What Are the Top Mistakes to Not Make When Buying an Engagement Ring?

What are the Top Mistakes to Not Make When Purchasing an Engagement Ring?

Congrats! You’re about to propose. Before you pop the question, you'll need the perfect engagement ring. With so many choices, mistakes are common. Here are 12 key mistakes to avoid making better decisions.

1) Purchasing a Ring Without Knowing Your Partner’s Preferences

The main mistake is not finding out your partner’s preferences. Always make sure you know what she likes or wants. Key takeaway: Avoid surprises by understanding her tastes.

Want to keep it a surprise? Pay attention to the jewelry styles she prefers or ask her best friend what she would like. Figuring out what type of engagement ring she likes will help ensure you pick one she loves. Another idea is to pop the question using a “placeholder ring,” then shop for the engagement ring together after she says “yes.” If you are going to propose somewhere where she will know it’s happening, you could always ask her what style she likes, down to the specific ring if you want!—let her decide.

2) Purchasing a Ring Without Setting a Budget

Never buy a ring that you can’t afford, and don't drown yourself in debt. When searching online for “How much should I spend on an engagement ring?” you will quickly realize that there is no correct answer. Most articles will say spend 3 months' salary on the ring. Well, that is very misleading. Just because you make x amount of money doesn’t mean you should spend 3 months of your salary on a ring.

Before even setting foot in a jewelry store, you should set a budget for yourself. Locking a set amount you're willing to spend on an engagement ring will keep you from going overboard and getting into debt. Plus, if you shop around for prices online, you will have a good idea what you can get for that price. Jewelry stores will also be able to serve you better– they can’t do that if you walk in and say, “I want the most expensive ring.”

If you can afford the giant ring, then go for it! If not, that’s okay too– just pick a price range that you are comfortable with and know that she will understand. You can always upgrade later when you make more money. Remember, you aren’t guaranteeing yourself a happy marriage by buying an expensive ring.

3) Purchasing a Ring Without Knowing Your Partner’s Ring Size

While nearby jewelers can easily resize most rings, why spend the extra money when you can get it right the first time? Getting the right ring size will impress her and save you the resizing fees. Having a loose or tight engagement ring can make your girlfriend feel like you didn’t put much thought into planning the proposal. Make sure you know her ring size before buying the ring.

Have to keep it a surprise? Wait until she's asleep or unaware, and measure it then! PRO TIP: Don’t pull out a ruler when she isn’t looking. Wrap something soft that can easily be measured around her finger, like a string or sock, and note the length, then measure the string. If she wears rings regularly, you can also sneak peeks at the sizes of her current rings.

4) Only Considering Diamond Rings

Yep. You read that right. Diamond rings are not the only game in town. When most people think about engagement rings, they automatically think of diamonds. But did you know that before diamonds were proudly displayed down the aisle, rubies and sapphires were the first gems to be placed on engagement rings?

How did diamonds become such an iconic engagement stone? Let’s just say De Beers has done a heck of a marketing job. History shows that the 15th century was the beginning of the diamond engagement ring. Archduke Maximilian of Austria bestowed upon Mary of Burgundy a ring with a diamond, the first of its kind. It wasn’t until the 1900s that diamonds began to take off through mining and marketing by companies like De Beers. Extreme marketing by these companies has driven diamonds to an all-time high.

Thankfully, today, there are so many other options when choosing your gemstone for an engagement ring. Every gemstone has different meanings behind it, and the majority of them are cheaper than diamonds. If you do a little research, you will find that more couples are switching to moissanite or laboratory-grown diamonds in place of natural diamonds. Not only are these gems better for ethical reasons, but they also help you save a buck. Many other stones are becoming more popular, such as morganite, emerald, alexandrite, and others. Ask your girlfriend what her favorite gemstone is and start researching from there.

5) Focusing On Carat Weight Only

How many times have you heard a guy say, “I want to get my girlfriend an x amount of carat engagement ring.” Yeah, your lady wants that too, but there is so much more that goes into picking out the perfect gemstone for your engagement ring.

Here’s a fun fact: CARAT DOES NOT MEAN SIZE. If you buy two gemstones of the same carat weight but different cuts, they can appear as two totally different sizes. The cut of the stone is very important when looking at engagement ring gems. Also, clarity and color play a big role in choosing your diamond. Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat are known as the 4 Cs of gemstones. The 4Cs are used to determine a gemstone's quality.

White diamonds are a perfect example. You will want to look for a diamond in the near-colorless range (D, E, F) with very, very slightly included or better clarity (VVS+). The higher the carat, the better. As long as you pick a cut she will love, you are good to go. If she likes extra-shiny gems, you will want to look at brilliant cuts like round, oval, radiant, etc. If she likes to see more of the gem's interior than look at step cuts like emerald, asscher, rectangular cuts, etc. Learn more about the most popular engagement ring cuts here.

Tip: Just remember that while color is more important with colored stones, clarity is more important with colorless stones. Also, if you know your girl loves stones with inclusions, like moss agate, salt-and-pepper diamonds, etc., then make sure you pay equal attention to all 4Cs.

6) Not Paying Attention to the Durability of the Ring

How often do you think your significant other will wear her engagement ring? If you said once, then you’re wrong. She will wear that baby every day for the rest of her life. Yes, you should definitely pay attention to how the ring looks, but you should also put a huge emphasis on the durability of the ring.

How can you tell if the engagement ring you’re picking is durable? Do your research on the gemstone's hardness, metal, setting, shank, and the band's width and thickness. I recommend focusing on the gemstone's hardness, as well as the band's width and thickness.

As a general rule, a gemstone that has a hardness of 7.5 or higher is ideal for everyday wear. Not all metals are as durable as gold. 14K gold is more durable than 18 K gold, and 14K gold is more durable than silver. Setting styles also have a role in the durability of your ring. A bezel-set ring is more durable than a prong-set ring. As far as bandwidth and thickness, we recommend at least 1.6mm in width and 1.2mm in thickness. These are general rules, though, and you should modify based on the overall design you want and the wearer’s finger size.

7) Believing that Big Brands Provide the Best Quality!

Which would you rather buy your engagement ring from, a big brand or a local jeweler? The majority of people will say a big brand because of the extra security they feel they have. Our research has shown that more and more customers are disappointed with big brands. They feel as if the product is overpriced for what they actually receive, and the service is terrible. Did you know that most big brands’ prices are inflated because of brand markup?! Brand markup is when brands automatically mark their products up just because it’s their brand. Since big brands attract more customers, they don’t care about your ring as much as you want them to. This usually leads to downgraded quality and poor service.

Tip: Again, if you can’t distinguish between gems yourself, seek a jeweler who can provide you with professional certifications by a gemological institute!

8) Basing Your Decision on Popular Styles

“Most Popular Engagement Ring Styles.” Sounds like something you would Google, right? Things trend every year, and the trend changes each year. Unless she has told you exactly what she wants, don’t base your decision on what’s trendy.

9) Not Shopping for Wedding Bands at the Same Time

Let's be honest, most proposals are done by guys. In most countries, men do not wear engagement rings. Because of this, they tend to forget that women wear their engagement ring with a wedding band on the same finger.

Not all engagement rings are made to lie flat with a straight wedding band. Some engagement rings either have a gap in between the two, or you need to get your wedding band specially made so that it’s curved to fit under the engagement ring. If she loves traditional straight bands, keep this in mind when choosing your ring. You should also consider how the metals, gemstones, and design styles will complement each other.

10) Buying a Ring Unaware of How Comfortable It Will Be to Wear

Yes, people get caught up in the “dream ring” they want to give to their partner. Make sure you also consider how comfortable she will be wearing the ring you choose. Will she be able to do her everyday tasks? Does she work jobs that may have limitations on rings? Just because you think a ring looks good doesn’t mean she can wear it every day at work.

For example, if she is a doctor and always wears gloves, you may want to rethink getting a high-set ring. Although high settings enhance the stone's brilliance, they aren’t ideal for people with jobs that require frequent glove use. Many don’t realize how loose prong settings can be. Prongs catch on kids, furniture, clothes, etc. (if the jewelry isn’t made with quality craftsmanship.) Consider what she will be doing daily at work and whether those activities can be done while wearing her dream ring.

11) Not Knowing the Jeweler’s Return and Exchange Policies BEFORE you buy

Make sure you know the jeweler's return/exchange and other after-sale policies PRIOR to purchasing your ring. You never know, you may receive the ring and not like it for some reason. Ideally, a jeweler will offer a return and exchange policy that allows you to exchange the ring if needed. Also, having the information before you buy will prevent you from dealing with a horrible shopping experience.

Tip: Try to avoid jewelry stores that have “final sale” on most of their products.

12) Researching TOO much

Yep, you read that correctly. There is such a thing as over-researching. Once you start looking into all the things that go into buying an engagement ring, you will become overwhelmed, which can make you ultra-picky. That’s why you want to know what you want and ONLY research what you need to know. Don’t create more anxiety for yourself by over-researching.

Conclusion

We hope that after reading our top mistakes when buying an engagement ring, you now know what mistakes you don’t want to make when buying that “forever” ring. Good luck and congratulations again on your engagement!