Jewellery for the Most Important Day of Your Life
The Proposal and the Engagement Ring
Well I can imagine how nerve wracking it is to be considering the proposal of marriage, let alone the picking of a ring. Do you, don?t you, will she, won?t she?
Deep breath and we can begin.
Tradition states that the engagement ring should cost a man one months salary. Why is that? Basically in olden times the engagement ring was used to pawn to obtain money when times are hard. Its a good investment into your relationship, but not a hard and fast rule these days.
So you have decided on your budget. Are you going to have a ring to propose with? Some ladies are more fussy than others. Some like a surprise, others would hate to be disappointed. Now only you know your partner. There are some ways of finding out by the reaction you have had from previous presents and whether or not she continually wears what you have bought her?
As a jewellery designer I have had many different occasions for making engagement rings.
1.I agreed to make the ring to the partners specification, but the date it was finished, hence the date to propose was kept between myself and her boyfriend.
2.The man had a congratulations card from myself which confirmed he had already thought about the ring prior to the proposal and a date was set for the new finance to come and discuss how she would like her ring.
3.A unique ring was made for the proposal, the boyfriend had found out her finger size by borrowing one of her rings.
So lets begin on the surprise ring making questions.
Finger size
Gold colour, yellow, white or rose gold
The pitfalls of purchasing white gold.
White gold is a percentage of gold (which is yellow) added to alloys (different metals) to produce a white colour. This mixture can make the white gold vary wildly in colour and so virtually every manufacturer of white gold covers their jewellery in a fine plate of Rhodium which gives a bright silver coloured finish.
In time this Rodium plate wears off, the jewellery can be re-plated at a small expense, but many customers are disappointed with the White Gold colour that is underneath the Rhodium.
Carat of gold 9ct, 14ct, 18ct, 22ct (the wedding ring will normally be the same carat to prevent wear)
Diamonds are the normal stone for engagement rings. This is because of the high value of the stone and hence the high commitment to the partnership and impending marriage. This is not a necessity, if your partner prefers a different stone then thats ok too.
Again a traditional style is a solitaire (one stone) ring, this means the diamond is bigger and more significant. But trends change and some like more discrete rings or clusters of small stones.
If purchasing a solitaire ring then decided whether the shape of the diamond should be round or square or something more unusual. Look at what she tends to wear already.
The bigger the diamond is not necessarily the bigger the price. Carat is a weight, Colour is yellow to bright white, cut, clarity (some diamonds have big inclusions in them).
The engagement ring is intended to be worn for a lifetime, so take time in choosing the right one.
I would be happy to arrange an appointment for you to discuss your ring design.
Always insure the ring once purchased. If you are proposing abroad make sure the ring is covered by the holiday insurance.
By Sarah Clarke - Fluid by Design
sarah@fluidbydesign.net
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