Buying an engagement ring is a scary experience for most people. If you’re about to buy an engagement ring, wait until you read these engagement ring shopping tips. You’re about to make one of the biggest decisions of your life, and it’s going to be very expensive. These tips are designed to lead you through troubled waters to shores of peace and prosperous love for eternity so follow them closely and you won’t be lead astray.
Audit Her Preferences
Before engagement ring shopping, you should find out what types she likes and what she values most. Color, Clarity, Carat, and Cut are the four identifiers for engagement rings popularly phrased “the four C’s.” If you can figure out which of these she cares about most, you can spend more for that characteristic and save on the others.
Just Ask Her
You can start a conversation about jewelry or rings and ask her about her preferences in a subtle or joking way. She may catch on to you if proposal talks are present within your relationship so this may not be the best method if you want to keep the proposal a surprise.
Dig Around Through Her Stuff
Instead of exposing your intentions you can simply rummage through her jewelry. If you live together wait till she’s away, or when she goes to the bathroom you can sift around through her drawers stealthily. Does she favor platinum over gold rings? What does the setting look like? Just don’t let her catch you digging around through her stuff because that might be suspicious.
Buy Shy
This is an old engagement ring shopping trick. You can save money by getting a ring that is just shy of a karat, like 1.8 instead of 2 karats. You can save up to 21% and the difference is not noticeable. You can always get a larger table so that the stone looks bigger because it sits higher.
Shop Safe
The best jewelers to shop from when engagement ring shopping are familiar ones. Ask some friends or coworkers where they got their rings. If you can’t find any good recommendations, try a nationally known jeweler, or search for GIA certified jewelers. You can often find the ring you’re looking for at a considerable price at Costco. Online reviews from trusted sites are also helpful. For example, Baunat Diamond Jewelers has a score of 9.8/10 from Trustpilot which means it received considerable positive consumer feedback. Always make sure you get the full details of the jeweler’s return policy.
Give Yourself at Least Six Weeks
If you are planning an elaborate proposal scheme, you don’t want to have to worry about when the engagement ring will arrive. The ring likely has to be put together and it can take a long time. That time feels even longer when you’re waiting for something so expensive to arrive.
If you follow these tips you will have no problem finding the perfect engagement ring. Find out what her preferences are before you begin shopping. Buy shy of the next full karat. Shop jeweler’s that are familiar and come with good recommendations. Allow time to have the ring delivered to you. Best of luck on your engagement!
