Choosing to spend the rest of your life with that one special someone is a pretty serious decision. A decision that big can make every part of the process feel monumentally important, which makes it daunting and even paralyzing to choose your engagement ring.
It doesn’t have to be this way, though! With a few simple rules, tips, and considerations, your engagement ring shopping can be a much less terrifying process. Here’s what you need to know about choosing the best possible engagement ring for the biggest decision of your life.
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Team up with your partner
If your partner would prefer to be surprised by all elements of the big question, then feel free to enlist their friends or siblings instead. But it’s 2019, and many couples have found that things are a bit simpler when they can get together to choose the ring.
This gives your partner a say in the ring that she’ll be wearing for the rest of her life, and it’s a great way to practice making big decisions as a couple. You’ll have many more to make in the future, after all.
Don’t worry about the “rules”
You may have heard that there are “rules” for shopping for engagement rings. Perhaps you’ve heard that you’re supposed to spend two or three months’ salary on this. If you have that much cash to spare, then hey, more power to you. But if you don’t, try not to worry about the so-called rules.
These rules are myths that were established by diamond companies and advertisers, not by some grand and respectable tradition. And unless you’re hanging out with jewelry appraisers all of the time, nobody is going to give much thought to how much the ring cost. Focus on what you and your partner want, not on arbitrary price tag-based cutoffs.
Set your budget ahead of time
Since your budget isn’t set for you by some made-up rule, that means you need to go set one yourself! Your budget will be a personal decision, but make sure not to eat up important savings or your emergency fund.
You have lots of expenses ahead of you, including those associated with throwing your wedding. If you’re working with your partner on this decision, feel free to bring her into the budgeting talks.
Once you have a budget, look for ways to save that will put that ideal ring within your budget. You may want to consider different settings, alternate metals, and other options that could possibly bring down the price of the ring in question.
And tweaking details like this is possible when you’re talking about a custom ring, which also allows you to create something truly special, just like the relationship that you have with your beloved.
Get something distinctive
The very act of getting an engagement ring is a pretty traditional one. Most people tend to be pretty conservative about the rings that they get. Even if the rings are huge and gaudy, they’re usually pretty familiar looking. But it doesn’t have to be this way: engagement rings can be unique and memorable, too. That doesn’t mean they’ll be glaringly noticeable, of course. Engagement rings won’t be as noticeable as a big necklace or a dress, so you don’t have to worry about bold decisions dominating your partner’s look for years and years. Brisbane-based custom design engagement rings experts say that customized rings are a great way to get a ring like no other that will enhance, but not distract from, the decades of stylish looks that the wearer has ahead of them.