When you have fallen in love, and are ready to spend the rest of your life with the girl of your dreams, marriage is the next logical step. Before you ask her to marry you, you need to get her an engagement ring, and plan the perfect proposal. Many men can handle the proposal part, but they stress about buying the engagement ring. If you present the ring, and it is not what she wants or what she has always dreamed of, the entire proposal can be ruined. If you are planning to buy an engagement ring and have no idea what you are doing, there are a few steps that you can follow to help you choose.
Cost
Etiquette books say that a man should spend one third of his annual salary on an engagement ring. Unfortunately, many men don’t have that kind of money sitting in their bank accounts. If you find a ring that you are sure that she will love, but don’t have the money to spend, you can put it on a credit card, or open a line of credit with the jewelry store. When you are buying the ring, you should understand it is the simple fact that you are proposing that will make her happy.
Choosing the Band
The band is very important.. When it comes to the metal, you can choose from gold, white gold, or platinum. The first thing that you should do before you purchase a ring is to find out what type of metal your girlfriend likes. You can do this easily by looking that the jewelry that she already owns. If she wears gold bracelets, rings, and necklaces, you should go with a gold band. If your girlfriend does not wear jewelry, it is up to you to pick something out. Gold is a good choice, however, you want to choose a gold band that is not too yellow, such as 10k or 14k gold. If you are planning to purchase a high grade diamond, a yellow gold band will wash it out.
White gold is gold mixed with other metals, to give the band a silvery appearance.
Platinum is naturally silvery, with a mirror finish. It is very strong and hard, and will likely be the most expensive.
After you have chosen the band, you need to decide whether or not to have diamonds wrapping around the band, or to go with just a plain band. If you have never discussed rings with your girlfriend, get some advice from her friends. Chances are engagement rings have come up in conversation at one point or another.
Choosing the Setting
The diamond that you choose will be placed in a setting. The setting is made up of prongs, and the stone sets inside. You can choose a prolonged setting, which will make the diamond stick out, making it look larger. You can also go with an invisible setting, keeps the stone set close to her finger.
Choosing the Diamond
The diamond is the most important part of the ring. Most women find that the larger the diamond, the better. Since you may be shopping on a budget, you may need to choose the diamond that you can afford. Besides the size of the diamond, you also need to choose a shape. This depends on her taste. If you are not sure what she wants, ask a friend. You can choose from a circle diamond, an oval diamond, a square diamond, or a princess cut diamond.
Choosing the Ring Size
It is important to choose the right size ring for your girlfriend. You don’t want to plan the perfect proposal, only to find that the ring won’t fit on her finger, or having it slide right off. If your girlfriend wears a ring on her ring finger, you can sneak it away and take it to the jeweler for sizing. If she doesn’t wear a ring, you need to get creative. You can use a ring sizer, and put it on her finger when she is sleeping. This will give you the exact size and she will never know. If you don’t think that you can pull that off, order the ring in a size 7. That is the average ring size of a woman. If the size 7 doesn’t fit, she would need to have it sized after the proposal.
If you are getting ready to propose, it is important that you understand how to shop for engagement rings-Washington DC.
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