Engagement Rings – How To Choose the One That’s Right for Your Bride to Be

Remember the gold kangans Kiron Kher’s character gives to John Abraham in Dostana in order to legitimize his relationship with her. Can’t recall? Maybe the song “Maa da Ladla Bigad Gaya” might ring a bell (no pun intended)? Also known as Roka or engagement, Indian relationships were usually sealed and solidified by the future mother in law passing along a piece of heirloom jewellery, to the bride to be, along with a one liner like “ab tu is ghar ki Lakshmi hai”. The concept of an engagement ring, borrowed from the west is fairly contemporary. But boy have we caught on or what? Proposal planning and engagement rings are now as big a trend as ever. Weren’t we quick to get on to the Valentine Day bandwagon people? Why stay behind on this one.

 Selecting the right engagement ring or wedding ring for your bride-to-be can be a stressful and a wonderful experience all at the same time. If your choice has been generally appreciated by the ‘would be’ Mrs., you can safely go ahead and pick the best engagement ring for her and surprise her with your selection. But even if you have a wonderful choice in selecting the right engagement ring for your bride-to-be there are certain things you need to look for while buying that symbol of love and devotion. Besides the love and devotion bit, and on a lighter note, close up images of this ring will be making their way on to Instagram, Twitter and Facebook pages. This ring will also be the subject of much analysis on various brunches, dinners and girl’s night outs, not to mention the everyday phone chats with mum in law. So before you get the chance to place the ring in your fiancés’ finger keep an eye on these details and bring the ring that is perfect for your bride to be. After all, this is one piece of jewellery, she will be sporting for the rest of her life. Touché!

Set the budget

Yes, budget matters, always. You can’t possible buy her the ring and end up having to shift her to your bachelor pad now, can you? After you’ve come up with the perfect proposal gag, you will now need to purchase that engagement ring or you may want to buy a wedding ring for your fiancé. Keep a budget in mind. Your budget will dictate the choice of metal and the selection of that rock. Based on her taste and personality, which we are assuming you are so well versed with by now, you can choose yellow, white or rose gold or even platinum, cherry topped with a solitaire or another precious stone available to you in various cuts and styles. Whether you can afford the one of a kind, rarest of the rare, seven carat pink sapphire like the one JLO was seen sporting after Mark Anthony proposed to her or a simple gold ring with a personalized message engraved for her, stick to personal style that expresses oodles of love.

Check personal style

Before selecting the one and only ring for your bride-to-be, note her personal style. Does she prefer simplicity or sparkle? If she is a simple young lady who doesn’t like much bling, or elegance and charm is what she maintains or if a little glitz and glamour gets her grooving, choose a ring according to her style and the one that will complement her personality.

Design and comfort

Photo By: Deepak Chabriya photography

Have we all not compromised on comfort for the sake of beauty? Sometimes? But for a piece of jewellery that your better half will be wearing for years and years to come, comfort becomes almost as important as beauty if not more. Keep in mind that the piece of jewelry you are selecting will be worn by your lady love for the rest of her life and in all seasons, it shouldn’t be an uncomfortable piece that will need to be removed from time to time! In case that happens, we could probably write a blog titled “how to lose your engagement ring and other ideas.” So gentlemen, a summary of the lesson learnt here – never compromise on comfort for beauty and vice versa.

Narrow down your choices

Elle

Have you sky dived before? If your answer is yes, you probably know all too well, the rush of adrenaline you feel in your veins, blood pumping in your head and the heart thumping so loud, you might think if other people were around you, they’d be able to hear it. What does that have to do with ring shopping, you ask?  These feelings described above are what most ladies feel when they go jewellery shopping and are presented with options that are more in numbers than the hair on their head. You don’t relate? Oh well! Suffice to say, you might want to do that ring shopping alone. The most important thing to do is to narrow down your choices. Pick a number, namely budget, pick a metal and color, pick a stone, select a cut and style and viola, you are ready to place your order. You read it right, too many options will make you heady and confused and not in a good sky diving effect kinda way. Always remember, the best ring is the one that you select for her. Here’s some ideas for a diamond ring to help you along the way.

Measure it right

Pic Courtesy: Mettagems

Measuring the ring for your lovely girl is very important. You want it to fit right. Too lose and it might fall off and too tight might mean locked away in the closet. You also don’t want to get into the hassle of resizing. That usually means a loss on weight (not the body weight kind cos that’d be a good thing or perhaps maybe a fourth of a gram) and additional moneys to the jeweler for repairs. So if you want her to come with you for ring shopping, take her, nothing better than that. Be prepared for the sky diving experience mentioned above! But if you want to surprise her with a wonderful piece of jewelry that she will fall in love with use this ‘tactic’ (LOL).  Pretend you want to buy a family member a piece of jewellery. Loop in the sales person beforehand so he lures her into trying a few rings. There you have it – the size!

Quality matters

We know you will never need to pawn off this ring for some bucks, however, it is extremely important to be sure of the quality of stone and metal used in creating this personal treasure. You should be getting what you pay for and the one way to ensure quality is the certifications and markings for the piece of jewellery. Most jewelers will certify the quality of stone and metal by grading and weight in carats. Always check and collect the paperwork from your jeweler when you collect the ring.

Cleaning and maintenance ​

And here’s a tip for the bride. Make sure your ring stays protected throughout your married life by simple maintenance. To keep the wedding ring sparkling, soak it in warm foamy water and gently give it a scrub with a soft toothbrush. Be careful with the pressure you apply while brushing as too much pressure may loosen the stone from the setting. After rinsing, pat dry with a lint free cloth. If you have a simple band, wipe it clean with a soft, lint free cloth and you’re good to go!

Finding the right engagement ring or wedding ring for your bride to be can be a mammoth task. Convert this into a lovely experience by following the tips mentioned above. An engagement ring today might be an heirloom tomorrow!

Browse ring designs that real couples are patronizing on the real wedding section of the website.  Check out the Weddingz shop if you’re ready to buy one! Happy shopping.