Men all around the globe have a difficult task if left to their own devices and that’s to make sure the engagement ring is exactly what his partner wants. Many couples pick the ring together or lets face it the female will make the decision. Under these circumstances men like me get away with it big time and it’s exactly what we men want “The Simple Life”.

Selecting the correct engagement ring totally depends on ones taste. You need to consider the following before you surprise your partner:

1) Cost – (without sacrificing quality)
2) Finger / Ring Size, you would be amazed at how many rings are returned because the size is incorrect. Simply sneak any other ring from your girlfriend’s jewelry box down to your local jewelry store and ask them for a measurement or check it may be stamped.
3) Design – Surely if you are getting engaged you have an idea of the type of design your girlfriend prefers e.g. Celtic, Plain,
4) Know your 4C’s for ring quality – (a) Carat (b) Color (c) Clarity (d) Cut.


What are the 4C’s I hear you Ask?

Firstly we have Carat. The carat determines the weight of the diamond and generally the price. However it is not always correct to say the bigger the diamond the more expensive the ring, it will depend on the quality. This is where you need to make sure you buy from a reputable dealer who can certify the ring for you. All to often people purchase what they think are high quality diamonds at a high price when a smaller diamond might have a significant quality difference.

Secondly we have Color. Like everything else
color is also graded in diamonds ranging from D-Z. For color grade D you will pay the highest premium with obviously Z at the lower price scale. You will also notice anything from D to H is only slightly off white (very few diamonds are of pure white in color) while Z will be very discolored.


Third we have Clarity. Once again we have a grading scale for clarity and it is as follows: IF, VVS1,VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, I3. It can be confusing but it’s good to understand what you are paying for. Nobody likes to find out after you buy that a little understanding could have saved you money and also upped the quality. To be honest it mat not be essential to get into the full details in the clarity section but certainly aim around the VS2 range.

Forth, Last but not least we have the Cut. To make this easy and understandable the better the cut the more sparkle you will get from the diamond. If the diamond has a poor cut you will notice that the sparkle is very limited. Generally round brilliant tends to be the cut with most sparkle but there are many other cuts such as the Princess cut diamond and so on. It is down to your own taste but the cut is very important so make sure the jeweler explains in good detail.


Where Can I Get Good Quality Engagement Rings At A Discounted Price?

My recommendation is online because you are cutting out the middleman meaning the sales commission to the sales person. It is important however to make sure that the online store has a reputable name and good rating. Also make sure that the online store has good clear contact details with phone numbers and address. Some sites only have contact via email but that’s not a great option if you have a problem after delivery or have some general questions that you would like to talk to someone about.