What shouldn’t you compromise on when it comes to an engagement ring?-    Oh I do really love jewellery – for so many reasons.

 

 

 

What shouldn’t you compromise on when it comes to an engagement ring?

I love that you can change it to match your outfits and it can really be the perfect accessory adding colour, bling and sophistication. How a string of pearls can smarten up an outfit to wedding standard always amazes me.

I also love that jewellery is often an heirloom, bringing with it memories of those who passed it down and of times gone by. I have an amber ring of my great aunts and I always wear it with a smile of remembrance.

Jewellery is of course often given as a gift and it can evoke all sorts of emotions when we wear it, I have a gold watch my mama gave me many years ago and I wear it with such a sense of being loved.

Some jewellery is symbolic of promises such as eternity rings, wedding rings and engagement rings and these are of course really special and need to be very well loved as they will be worn day after day after day.

These are the pieces of jewellery we need to think most carefully about.

So what should we NOT compromise on when it comes to an engagement ring?

Well, bearing in mind this ring is just so special and that you will wear it for a lifetime, there are some things you really do not want to compromise on. I have been reading an excellent article over at Taylor & Hart that discusses this and it gives some great tips.

 

• When it comes to white gold vs platinum engagement rings they explain that white gold rings are plated with rhodium which will wear away over time and need replacing every 12-24 months in order to keep its sheen. Platinum engagement rings, on the other hand, don’t require this due to their natural white colour. So it’s well worth choosing platinum!

 

• If you’re considering a round centre diamond, they also suggest that cut is something you shouldn’t compromise on. Cut refers to the balance of proportions achieved by the diamond cutter, not the diamond’s shape. Cut grades range from excellent to poor and combines three different types of reflections–brilliance, fire and scintillation. For the greatest brilliance and fire, ‘‘very good’ and ‘excellent’ cut grades are recommended for round diamonds.

 

• Almost all diamonds have slight irregularities that are visible to a skilled grader under magnification. These are called “clarity characteristics”. Diamonds with ‘SI1’ clarity grades or higher should not have clarity characteristics visible to the naked eye and should have the brightest sparkle. So that’s something useful to consider when looking for your perfect ring – you don’t need to splurge on a flawless diamond.

 

• Last but not least you should consider grading, there are other grading labs but the Gemological Institute of America is the most highly respected. It is an international non-profit organisation dedicated to producing accurate and unbiased grading reports. They developed their grading system so you can choose a diamond without seeing it, yet still, trust you’re getting exactly what you paid for. Now that is reassuring.

 

 

So grading, cut, metal and clarity are key areas not to compromise on in regard to engagement rings. I would also recommend you go for a style you absolutely adore even if it costs a little more. This is a ring that hopefully, you will wear always.

What shouldn’t you compromise on when it comes to an engagement ring? is a collaborative post