The Diamond Store Blog

This is the most difficult thing to get right because it can obviously be tricky without giving the game away. It is a question of asking friends and family if they know or getting one of her rings measured if she already wears one on the third finger.

The only way to definitely know is to go into a jeweller with her or take advantage of free ring sizers that we send out on request.

You could always take a leap of faith and guess the size and then have the ring re-sized after the event, but even this is easier if your guess is close to the actual size.

MY TOP TIPS FOR GUESSING THE FINGER SIZE…….

Although we sell finger sizes from as extremes such as a very small F to a very large Z+6 most people’s finger sizes fall between a J (smaller) and a Q (larger).

So…

J, K or L wont be far out for petit women.
M & N wont be far out for average size women.
O & P for slightly larger women.
 

If the ring you are choosing is a classic single stone ring then it is very easy to amend the ring afterwards so don’t be to hesitant on choosing the size, we can always adjust to fit, it is a very, very simple process.

You can order a FREE ring sizer here.

You can also find out all about buying an engagement ring at our Engagement Ring Learning Centre.

I hear the same question time and time again. “They both look the same, so what’s the difference?” Its true, white gold and platinum jewellery do look the same yet white gold is much cheaper than platinum. But before you rush to choose white gold, know the facts:

“I thought gold was yellow” It is. The gold that is used to make jewellery is almost always not 100% pure. You may have heard the term “carat” to describe the purity of gold. This measure is a scale out of 24 where 24 carat is pure gold. 9 carat gold is thus 37.5% pure gold and 18 carat gold is 75% pure gold. The rest of the metal is actually a mixture of alloys. Gold is very soft and the alloys mixed with it helps make the metal harder.

With white gold, white alloys are used to mix with the pure gold, and the result is a pale yellow metal. This pale yellow metal is then coated with Rhodium which is a very hard, expensive and white metal. The result is a bright white metal – white gold.

Platinum, on the other hand, is a metal that is naturally white. Platinum is rarer than gold, heavier, much harder and used in a purer form (usually 95%). Platinum is therefore much more expensive than gold.

The advantages of white gold over platinum when used in jewellery is that it is much more affordable. However, you may need to re-coat the item in Rhodium once or twice a year as wear and tear rubs away the coating and the pale, dull yellow gold becomes visible.

Platinum jewellery is initially more expensive, but it can be argued is more cost effective in the long run as when it scratches or becomes worn, it does not need to be re-coated.

Therefore, my metal of choice for jewellery is platinum. It does not only feel more substantial (as is heavier than gold), it is rarer and also more practical.  Besides, when you buy an expensive piece of diamond jewellery, you want to know that you have bought the best!

You can also find out all about buying an engagement ring at our Engagement Ring Learning Centre.

The Four Cs – What are they and how important are they?

These are colour, clarity, cut and carat and are used to categorise and grade the diamond.

Consumers now have so much information on these factors that it has become unhelpful for the most part. It is not necessary to have such in-depth knowledge unless you are intending to buy a single diamond worth many, many thousands of pounds.

For most people, what is most important is finding a balance between quality and size. Ultimately you have to decide what has priority and realise that if you want a bigger diamond, you may well have to sacrifice a little on quality and vice versa, depending on your budget.

Bear in mind though that many women, if they know there’s something wrong with a diamond, no matter how flashy it may look at a distance, can become self conscious about it as they don’t want people to look too closely.

For this reason The Diamond Store recommends the diamond quality H/Si. This means the diamond is white with no noticeable colour tint and only small inclusions, which are not visible to the naked eye on anything under 0.50ct. It is a level of quality that allows people to strike that very fine balance.

Which Shape?

This is a tough one, does she have any diamond jewellery at the moment? if so what shape are the diamonds?

By far the biggest selling diamond shape is a round (brilliant cut) diamond, it sits very well in a variety of ring styles.

The second most popular style is Square (princess cut) diamonds, again they sit very well in a variety of settings but generally these diamonds are a little more expensive to buy than the equivalent round diamond.

Unless she has specifically commented on Emerald Cut, Marquise or Pear Shaped diamonds then I would recommend playing it safe and going for either the round or square diamond… However I am sure whatever you buy she will love!

You can also find out all about buying an engagement ring at our Engagement Ring Learning Centre.

Nowadays a rough guide to the amount you should spend on a ring equates to around a month or two months salary. I have searched all over the web for a definitive answer and there simply isn’t one!

Never forget that you will only be buying this once, so buy the best you can afford. You may think that as a jewellery company we would be biased, but the truth is you don’t want to under spend and regret it later.

You will have to decide the interpretation of the months salary, is it net or gross, is it an average of 12 months etc…..one thing I would add though… If you have seen something you like on the high street for £2000 and then find its equivalent online for £1000, don’t settle for that one. Buy to the top of your budget and get a ring that is twice as good!

We have also introduced finance options on all our engagement rings and we have a range of options to help you spread the payments into small, manageable amounts. (You can read more here).

You can also find out all about buying an engagement ring at our Engagement Ring Learning Centre.