- If you're the man, make sure you know your bride to be well enough to know her personal taste before you go shopping for rings. There are ways to sneakily find out what she likes like window shopping for a jewelry gift for her mother... then casually hanging around the rings and seeing if she says anything. Another great idea is to make a comment about one of her friends' rings saying what you like and don't like about it and see if she agrees and what else she says about it. There are a couple ways you can find out her ring size so that after the moment when she says, "yes," the ring will slip on like a well-fitted glove: You can steal one of her rings out of her jewelry box when she's not looking and either have a jeweler tell you what size it is or trace the circle inside onto a piece of paper and quick put the ring back before she notices it's gone. You can also ask her mother or best friend if they know but make sure they can be trusted to keep the secret! This is also a good time to ask their opinion on what they think she'll like. Lastly, you can always take her shopping for a Christmas present or promise ring and have her left ring finger fitted then. Don't forget the number!
- If you're the woman, there's nothing wrong with dropping subtle hints such as, "I've always dreamed I would wear my grandmother's engagement ring," or "I've always wanted a ruby instead of a diamond," or "I like my jewelry simple," or something to that nature. Make sure he knows as soon as the relationship seems like it might be heading in that direction. There's no reason you should feel shy about bringing up your desires.
- Carat: The mass of a diamond is determined by something called carat weight. One carat equals 200 milligrams. The price per carat is determined by carat weight and increases correspondingly as larger diamonds are less common. The Wedding Report recently announced that the average diamond engagement ring carat weight is 1.18.
- Clarity: Clarity measures the internal defects found in any diamond, what are commonly known as inclusions. Inclusions can be structural imperfections such as minute cracks which have a whitish or cloudy look or they could be crystals of a foreign material or even another diamond crystal. Clarity is impacted by the size, number, color, comparative location, orientation, and visibility of the inclusions.
- Color: A diamond free of structural and chemical imperfections is perfectly transparent, exhibiting no hues or colors to detract from its appearance. In actuality, virtually every diamond has minor imperfections which can influence its value in one way or another. A white diamond with a yellowish hue would be valued less while a diamond with a striking blue or pink hue will be valued much higher. To the naked eye, most people cannot tell the difference from one color grade to another. As far as price goes, the difference can be significant. Diamond purists always demand diamonds in the D-F range as they are the most rare and valuable, but when selecting diamonds in the G-J range you can still find a "colorless" look within your ring budget. I-J diamonds are half the price of D diamonds. Beginning with K diamonds, a yellow tint is more easily detected by the naked eye. They are usually half the price of a D diamond. There is also something called a "fancy diamond," which is graded on a completely different scale of its own. Fancy diamonds are found in every color of the rainbow, red being the absolutely rarest.
- Cut: Diamonds are unearthed in an imperfect condition and must be shaped and polished to become truly gem-worthy. The handiwork of an accomplished craftsman coupled with angles in which the diamond is cut determines the cut. Not to be confused with shape, the cut is determined by a precise mathematical equation developed nearly a century ago.
Then there are many different shapes of diamonds but here are the most popular you would find in a jewelry shop: round (the most popular), princess, emerald, square, oval, radiant, pear, heart, marquise, and cushion.
Next there are the many different settings to choose from:
