When in love, taking the second step towards commitment can be daunting. Once you start thinking of knelling on one knee, you may give serious thought about springing a surprise. A date in mind is the first step and this date could be a birthday, an anniversary, a special day or popping the question during a planned holiday. Whatever the date, you need to plan at least a few weeks in advance. Once you have a date in mind a visit to a top quality jeweller for impeccable advise is a must. They will work out your requirements and share ideas on the shape and design of the finished ring. Feedback from you is important so we can plan the special ring together. Here at Marlows diamonds we help hundreds of nervous proposers every month and guide them to the right ring at a special consultation
It is extremely important to fix an approximate budget before beginning a search for an engagement ring. The historical adage that this needs to be your monthly salary multiplier is not completely correct. At Marlows Diamonds, our average engagement ring costs approximately £2000. The budget is firstly dictated by the size and shape of your partners’ fingers. If your partner has slim or long fingers you probably need a smaller and/or longer diamond. If their fingers are slightly wider then you can look at slightly larger wider curved solitaires or invisible cluster or halo designs. Diamonds come in a variety of shapes and one can be versatile and work out the budget based on the shape required as some shapes are cheaper than others. Finally Marlows are flexible hence if you do get it wrong the first time, usually couples come after the proposal and select a different shape and size of diamond. This is not common but a jeweller has to be flexible to be able to make your partner happy as they will wear the ring probably throughout their life.
This is the most tricky question to answer. Obviously if you are looking for an engagement ring together, life becomes easier as both of you come to the store together and the finger size is accurately measured. This happens with around 40% of couples. If you are in the other 60% then we recommend using phone a friend, 50-50 or ask the audience who is usually a member of experienced staff. The general guideline is the get a finger size slightly larger than the one you think, as it’s easier to put the ring on during the proposal avoiding embarrassment at the time of proposal. At Marlows, all future finger resizes are free of charge throughout life hence you can safely guess a finger size and come back with your partner for a complimentary resize.
Most reputable jewellers anywhere in the world will offer the central diamond which generally is 80% of the value of the entire ring with a diamond report. Some jewellers also provide their own in house reports and these are not worth the paper they are written on hence if you purchase one of these, its best to send the item to an independent lab like the Anchorcert (in the UK) to get the right details and compare it to the original one and analyse the cost of the ring to the value you have received. This report will provide details of the central diamond set in the ring. Generally this diamond is over 0.30ct in weight and has its own GIA, IGI or other reputable diamond report. The diamond report you get will be dictated mainly by your budget compared to the size and shape of the diamond. The strictest diamond report available is from the GIA hence like for like these are the most expensive diamonds available. This gives confidence and peace of mind although each diamond has a different quality hence it does not mean that if you have bought a GIA certified diamond, it’s the best quality. Our in-depth analysis on diamond reports can be found here.
In our experience there is no right or wrong time to pop the question. Some take days or weeks and some may take years before they decide that its time. The proposal should ideally come when both of you are “in sync” with each other. You will know the feeling, your partner and you will be thinking the same thoughts, similar answers to questions, right eye contact and generally “in love”. Ideally the proposer should have the feeling first but it can be the other way or mutual, perhaps a slight push is sometimes required… But you will know it before anyone else. Obviously with this will come commitment and responsibility so be prepared!
