11 Questions to Ask When Buying An Engagement Ring

You’ve found the love of your life and now you’re ready to find the love of her life because let’s face it, diamonds are a girl’s best friend!

Her engagement ring is one of the most important purchases you’ll ever make. Your wife-to-be will wear it on her left hand every day for the rest of your lives together as it symbolizes the beautiful and deeply meaningful love you share with each other.

Starting to feel the pressure to find the perfect engagement ring yet? That’s where we come in. The key to finding it is knowing the right questions to ask when shopping. By asking the right questions, you can narrow down your options until that one perfect ring is shining brightly up at you.

So, what are these questions that you should be asking both yourself and your jeweller before and during your engagement ring shopping experience? Look no further.

Questions to Ask Before Shopping For An Engagement Ring

1. What is your budget?

This is one of, if not the most important question you will have to ask yourself when it comes to engagement ring shopping. It’s imperative to be completely honest with yourself. Before you even start thinking about carat sizes, custom rings, shapes and bands, you will need to decide your budget first.

We suggest having a serious discussion with your significant other so that you are both on the same page and know what to expect. It’s also a good idea to have a range for you to work within. Keep in mind that an engagement ring is an investment that your spouse will wear for decades to come and that many choose to pass their rings on from generation to generation.

Once you have a budget set, you can immediately rule out many engagement rings as you begin to narrow your search to the perfect one, just like her.

2. What style does she want?

While you may think you know her best and what kind of engagement ring style she wants, it never hurts to double-check. Engagement rings come in an enormous variety of styles from size to colour to cut. Some rings have diamonds, while others have stones.

If you can’t sneak on to her Pinterest page, we suggest going ring shopping together before you make any purchases to get a better idea of the style she likes. This may seem like it will take away from the surprise of it all but it’s becoming much more common.

If you’re absolutely determined to put together a surprise proposal, here are a few tips to help you narrow down the style she might like:

• Pay attention! This doesn’t just apply to ring shopping by the way.
• Ask her friends and family. After all, mother does usually know best.
• Check her Pinterest. She may tell you she doesn’t have any rings pinned but we would bet a diamond ring she does.
• Look at the style of jewellery and clothes she wears now. Does she dress up and wear delicate jewellery? Does she like vintage and antique styled jewellery? This can tell you quite a lot.
• Consider her job. If she has an active job where wearing jewellery is impractical maybe she would prefer a simpler design. However, if she works in an office, you can most likely get something a little fancier.

3. What is her ring size?

While you can get away without knowing, it definitely makes the buying process easier if you do know her ring size in advance. If she comes ring shopping with you, this will be easy to find out.

However, if you’re planning on surprising her you could try asking her friends and family. Another method that we may have seen once or twice (or all the time) is to secretly borrow one of her rings that you’ve seen her wear on her ring finger and get it sized by a jeweller.

4. What are the four C’s?

If you want to buy her a traditional diamond, it wouldn’t hurt to brush up on the 4 C’s (cut, colour, clarity and carat) prior to starting your ring shopping journey. By learning just a little bit more about these terms, you can better understand what your jeweller is talking about.

Questions to Ask Your Jeweller When Buying An Engagement Ring

1. What ring sizes do you carry?

Many jewellers carry a standard range of engagement ring sizes. If the ring size you’re looking for is smaller or larger than the standard sizes, you may have to order a custom engagement ring. If you see a ring you like, it’s best to ask if the jeweller carries it in a specific size right away.

2. Can the ring be modified?

While you may have no intention of ever modifying the ring, you never know what the future holds. Someday your spouse may like to upgrade the diamond on the ring or add some sparkle to the band.

You may never change the ring, but it doesn’t hurt to know if it’s an option should you choose to.

3. Does this stone have a grading report?

It’s becoming more and more popular to learn about the diamond you are purchasing. Many diamonds now come with a special grading report from organizations such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). These reports contain almost every single detail you could ever want to know about the diamond.

4. What kind of metal is the ring?

Silver, gold, platinum, yellow gold, etc. etc. With a variety of metals to choose from these days, your jeweller should be able to walk you through the strength, durability and cost of each metal to help you choose which one is best for you and your significant other.

5. What payment options are available?

It’s no secret that engagement rings can become quite an expensive purchase. Many jewellers offer payment plans. Be sure to ask your jeweller if there are any plans that would work in your favour.

6. What is the refund/exchange policy?

Hopefully, you won’t ever have to refund or exchange your engagement ring, but this is still an important question to ask. After all, there’s nothing worse than purchasing something and discovering there’s a no-return policy in place when you need to return it. Better to be safe than sorry!

7. What cleaning and maintenance are recommended for the ring?

While engagement rings are built to withstand a lot of wear and tear, they are by no means invincible. They need to be maintained and cleaned regularly to stay as beautiful and pristine as the day you bought it.

There are plenty of DIY ring cleaning resources out there, but we suggest asking your jeweller in advance if there are any specific instructions for that particular ring when it comes to maintenance.

If you or your significant other don’t want to clean your ring, you can always just pop into J.H. Young and we would be happy to clean it for you.

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Now you’re ready to start your engagement ring shopping! With a large engagement ring selection ready for your browsing and of course our custom services available, our team of jewellers in Brantford is ready to help you find the perfect ring to take her breath away. But not before she says, “I do.”