What do we buy for Valentine's day?

On Valentine's Day All You Need Is Love...And A Special Gift Cupid is preparing his arrow once again and card shops throughout the land are getting their giant cards and teddies ready. A lot of effort goes into this romantic day - from budding paramours buying Valentine's Day themed products created by companies in vast amounts in the hopes of pleasing the one they love. What Do We Buy For Valentine's Day? Although the British public spend on average £41 for their partner or spouse, there is a significant difference between the expenditure of men and women. According to a recent study by Ladbrokes Casino, the average male spend is £50 against the women's £32, signalling a 36% difference. 00 47.3% 26.5% 9.6% 8.8% 8.6% The top present for loved ones is jewellery with 47.3% bought in 2014. Flowers came in second with 26.5% buying roses, followed by chocolate (9.6%), lingerie (8.8%) and cards (8.6%). A popular activity to do on Valentine's Day is to dine out and approximately 34.6% people do that. A Closer Look at How Men Spend on Jewellery 40% 21% 20% 8% buy necklaces buy rings buy buy earrings bracelets What's the Best Day of the Year to Propose? According to a recent survey of 7,000 people, 22% of women feel that Valentine's Day is the perfect time for their partner to make a proposal. It is estimated that 3 in 10 engagements will take place on Valentine's Day, which equates to 28,539 proposals. A third of the men (33 per cent) think Christmas Eve is the best time to do the deed, whereas 29 per cent of women actually want their man to put a ring on it on Valentine's Day. 33% 29% What You Need to Know When Buying Diamond Rings SO NOW THAT YOU KNOW WHY YOU ARE BUYING AN ENGAGEMENT RING MADE WITH A DIAMOND, YOU CAN FAMILIARISE YOURSELF WITH THE "FOUR CS" - CUT, COLOUR, CLARITY AND CARAT. Cut Cut a diamond incorrectly and the defining sparkle will be compromised. It is how the 57 or 58 facets are angled and Sized that dictate how light reflects and exits the diamond, an effect known as its "fire". The cut will also determine the shape of the diamond. The most common shape is the round cut, but others include the emerald, the pear, the marquise, the princess, the oval and the heart shape. Colour The most valuable and rare colour is white, that is to say, colourless. Jewellers grade absolutely colourless diamonds with a "D". The scale moves up to "Z" and, between these two extremes, diamonds will display subtle coloured tones. Clarity Diamond clarity is above all the most important factor when purchasing diamond jewellery. Generally, SI1 (Slightly Included 1) is the recommended minimum stone clarity and anything below SI1 such as 13 (Imperfect 3) will include black imperfections. As long as clarity is between SI1 and IF (As SI1 is least and IF is top end clarity) you shouldn't worry much. Carat The weight, and thus the size, of a diamond is measured by carat. A carat is equal to 0.2gm, or 200mgm. A carat is divided into 100 smaller units called points. The average size of most engagement-ring diamonds is somewhere between one carat and half a carat. SHINING DIAMONDS FOREVER References: http://www.growthbusiness.co.uk/growing-a-business/marketing-strategies-and-research/2481076/valentines -day-spending-set-to-top-19bn-in-united-kingdom.thtml http://swns.com/news/men-spend-an-average-35-on-valentines-day-but-women-only-fork-out-10-64339/ http://www.weddingdaily.co.uk/article/278/valentine's-day-statistics-show-one-in-10-will-pop-the-question http://themarketingrobot.com/all-you-need-is-love-valentines-day-infographic http://www.chillisauce.co.uk/news/marriage-proposal/ http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2002/feb/13/shopping.familyandrelationships1