'Ring it on! - The perfect ring choosing guide

Forever certainly has a nice ring to it!

There's an alarming amount that goes into a marriage proposal. Even a cute, sweet and intimate bedside or living-room-in-your-pj's proposal can be stressful, but choosing the perfect ring should not be so daunting. 

We have created the following list of the important things to consider when purchasing an engagement ring.

• Know your partner’s preference in jewellery
  Pay attention now, this part is important.
  When choosing a ring for someone else to wear for a lifetime, it pays to make sure that the piece is to their taste. If you do not already know their style, it’s easy to find out. Pay close attention to the type of jewellery they already wear. What do they wear most frequently and how does it look? What colour is the metal and stones involved? Is there a common theme in the symbols displayed (circles, rectangles, triangles, ovals, flowers, stars, moons, hearts, etc.)? What is their personality? Are they detail obsessed? Or do they prefer things to be clean and minimalistic? If you think you’ve nailed it, double check with one of their trusted friends or family members like their mum or best friend.
  
  
• Find out their finger size
  The easiest way to do this is by borrowing a ring they already own and having it sized by a jeweller. Just make extra sure that the ring is usually worn on a ring finger. Please also note that people aren’t perfectly symmetrical and it is common for there to be up to a half size difference between left and right hands. Thankfully this can be easily adjusted after the proposal and a complementary resizing is included in the price of your Precious Metals custom design*.
  
  
• Figuring out your budget
  Engagement rings vary greatly in price depending on metal type, stone type, stone size, design inclusions, customisations and much more. Our jewellers and designers are professionals trained to discuss your budget with you and will work hard to remain in your budget while delivering a beautiful ring. However, engagement rings are typically priced from $1500 and go up in price from there. 
  
  
• Gather Inspiration
  When you have an idea of what your partner likes and are almost ready to start shopping, we recommend that you gather some inspiration. Google, Pinterest, and Instagram are all great options for finding beautiful images to help you find the style you want. Look at a wide range of different options by searching with adjectives that describe your partner as well as the ring itself. Once you have a number of inspiration images, look at the common themes, like metal colours, stone shapes, proportions and colours, as well as embellishing elements, like a halo, accent stones, asymmetry, etc. Narrow down your inspiration images to 2 or 3 images that best match the common themes that best describe your partner. We also recommend that you run these final inspiration images past your partner's best friend or mum for a second opinion.
  
  
• Choosing a Stone
  Diamonds are and have been the most popular choice for engagement ring centre stones for almost half a century. Prior to this, centre stones for engagement rings often had no stones and doubled as the wedding band. Which incidentally came in all manner of colours, shapes, sizes and settings. Aside from Diamonds, popular centre stone options include Sapphires, Rubies, Moissanites and Morganites. Emeralds are another popular choice but are softer than the other stones mentioned and because of their beautiful inclusions are often less robust. This means that special care is required to keep these stones beautiful and lasting a lifetime.
  
  
• Choosing a Stone Shape
  As far as engagement rings go, a traditional round brilliant cut diamond is the traditional choice. The timeless round shape is robust enough to wear for a lifetime and  gives the most shimmer and shine (scintillation) of any cut. This is the most commonly available off the shelf shape for rings to purchase too. This shape is beautiful, elegant, timeless and suits all fingers. Other popular shapes are pear shaped stones, oval stones and cushion cut stones. Emerald Cut stones are also making a resurgence in popularity in 2022. 
  
  
• When are you planning to propose?
  Finally, decide when you would like to propose. The ring is a rather important aspect of a marriage proposal, and without one, the experience might feel a little incomplete. To purchase a ring off the shelf, means that your ring will be ready to go with you the same day. All you will need to worry about is insuring it and then hiding it until the time is right. If, however, you have chosen to have a ring designed and made, at Precious Metals there is usually a lead time of 6-8 weeks. Incidentally this is the perfect amount of time to plan a picture perfect proposal that will never be forgotten!