How to Go Engagement Ring Shopping: A Couple’s Guide
There’s no questioning that planning a wedding can be one of the most exciting and rewarding journeys that a couple embarks on together. The first step in that journey, though, often has nothing to do with the wedding itself. Rather, it’s all about the engagement ring. While the engagement ring shopping process is sometimes mainly facilitated by the person proposing, it’s becoming a bit more common for couples to do at least a little bit of the engagement ring shopping together. This is because no one wants to propose with an engagement ring that their partner doesn’t absolutely fall in love with. However, navigating the engagement ring shopping process as a couple can be a little bit tricky. This guide has been designed to help you along the engagement ring shopping journey.
There are a lot of decisions to be made when it comes to selecting an engagement ring so being on the same page as your partner ahead of time can be extremely helpful in selecting a ring that you both love, reflects both your personalities, and acts as a symbol of the life that you want to build together moving forward.
Communicating Clearly
When it comes to making any type of joint-decision with your partner, communication is key. Communication is at the heart and root of all our relationships and it plays a crucial role in our ability to socialize. Being able to communicate honestly and transparently with your partner before and during the engagement ring shopping process will be more than just beneficial.
By being open and honest with your partner about the types of styles, cuts, and sizes that you like in engagement rings you come across through various mediums, they’ll have a better idea of what type of engagement ring to purchase when planning the proposal. This can also make the proposal go a lot more smoothly, because you can rest assured that the person being asked the big question will like the style of ring you chose.
It’s important to keep in mind that communication is an absolutely vital part in any relationship. If you want to enhance your personal or intimate relationships, working on your communication skills can do just that.
Taking Cost Into Account
A major consideration for couples when shopping for anything is often their budget. This is going to play a huge role in the type of engagement ring that you choose. The diamond-ring marketplace is a surprisingly diverse one, even when it comes to pricing. Traditional mined diamonds are going to be at the higher-end of the price-range. This is because there are fewer mined diamonds available in the world than there are lab-grown diamonds. Even within that, mined diamonds still vary in quality, size, and aesthetic which all can influence its value as well. Jennifer Lopez’s new engagement ring from Ben Affleck, for instance, features an 8.5 carat mined green diamond that is likely worth between $5 and $10 million dollars. This value is largely due to the size of the colored diamond. Green diamonds are exceptionally rare as it is, and finding them over the size of 1-carat is even rarer.
However, not all of us have the pocket money that Hollywood movie-star Ben Affleck has. VRAI engagement rings, for instance, are all lab-grown with accessible price points for any budget.
Exploring Your Options
One of the most important pieces of the puzzle when it comes to engagement ring shopping as a puzzle is being open minded and exploring your options. Take a look at the different cuts and settings available, and don’t feel the need to rush through the decision making process.
Be patient with the process and take your time considering the many different options that are available. This will give you a good sense of what’s out there, and can help you start to make some choices.
Narrowing Things Down
Finally, after mulling over and browsing the available options on the market, start to narrow things down. Set up parameters for yourself. We often know what we like and what we don’t the moment we see it.
Having a chance to incrementally narrow down your search will help you eventually settle on the exact right cut, size, and setting for your engagement ring. Then the last thing you’ll have to do is make the purchase and pop the question.
Selecting an Engagement Ring
There is no perfect way to select an engagement ring. Sometimes the right ring just appears to us, other times it’s handed down to us from a relative who we love dearly. Sometimes, though, it’s an arduous process that takes research, time, and plenty of energy. Do your best to enjoy the process, and don’t be afraid to get your partner involved. Especially if they already know the question is coming.
