Choosing an engagement ring is a decision often left to the future husband, however, if you are choosing your own engagement ring, or even dropping hints, there are some things you want to remember to make sure you get exactly what you want. First, you should consider what kind of ring and/or stone you want to use. Traditionally engagement rings are diamond solitaires, but remember that this is your engagement ring, so you want it to represent you and the love you and your mate share with one another.

If you want to use a band without a stone, consider what type of metal you want to use: yellow gold, white gold, stainless steel, platinum, titanium, silver, and rose gold are the most common. Next, you want to consider thickness, brilliance, and whether you would like the band to be engraved. These choices will all depend on your personality and, most likely, budget.

For those women interested in diamond solitaires, there are five main things to consider: cut, clarity, color, carat, and (of course) budget.  Cuts range from Princess and Round, to Emerald and Marquis. The Clarity ranges from F-IF (flawless and internally flawless) to I1-I3 (inclusions); and the color ranges from DEF (colorless) to Z (fancy yellow). One of my best friends decided to upgrade her wedding band recently and changed her clustered marquis diamond to a beautiful 1-carat yellow marquis diamond solitaire. The diamond color matches her sorority colors and her husband’s fraternity colors. Choosing your carat size will depend on your budget and personality. For example, my husband saved a large amount of money for my engagement ring, but didn’t end up using the entire amount on my ring. He assumed I wanted a larger carat size, but I felt a larger diamond would not have fit me or my personality.

Ross-Simons Diamond Jewelry Showcase

This will be the first statement to the public that you are in a serious, committed relationship that is headed for a life-long testament of love, honor, and devotion so it is important that it is truly an extension of your own personality. When my husband and I were looking at different stones, I knew what I didn’t want simply by looking inside the case, and I knew even more when trying different rings. Every woman knows what complements their personal style, so don’t be afraid to show that through your engagement ring. If you have a man who knows you well enough to pick your perfect ring then I would definitely suggest allowing him that freedom, but if you have someone who needs a little push in the right direction, then spending some time at jewelry stores will definitely give you both a chance to see what you really want.  Remember that the engagement ring is one of the first starts to solidifying your new life together as husband and wife, so you want to make sure that you adhere to your personalities and budgets so you can truly begin a life together on the right track. Picking out your engagement ring can be a rewarding bonding experience for both of you and you could possibly give your future husband the advice and encouragement he didn’t even realize he needed.