Buying an Engagement Ring? Read this first..
The average cost for an Engagement Ring now stands at around £1,800 for 2012. Tradition states you should be spending around two months wages on that special item. But there are so many options to consider when buying a ring that the average figure really does get thrown out of the window. A beautiful looking ring can start as low as £300 and work its way up to a cool £1 million.
Your final ring choice is governed by a number of factors, including: What metal your partner wants, the diamond size, diamond cut, diamond colour and clarity. Even the diamond shape makes a difference to the cost.
What matters is that you pay for something reflecting your budget and shows your true feelings towards your partner.
Please note the information below is a guide only and may not suit everyone’s view or opinion. If you are in any doubt please contact your local Jeweller or Diamond expert who will give you some further information..
Below is a list of interesting facts about Engagement Rings.
1) The most popular diamond shape is the round brilliant cut. Depending on the type of shank you choose it does tend to show off the diamond very well. The round definitely scores high on overall BLING & WOW factor.
2) GIA and IGI are two of the most respected diamond grading labs in the world. They grade diamonds so you know exactly what your buying. If the diamond has no certification ensure the company you are buying from has a good reputation for providing good quality stock and can guarantee themselves that it is good quality. Others to look out for are EGL which do offer strict diamond grading at affordable prices. If buying an in-house diamond graded diamond, these can provide a very un-biased view and may not have the same value as a Diamond with genuine certification but as mentioned above the retailer may have an excellent in house diamond grading expertise.
Simon Wright from Diamond Jewellers http://www.sw-jewellery.com/ kindly states in reference to this point “The GIA is, I agree, a highly respected diamond grading laboratory. However, by presenting the article as factual information is misleading as a diamond certificate is not a guarantee of the quality of the diamond. It is the opinion of a diamond grader presented on a piece of paper. The nature of diamond grading is that the grader makes an informed observation on the properties of the stone, which allows for variation between the certificates based on who the grader is. I have seen lovely stones that have been graded by the GIA, and I have also seen some stones that should never had received the grading they have through the GIA.”
Simon then goes on to explain “A diamond certificate is in no way a guarantee of what you are getting. It is more important to purchase your diamond from a jeweller who is reputable and who you can trust. On un-laser marked stones it is easy for a jewellery to say a certificate belongs to a particular stone and the customer has little way of proving otherwise”
3) You may want to consider buying your diamond online as you can make a saving of between 20 – 25% opposed to buying your engagement ring on the high street. Check out our 5 top on line Budget Engagement Rings. (All UK business online will include sales tax at 20%. Cheaper online prices may be due to lower operating costs of the business. Tax may be saved if buying from another country and importing in. You may well get charged import tax (Duty) if picked up by customs though.
4) The tradition of an engagement ring was introduced in 1477. Archduke Maximillian of Austria gave Mary of Burgundy a Gold ring set with a diamond as a token of love.
5) Jewellery engagement ring animation has taken over the web. These are interactive and give customers a better idea how the ring looks in great detail.
Heres a great example…
More…
Vioella Launches Takara Range
Top 10 Tips before buying an engagement ring..
6) Ancient cultures believed that the third finger on the left hand, had a special vein called Vena Amoris, the vein of “love,” this vein runs directly to the heart.
7) The word diamond comes from the Greek word “adamant” which means steadfast or invincible. It is from this word that the diamond gets its name. Diamonds are believed to be indestructible but although a very hard material they are also quite brittle so getting a hammer to it will not do it much good!!
8) Many of the diamond rings you now see online are in fact models that are not real. These rings are computer generated to look real as standard photography just doesn’t cut it any more. Only one company in the world can achieve perfect computer generated results so you wont see the difference. This company is called Lionsorbet.
9) Some engagement rings are used as Wedding bands. You can still have a separate wedding ring band, but some designs incorporate this.
10) Countries such as England, United states, France, and Canada traditionally wear the engagement ring on the left hand. Where as Germany, Russia and India wear the ring on the right hand.
11) The most common metal used for engagement rings is either White Gold or Platinum, however due to the rise in cost for these two types of metal Palladium is the new metal on the scene. Palladium is regarded as a precious metal and is a luxury alternative at a much cheaper price.
12) Many alternative engagement rings are being designed and manufactured everyday. There are some amazing custom designs out there that look amazing. They do however come at a premium but they look electric compared to the standard shanks available on many websites and shop outlets. Many large online retailers sell common designs that a majority of people want but it is worth checking out individual designers and custom builds as they are not always that much more expensive to buy.
Another great example…
13) Although Valentines day is one of the most important days of the year for jewellery retailers, December is in fact the most popular time of the year to get engaged.
14) Diamonds were first discovered in India as far back as 800 B.C. But diamonds were not used on wedding bands or engagement rings until the 15th century.
15) The most expensive diamond engagement ring in the world is the De Beers Platinum. Weighing in at a cool 9-carats. It’s no wonder it costs around £1.2 million.
16) The average diamond carat weight used in engagement rings is estimated at 0.37 carats.
17) Did you know if you shine an ultraviolet light on a real diamond it will glow in the dark for a few seconds. Some experts believe this is a good way to make sure its the real thing.
18) The Kimberly Process ensures conflict-driven diamonds are no longer fuelled by civil wars or conflict. In fact Less than 1% of all diamonds mined are conflict related.
19) The youngest diamond is 900 million years old, however scientist can grow synthetic diamonds averaging 2.5 carats in 4 days.