Buying an Engagement Ring

Engagement Ring Buying an Does she want a diamond? Not to be confused with Zircon, December's birthstone! Cubic Zirconia Maybe Not Duh If you're only looking to save a What cut should you get? She likes her birthstone chunk of change, expect a dirty look from your maybe NOT bride-to-be. Keeping it a secret? Ask a family While love ought to conquer all, some women are a bit tetchy about member or BFF. the whole fake diamond thing. Bam. Go for it. Not the status quo If you're dirt poor but ready to get married, youU can away Pearl and opal The most popular shapes with a manufactured, thus are pretty classy. are round or princess cuts. cheaper, stone which can be You can always play the Let her choose. She's replaced with the real thing later odds... going to be the one when you can afford it. wearing it every day. Does she have a favorite color? Color Clarity Her eyes are sapphire blue... or she just really likes blue. And sapphires. She looks great Diamonds aren't perfectly clear (they can be yellowish in hue). Diamonds are in ruby red rated D-Z, with D being the most colorless (and therefore the most Go green! Maybe she VVS1? Sl1? What? Diamonds have pricey). Honestly, though, will she flaws, and those letters and numbers notice the difference between D and wants an emerald or something just as green? indicate how many. F: Flawless. G? (D and J, maybe.) VVS1: Very Very Slightly Included. Slı: Slightly Included, and so on. The less included, the more spendy. What metal do I get? She's all about gold Most of her jewelry is silver... 14KY gold is standard in the U.S. This means the gold is 14 parts gold, 10 parts alloy. 24K pure gold. KW Pt Pd White gold is plated with rhodium (it makes the ring look even whiter), which may Platinum is very durable and Palladium is newer eventually wear off, but it's widely available naturally hypoallergenic, but to the jewelry and thus less expensive. It is, however, tends to be pretty expensive. industry, but it is similar to platinum - alloyed with nickel, so if your intended has an allergy, stay away. and it costs way less. What's her ring size? Does she already wear rings? Not really Sure does Straight up ask her if Bring her in to the Being sneaky? she knows her ring "Borrow" one of her jewelery store to size. Easy, right? Use your best rings and have the get her sized. guess. It can always jeweler measure be resized. the size. Ask if the jeweler charges to do so Put on one of her rings and mark how far it goes on your finger. The jeweler can figure it out from there. Buy a set? Meh. Heck yes! Styles come and go, so buying a matching set now might Is she matchy matchy? save you later if the matching band is discontinued. But, Then go for it. hey, does everything have to match? Probably not. Engraving? Love you! Of course! Not sure... No biggie. If you want to do it later, you can. Think of something that will I don't know what to say last. The pet name Pookums Save your phrase for might not be as charming 10 years from now. the wedding bands. u My Pookums You can always choose an engraving together, which may make :even more special. Aw shucks! OOPS Service plans may cover cleaning, resizing, replating, repairs or even replacing a lost diamond. Service Plan? Some jewelers offer free cleanings and warranty the ring. Some don't. Better check first Maybe... and see what they offer. She's pretty careful She's tough on jewelry Even if she's careful, the prongs holding the stone can wear down, resulting in a If she has a rough, hands-on job (or if she lost stone. Oh no! At least have the ring unexpectedly trips over her prize fern and busts checked by a jeweler once a year. It's her ring breaking her fall), a little extra to cover generally free to do so, so that's nice. maintenance might not be a bad idea. How do I pay for it? Card Loan Cash Let's face it, cash up front Depending on your credit score, your bank might hook you up with a You could put it on a credit card. However, is always the best solution. its higher average interest rate can make personal loan with a better rate than the ring even more expensive, and a big increase in your credit to debt ratio could a credit card. Not too shabby. Financing hurt your credit score. Ouch! Some jewelers offer financing plans. Read the fine print carefully before signing, Fin even if "no interest for six months" sounds like a deal. February 2012, Obrass|MEDIA, moneysideoflife.com Writing & Research: Jennie Bartlemay Design & Layout: Kyla Tom Sources: cookmen.com, theknot.com, about.com, xogroupinc.com, gilletts.com, thediamondbuyingguide.com