Engagement Rings : How to Get the Best Value
If you’re new to engagement ring shopping then you’ll want to get a little savvy on how to get the best value in the little jewel that is going to help you win her heart. Most men start to feel a wave of panic when they know that she’s the one and they need a box with an engagement ring that’s supposed to blow her away. His brain becomes a flood of white noise and in desperation he ends up in a jewelry store with a pencil pushing salesman ready to write up a sales slip for a multi thousand dollar ring.
It doesn’t have to be this way. There are just a few things that you need to consider before walking into a jewelry store or browsing aimlessly online.
Creating some kind of budget is essential if you’re to stay focused and on project when it comes to engagement rings. Yes, this is a project of sorts and a very important one. Knowing the absolute maximum dollar amount that you can commit to this project is a must. Once you have a figure that is acceptable to you and your bride to be, then comes the hard part of breaking that figure into parts that will address budgets for the center diamond, the mounting and the wedding bands.
Also, leave some room for ancillaries like an appraisal and perhaps a rider on your home insurance policy that will give you replacement value in the event of loss or theft. This kind of breakdown will prevent you from overspending or unbalancing the project by not spending enough on the diamond and committing too much to the mounting.
Once you have your budget and have done some research on the internet as far as loose diamonds and mountings go, you are now prepared to go into the field to view some live diamonds at stores like Zales, Whitehall and Kay’s to name a few. They will have a good enough range of basic round brilliant and perhaps princess cut diamonds for you to look at so you can get your eye accustomed to the appearance of the different colors, clarities and cuts that are available. You can then educate yourself on how these variables affect diamond pricing.
Once you become aware of diamond pricing on this practical and experiential level you are now able to come to terms with the type of budget you will need in order to achieve the look in an engagement ring that will appeal to you. You will be able to decide for yourself what compromises you are willing to make in terms of diamond size, diamond quality and mounting so that you don’t blow your budget.
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