How to Pick the Perfect Engagement Ring
Okay, ladies, so I'm taking a break and talking to the guys for this post! If you can't already tell from the hundreds of new "Oh my God, he proposed!" Facebook posts every morning, engagement season is in full swing. In honor of that, I wanted to do a special post about picking out the perfect engagement ring. The hubby and I picked out my ring together but a lot of would-be fiancées take huge leaps of faith and pick out the engagement ring on their own. There's a lot of erroneous information out there so I went straight to the master, Tom, Gemologist and licensed Appraiser at Thomas Hill Jewelers for the skinny on how to pick a rock that your girl won't be able to resist.
So the biggest thing? DO NOT shop online! Tom tells me you just won't get an accurate idea of the difference in quality and detail between pieces looking at a picture on a screen, and I have to say, he has a point. (Fun fact: for the hubby's birthday last year, I ordered him a pair of half-carat diamond studs online. Got them in the mail and, needless to say, they were incredibly tiny! I ended up keeping them, but I'm the only one who wears them and he swears I owe him a re-do!).
The next important thing to remember: DO NOT try to guess your girl's (or guy's) ring size. Standard sizes are 7 for women and 10 for men; Tom recommends going for the standard size and bringing the newly engaged back in for a final fitting. I know, big surprise right? All those websites instructing you to subtract 10 from the girl's shoe size and then multiply by 15 or whatever. Totally wrong!
The other thing I asked about was price. When the hubby and I picked out our rings, that was a deciding factor before any other because we were also building a house. Tom's advice? Go with a jeweler that features diamonds with great quality at ANY price. Just because you can't necessarily afford the VVS, princess cut, ten carat diamond doesn't mean that you and your fiancée don't deserve something special!
And speaking of jewelers, consider hitting up a real jeweler versus a big box store like Kay or Jared. The thing to remember with those stores; you're working primarily with a salesperson, not an experienced jeweler like Tom. Not that there's anything wrong with salespeople (I worked as one at Bath and Body Works, and I work as one on the Lisa Scales Team now technically!). BUT. Just like I, along with the other agents on my team, am an expert in my field, Tom is the go-to guy for diamonds and jewelry. You're not going to go into his store and be "sold" on something, you're going to get more of a consultation and advice on things like quality, clarity, color, etc.
Tom has been in the jewelry business for nearly forty (yes, forty!) years and has had his store in Hinesville on East Martin Luther King Drive for about fourteen, so he knows the score on picking out that special ring to razzle and dazzle. Every year, he and his wife travel all the way to Antwerp, Belgium to pick out the insanely gorgeous jewelry that fills their shop so you can be sure you're getting a piece that they've put a lot of thought into (he says his wife picks for beauty and he checks for the quality).
Okay, so the last few things I want to leave you with:
So the biggest thing? DO NOT shop online! Tom tells me you just won't get an accurate idea of the difference in quality and detail between pieces looking at a picture on a screen, and I have to say, he has a point. (Fun fact: for the hubby's birthday last year, I ordered him a pair of half-carat diamond studs online. Got them in the mail and, needless to say, they were incredibly tiny! I ended up keeping them, but I'm the only one who wears them and he swears I owe him a re-do!).
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| Tom does custom pieces like this as well. Check out the ruby tail light! |
The other thing I asked about was price. When the hubby and I picked out our rings, that was a deciding factor before any other because we were also building a house. Tom's advice? Go with a jeweler that features diamonds with great quality at ANY price. Just because you can't necessarily afford the VVS, princess cut, ten carat diamond doesn't mean that you and your fiancée don't deserve something special!
And speaking of jewelers, consider hitting up a real jeweler versus a big box store like Kay or Jared. The thing to remember with those stores; you're working primarily with a salesperson, not an experienced jeweler like Tom. Not that there's anything wrong with salespeople (I worked as one at Bath and Body Works, and I work as one on the Lisa Scales Team now technically!). BUT. Just like I, along with the other agents on my team, am an expert in my field, Tom is the go-to guy for diamonds and jewelry. You're not going to go into his store and be "sold" on something, you're going to get more of a consultation and advice on things like quality, clarity, color, etc.
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| One of Tom's favorite pieces; this beauty boasts 884 diamonds! |
Tom has been in the jewelry business for nearly forty (yes, forty!) years and has had his store in Hinesville on East Martin Luther King Drive for about fourteen, so he knows the score on picking out that special ring to razzle and dazzle. Every year, he and his wife travel all the way to Antwerp, Belgium to pick out the insanely gorgeous jewelry that fills their shop so you can be sure you're getting a piece that they've put a lot of thought into (he says his wife picks for beauty and he checks for the quality).
Okay, so the last few things I want to leave you with:
- When in doubt, go for a round diamond; Tom says it's their most popular cut.
- If you've ever wondered about the difference between and an Emerald and a Radiant cut (I know I have!) the Emerald is completely clear while the Radiant features more facets (READ: more sparkle!)
- No matter how much you spend, get that ring insured! Most folks don't realize a diamond ring isn't typically covered under Homeowners or Renters Insurance unless it's lost in a fire or stolen during a home invasion or something like that. Tom recommends Jewelers Mutual.
- Ask about the warranty. Thomas Hill Jewelers, for example, offers a standard warranty completely free of charge and with no extra hoops to jump through.
- If you've ever wondered what the heck VVS refers to, it stands for Very Very Slightly, and it's as close as you can get to a perfect diamond.
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| The Four C's of Diamond Selection: Color, Cut, Clarity, Carats |
Okay I lied, the very last thing I'm leaving you with! If you're in the Hinesville/ Savannah area and are interested in a little competition, check out the Thomas Hill Jewelers Facebook Page. Just in time for Valentines Day, they're giving away this amazing pendant to the cutest couple (you enter on their Facebook page and get your friends to vote on you) called Rhythm of Love. The diamond in the center picks up the vibrations from your heart beat so it never stops moving. Now tell me that isn't the coolest thing you've ever heard!
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What a great post! My husband picked mine out. He asked my mom my size (I wear a 4 1/2 very small). Funny thing-my husband lost my wedding band a few hours before our wedding! He had to buy a new one and beg a jewelry owner to resize a ring for me an hour before the ceremony. Fortunately, the guy was kind enough to do it for him! Lol. Craziness.
ReplyDeleteWow, how sweet that he went and bought another one! My mom held on to both of their rings until the ceremony and lost them both! They got married in my grandparents' rings lol
ReplyDeleteyep, completely agree that shopping online would be dumb...already made that mistake once!
ReplyDeleteI would say there's no problem in buying an engagement ring online especially if it's a matter of convenience. Aside from that, knowing how to buy an engagement ring that our partner will love can help in the process.
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