Dear Jac,

I’m trying to buy an engagement ring for my girlfriend and there are too many options. I went to the store and said “I’d like to get a traditional engagement ring” thinking that the jeweler would show me a few options and I’d pick my favourite.

They have cases of engagement rings, and that’s just one store! I’ve been shopping around and nothing is jumping out at me as “the one.” Maybe I’m afraid to buy her the wrong one. So many rings are beautiful, how do I know what will make her happy?

Totally confused,

Diamond in the Rough

Hello Diamond!

I’m sure she’ll be happy no matter what you come home with, but I’d be happy to give you some tips.

First off, you need to know whether she prefers white gold or yellow gold, just take a look through her jewellery box and see what she has more of. While you’re there, find a ring that she wears on her third finger (“the ring” finger) and measure it using your own finger just to get a good sense of the size.

Second, what kind of cut does she like? There are plenty of options for this as well, so if you don’t know, maybe you should ask her, or her closest friend. My mother was super helpful when it came time to my husband finding the perfect ring, and I had no idea what was going on.

Once you know the size, cut, and colour of band you can head to the jewelers. When it comes to diamond shopping there are four things you should understand, it’s the 4-C rule.

The carat is the weight of the diamond. Generally speaking, the higher the carat, the more expensive.

The clarity is self-explanatory. If the diamond is flawless (FL on the grading system), it’s value is higher than that of an imperfect (I on the grading system) diamond. Think of ‘clarity’ as clear, or crack-free.

The colour is also important when selecting the right diamond. It’s graded alphabetically starting with ‘D’ for colourless. The further down you go in the alphabet, the more colour the diamond will have. As far as I’m aware, the higher up in the alphabet, the greater the value of the diamond. I’ve been told D-F is a safe diamond colour to purchase for engagement rings.

Lastly the cut, it’s also the most difficult to explain. Basically it refers to the way the light reflects through the diamond. The better the cut, the more light it reflects. Though I’m not sure that is the best way to describe it.

It’s the 4-C rule that help you to determine if you’re getting the most bang for your buck. For more information click on the pictures throughout the post. I found several links really helpful as they give far more details on each of the ‘Cs’ mentioned above.

The best diamonds are therefore large carats, flawless, colourless, cut to perfection, and very, VERY expensive. But what the engagement ring symbolizes is priceless. I’m sure that your future wife will be happy with whatever you select. As long as you are happy with your final purchase, I’m sure she will be too!

Congratulations in advance,

Jac

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