visual and tangible symbol of your feelings for another person, this is one purchase which cannot be made without carefully thinking and acting on what your partner might want and putting them and their taste above and beyond your own preferences and favoured styles.

Hence, it pays to know what your partner likes. To work that out (if you are second doubting your instincts) take a rummage through their jewellery box and even their wardrobe, which will almost certainly contain items from specific fashion trends, and which have taken influence from different eras and may also give an indicator of the sorts of designs and colours they best like to wear.

Alternatively, if you are not comfortable snooping about your partner’s closet, confide in and conspire with a friend of theirs and let them do the digging for you, this way you stand to avoid suspicion without it meaning you end up buying the wrong ring.

Can’t Find it? Create It

There is no making do when picking out the perfect engagement ring. After all, ‘I do’ should never be a vow made when facing the question of whether to make do with second best. Fortunately, there are in 2016 a number of dedicated and quality conscious experts able to help.

Take, for example, the creators at Wave Jewellery, who are quick to challenge preconceptions about the cost of custom-made jewellery and state: ‘Designing your own jewellery need not be expensive and here at Wave we believe we have a great eye for design. If you are unable to find anything suitable amongst our collection then we have a talented team to help you create something truly personal and individual’. So, if you are struggling to find that perfect ring it might well be because it doesn’t yet exist, and then only a custom made one will do.

Those Who Shop Together Stay Together

Finally, consider the fact that not everyone likes surprises, or having somebody choose for them. Then, if this is true of your partner, it might be the case that doing away with the tradition of popping the question with a readily bought ring might not be the best option. In fact, more and more couples these days are choosing to begin their own traditions and shop together after a proposal.

Hence, before planning an elaborate event or evening and picking out a ring you hope your partner will like, or even having one made, consider forestalling the ring buying and instead create a ring related gesture, such as baking a ring-shaped cookie or doing something humorous such as proposing with a ring pop candy and then enjoy looking forward to purchasing rings as a team, even making a date, day or holiday out of embarking on that perfect ring shopping expedition.