Kimai Journal
03 April 2023Expert Tips For Engagement Ring Shopping
You’ve decided you want to propose, congrats! Now it’s time to find the perfect ring to do it with. With so many elements to consider we have pulled together an expert guide with some tips from Co-Founder and Gemologist Sidney Neuhaus on how to buy an engagement ring.
Budget
It’s important to understand up front how much you’re looking to spend. Gone are the days of saving up ‘3 months salary’ ( insert eye roll here) but as we make everything bespoke, we can cater to every budget. What will make up the majority of the cost will be the size and the quality of the stone you choose.
Gold Colour
Next stop, gold colour. Consider the other types of jewelry your partner wears and how this may compliment what they already have. Yellow gold typically tends to compliment warmer skin tones, white gold more cooler skin tones and rose gold tends to sit in the middle of the two. It’s also worth thinking ahead to your wedding bands and if you want to match gold tones.
Choosing your diamond
The age old question, does size matter?[ eye emoji?] The heavier the carat weight the bigger the stone but the shape and the cut can heavily influence how big the diamond ultimately looks. It’s also worth considering the size of the hand it will go on, smaller/more slender fingers can make a smaller carat look larger than it is. Clarity is also important to consider, especially if you’re thinking about purchasing a larger stone. A larger diamond with more inclusions can be more visible and spotted with the naked eye. We recommend shopping around the VS1-VS2 range if you want a fine balance between clarity and price.
The takeaway? Bigger doesn’t always equal better.
Know your ring size
You’ve navigated your way around the 4 C’s and you’re all clue up on which gold colour to choose and now it’s time to get the right size. The best way is to always get their finger measured with a ring sizer. Want it to be a surprise? Try enlisting the help of their friends or family to get an accurate measurement. You can also take an existing ring they wear on that finger to get sized and used as a reference. If you don’t have the specific finger measurement it’s always better to err on the side of caution and go larger rather than smaller as it can be sized down ( we also offer one free resizing with complimentary shipping).
Wedding band
Whilst the focus might be on getting the perfect ring the upcoming nuptials will be right around the corner and soon you’ll be shopping for wedding bands. Whether you’ve gone for a more classic style like the Maya, something more unique like the Jackie or something completely bespoke, take a moment to consider how you’ll want the wedding band to match and sit with the engagement ring. All of our current styles have a matching wedding band available but here is some food for thought.
Ring setting - If the engagement ring has a high setting your wedding band is more likely to sit flush against it without having a gap, whilst lower set stones may cause a gap between the two
Pavé vs Plain- You can also opt to have your wedding band full Pavé which can bring extra sparkle to the pairing or stick to a plain gold style to have the engagement ring be the star of the show
Regardless of what style you choose, make sure it's something you and your partner will love for the many years to come. If you have any questions or need some more advice drop our designers an email at info@kimai.com