1. When assessing a diamond for your engagement ring, remember the four Cs: Carat weight, Cut, Clarity and Colour. Just because you are spending a lot of your hard earned money, do not assume this is anything other than an emotional investment.
2. Do not get hung up on a specific carat weight for your engagement ring diamond. There is a huge increase in price from a diamond that is 0.9 of a carat and a one-carat diamond. If your preference is for a three-stone diamond engagement ring, for example, it is advisable to choose a 0.8 carat center stone, with two 0.4 carat diamonds either side. This will be considerably less expensive than a one-carat diamond flanked by two half-carat diamonds.
3. Remember that you will wear your engagement ring for the rest of your life (hopefully) so be practical when choosing your engagement ring but this does not mean that you do not have to be extravagant.
4. Check to see if the retailer subscribes to the Kimberley Process, which should remove any conflict diamonds. Also ask him to write: “Natural, untreated diamond” on the invoice. This should protect you from being fobbed off with a synthetic or enhanced diamond. The Kimberley Process (KP) is an initiative set up by governments, industry and civil societies to prevent the flow of conflict diamonds. Conflict diamonds are rough diamonds used by rebel movements to finance wars against legitimate governments, such as in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sierra Leone and Angola.
5. Lastly and by no means the least important, always go for the largest diamond (or any precious gem stone) for your engagement ring that you can afford.

Happy shopping and good luck in finding your perfect engagement ring.

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I’m sure you all have dreams of your “perfect” engagement ring. Tradition and etiquette says that as your partner drops to his knees and begs for your hand in marriage, he should produce a little box with a not-so-little ring!

Now back to reallity. You all have dreams of your perfect engagement ring, you know what you would like (as my now wife did) and what you would not, and it is a brave man who buys the engagement ring before the proposal, even more so if he does not find out what you would like. Many men, including myself, will propose with a “costume ring”, or a stone that is not yet set. At a push he can get away with a Christmas-cracker style monstrosity (just like myself to “test the water” – not the actuall proposal I might add).

When it comes to buying the engagement ring, as tempting as it may be to buy the first one you see, take your time as it will be on your finger for years to come. Ask your other half for a budget guideline, no good looking at rings that cost thousands when his budget is only £500! A general guide for a budget is about one months salary (circumstances allowing). Then start looking around.

My Engagement Story – The Engagement Ring

It was inevitable that we (Karen and I) would get to this point, mainly after asking a “hyperthetical” question to Karen, then my girl friend, “hyperthetically, what would your answer be if I asked you to marry me?” After a stunned silence, a quiet “hypertheical yes of course” we started to look at engagement rings. At this point, the official question had not been popped!

Karen had a good idea of what she wanted, so we went to some jewellers and she tried some rings on to see what suited her fingers/hand best. Once she knew exactly what she wanted, it was then up to me! No pressure there then!

I was quite luckly, in that my mum used to work in Hatton Garden, so she  knew where I should go and look. I ended up buying the gem stones, shank and claws separately and then had the ring made, so Karen would end up with a unique engament ring, made especially for her.

My Engagement Story – The Question

So, with the ring in my pocket, it was time for a short break to Edinburgh over Valentines’ Day. Come Valentines’ Day, we went for a sight seeing walk around Edinburgh, all the time I was looking for a “good” location to pop the question. Every time I thought “this looks like the place” there was just too many people around and I was not that brave!

Eventually, we ended up at Calton Hill, overlooking Princes Street and Edinburgh. I looked around, nobody about, heart starting to beat alot faster and getting very nervous, I bent down on one knee, said a poem that I had prepared ealrier and asked Karen if she would marry me. She said yes – phew! Then, we heard some applause! Where did that come from, as I had not seen anybody about – but there in a parked car was an elderly lady, clapping and congratulating us. Something we will never forget. Every time we see anything about Edinburgh, especially when Calton Hill is shown, the memories flood back.

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