Engagement Ring Buying Guide
Ultimate Guide to Engagement Rings - Complete Buying Guide
Which Engagement Ring is Right for You?
Fits Their Style
Crafted primarily in 18kt gold—available in white, yellow, and rose variations—their pieces blend timeless elegance with contemporary flair.
Fits Your Budget
SH Jewellery offers a Diamond Price Match Guarantee, ensuring the best value but caters to a range of budgets without compromising on quality
Demonstrates Quality
Our diamonds are certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), the world’s foremost authority on diamond grading, providing customers with assurance of each diamond’s authenticity and quality.
Ultimate Guide to Engagement Rings
An engagement ring symbolises the depth of love and a commitment to spend a lifetime with a partner. For centuries, engagement rings have been a cultural tradition around the world. This engagement ring guide will help you make well-informed decisions about an engagement ring, including design options, style and which gems to choose.
History of Engagement Rings
Considered a symbol of love and devotion today, the history of engagement rings dates back to the Egyptians and Romans in the 2nd Century BC when they were a mark of ownership.
Proposal Traditions form Around the World
Proposal traditions around the world reflect a beautiful mix of culture, love, and family values. Read more...
Modern Trends
Engagement trends today include:
- Hiring a videographer to capture the moment.
- Organising a proposal experience like a catered picnic, a hot air balloon ride or a bridge climb.
- Proposing on Christmas Day or New Year's Eve.
Decide How Much You Want to Spend
Various factors affect the cost of engagement rings, including the choice of gemstone, the carat size, and the type of metal. However, you can only spend what you can afford. Engagement rings are available in so many styles and designs that it's possible to buy a beautiful ring that symbolises your commitment and love for your partner.
How Expensive is an Engagement Ring?
An engagement ring can be as expensive or affordable as you choose. If the style and size of an engagement ring are essential to you and your partner, saving money for the ideal engagement ring can be seen as an investment. Some modern couples are now contributing to the purchase of an engagement ring.
How Much Should You Spend on an Engagement Ring?
The 1930s De Beers marketing campaign suggested spending one month's salary on an engagement ring. Since then, much discussion has been about the right amount of money to spend on an engagement ring. Having a budget in mind can help your jeweller find the right engagement ring for you.
Understanding Different Ring Styles and Settings
Your partner will wear this ring daily, so they need to love it. The ring style and setting must also be functional and suitable for wearing at work, shopping, or on date night. If you need clarification on your partner's ring style and setting preferences, stick to the classics, like a round or square shape. The choice of setting can impact the ring's durability and appearance.
Solitaire / Round
One of the most popular styles of engagement rings, a prong-set, usually secures the diamond where it catches the light. While a bezel setting will be more secure than a prong set, as it protects the stone's girdle, it will not see the light as much.
Halo
This setting features the centre stone surrounded by tiny gemstones in a pave setting to give the appearance of a larger centre stone.
Trilogy / Three Stone
This style features three stones representing the couple's past, present, and future. The centre stone is more significant than the two accompanying stones, so this setting allows you to be creative with stone size and shape.
Oval
This popular design can be styled as a trilogy, solitaire or halo ring. Ideal for longer fingers, oval diamonds can be cut to appear larger than other diamonds of the same carat weight.
Pear Cut
This unique cut of diamond, called initially the teardrop, is popular because the facets allow maximum light refraction for greater sparkle.
Emerald Cut
Emerald-cut engagement rings feature clean lines and an elongated shape, capturing vintage charm and modern sophistication.
Princess Cut
Princess-cut diamonds feature brilliant facets and a square shape. Drawing design influences from the Art Deco period, this versatile style is available in contemporary and vintage-inspired designs.
Heart Shaped
Heart-shaped engagement rings are cut into the symbolic shape of eternal romance and love. Requiring meticulous craftsmanship, these rings are considered the most romantic style.
Cushion Cut
Cushion-cut engagement rings feature a square cut with soft rounded corners and are well known for their ability to retain their colour.
Marquise Cut
Also known as the "Navette", the Marquise Cut is shaped like a boat and features a slim oval narrowing to a point at both ends.
Selecting the Right Gemstone
While diamond solitaires were once the only acceptable engagement ring choice, today, there is more demand for colourful gemstones that feature contemporary trends and vintage influences.
Guide to Diamonds
Like a fingerprint, every diamond has distinguishing characteristics that determine its rarity, value and brilliance.
Understanding the 4 Cs (cut, colour, clarity, and carat weight) can help you prioritise what matters most. Sometimes, a well-cut diamond with a slightly lower carat weight or clarity can appear more brilliant and offer better value.
The 4 C's
When choosing a diamond, consider the cut, colour, clarity, and carat weight. A well-cut diamond with a slightly lower carat weight or clarity can offer better value and appear more brilliant than a diamond that needs to be better cut. A diamond's cut grading refers to how it has been cut and considers polish, symmetry, and proportions.
The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Clarity Grading Scale ranges from Flawless (F) to Included (I), with Flawless diamonds being highly valued and rare. For Slightly Included (SI) diamonds, the inclusions are generally not visible to the naked eye.
A carat is a measurement of weight where one carat equals 1/5 of a gram. For a solitaire setting, the carat weight refers to the weight of the single diamond. For a ring with multiple stones, the total carat weight (TW) indicates the combined weight of all individual diamonds in the piece.
Colour Grading
The lack of colour in white diamonds makes them more sought-after and valuable. The lower the colour, the higher the grade of the diamond. The GIA industry standard for diamond colour grading ranges from D to Z, with D being colourless and Z having a noticeable colour.
Natural vs Lab Grown
Natural diamonds are formed 100 to 200 kilometres below the Earth's surface over millions to billions of years. Volcanic activity brings diamond-bearing rock and minerals closer to the surface, where natural diamonds are mined.
Synthetic or lab-grown diamonds are created in a controlled environment. Although they feature the same optical, physical, and chemical properties as natural diamonds, these artificial diamonds can be more affordable than natural diamonds which have the same quality and size.
Other Precious Stones
While diamonds are a popular engagement ring choice, there are other beautiful precious stones to consider.
Guide to Sapphires
Our deep blue sapphire engagement rings are reminiscent of royalty and tradition. Popularised by Princess Diana, they are available in different styles and cuts.
Guide to Emeralds
Known for their rich, vibrant green tones, emeralds symbolise hope and renewal. Our emerald engagement rings capture the allure of emeralds complemented by classic or contemporary settings.
Guide to Rubies
Symbolising love and passion, our ruby engagement rings are available in classic solitaires or exquisite halo rings.
Carat & Rings Sizes
Carat sizes refer to the weight of the diamond, not the size. A one-carat diamond could measure 6.4mm, while a one-carat round sapphire might measure 6.0mm. The depth, shape and cut will also play a role in determining how big a carat appears.
How to Find Your Ring Size
Download our free sizing PDF
Carat Sizes
The average diamond carat size for engagement rings will depend on demographics and location. A younger couple will typically choose a smaller carat than an older couple.
Ethical Considerations in Gemstone Choice
Ethical gemstones are sourced with human and environmental rights care throughout the supply chain. Fairtrade Gemstones also uses responsible mining practices while treating workers ethically and fairly.
In 2003, the Kimberley Process was implemented, where members ensured that conflict diamonds didn't enter the global diamond trade.
SH Jewellery's Ethical Sourcing
We only source diamonds from areas where people earn fair wages and operate under-regulated and safe working conditions. Our entire diamond supply chain has signed agreements that meet diamond mining best practices where they are only sourced from conflict-free zones.
GIA Partnership
The GIA, creators of the 4Cs and the International Diamond Grading System™, certified our diamonds.
Choosing a Metal
Pros and Cons of Different Metals
Engagement rings are crafted from various metals, including platinum, white gold, rose gold, and yellow gold.
Metals Guide
With so many metal choices, it's a good idea to research them before buying your engagement ring.
Trending: Rose Gold
Rose gold is an alloy crafted from pure gold and copper. By blending these two metals, the colour changes to a rose hue. The most common rose gold alloy is 18K rose gold, made from 25% copper and 75% pure gold.
What is Rhodium Plating?
Rhodium plating is crafted from a base metal of silver, gold or other alloys. It adds extra strength and lustre to a ring and is more durable than other metals.
White Gold or Platinum?
White gold is more affordable than platinum or palladium and more durable than platinum or sterling silver. Its lower gold content makes it also scratch-resistant.
Platinum engagement rings are considered to be the epitome of luxury. As a rare metal and one of the strongest in the world, it is popular because of its high-end, shiny appearance. Its light silver colour and shine assure a high-end appearance.
The Truth About Yellow Gold
Yellow gold jewellery is crafted from real gold. To make it more durable, pure yellow gold is mixed with other metals, such as silver, platinum, copper, zinc, nickel, iron, and cadmium.
Where to Buy Your Engagement Ring
Online vs. In-Store Purchasing
While it's helpful to research engagement rings online, there's nothing like going into a physical store to try rings on and talk to jewellers personally.SH Jewellery is located in Melbourne's South-East, with ample streets and paid parking for easy access.
Want to buy an engagement ring online? You must check if the jeweller has GIA certification and positive online reviews.
Trusted Retailers and Certification Needs
When you buy an engagement ring from a trusted retailer, you get a quality product and peace of mind that the gemstones and metals have proper certification. SH Jewellery only uses GIA-graded diamonds.
Why You Should Choose a GIA Partner
The GIA certificate that comes with your diamond engagement ring provides you with clear insight into your stone's colour, cut, carat, and clarity.
SH Jewellery's Diamond Certification
All our diamonds are certified by the GIA, the global standard for evaluating diamond quality.
Long-Term Maintenance and Insurance Options
Should You Insure Your Engagement Ring?
Insuring your ring can be one of the best decisions you can make. After all, what happens if it gets lost, stolen or damaged?
SH Jewellery's Long-Term Care Plan
Looking after your engagement ring can keep it looking like new.
Caring for Your Engagement Ring
To keep your engagement ring looking as good as new, it's essential to keep it clean and get it checked regularly for wear and tear.
More Tips & Advice
What Happens Once I decide on a ring?
So, you’ve found the one—both your partner and the perfect engagement ring! Now what? At SH Jewellery, we make the next steps simple and stress-free. Whether your ring is ready to take home the same day or needs resizing or custom work, we’ll guide you through the process.
6 Unique Alternatives to Diamond Solitaire Engagement Rings
Long gone are the days when diamond solitaires were the only acceptable choice for engagement rings. Today, the growing interest in non-traditional engagement rings is fuelled by a desire for individuality, creativity and storytelling, made possible through unique engagement rings featuring colourful gemstones, vintage influences and contemporary trends.
What Your Ring Says About You
Promise rings signify a pre-engagement commitment, whereas engagement rings declare an intention to marry. Wedding rings, typically worn on the left hand, embody eternal love, and eternity rings, often given on significant anniversaries, represent lasting devotion. Each ring carries unique meaning, reflecting personal stories, traditions, and commitments.
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