ENGAGEMENT | Vintage Inspired North Carolina Engagement | Natalie K Photography | Pretty Pear Bride

PLANNING | The Boyfriend’s Guide to Engagement Ring Shopping

ENGAGEMENT | Vintage Inspired North Carolina Engagement | Natalie K Photography | Pretty Pear Bride
ENGAGEMENT | Vintage Inspired North Carolina Engagement | Natalie K Photography | Pretty Pear Bride

You’ve been in a relationship with this girl that you now realize you want in your life forever. As the rhyme goes, “first comes love, then comes marriage.” You’ve saved up some money and you’re ready to begin shopping for the perfect ring. The only problem is, you don’t have a clue what you’re looking for. There are thousands of rings to choose from, and although it’s the thought that counts, you want to choose a ring that symbolizes our love for her – one that she’ll love.

Well, if you’re going to get the perfect ring for your girlfriend, there are a few things you’ll want to know before you go shopping. Here are some tips to help you in selecting the engagement ring of her dreams:

Shop Online Inventory

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You can cover a lot more ground by shopping online instead of heading to a local jeweler. By shopping online, you can see engagement rings from virtually anywhere. You could live in New York and find diamond engagement rings in San Diego that you believe are perfect for the woman of your dreams. You can then choose to purchase the ring online from a trusted vendor or you can visit the jewelry store in person and make the purchase. Either way, you save yourself a lot of time.

Get Her Input (If You Can)

So, the idea may be to surprise her with the engagement ring, but, you may end up being the shocked one if she doesn’t like what you bought. If you can, find a way to get her input. If you guys have been together for a while, there’s a chance that she’s dropped some hints. Whether she gushes over a ring one of her friends has or she happens to look at bridal magazines a lot, see if you can get an idea of what she might like. If you can’t get her input, go to her closest family members or friends for advice.

Consider Your Budget

Don’t be thrown off by the old tradition of spending two to three month’s salary on an engagement ring. The idea is to get her a ring that symbolizes your love for her – no matter what the price tag is. You should be looking for nice engagement rings that won’t cause you to go into debt, which is where the idea of checking out sites like Shoppok could come in handy (don’t worry, you’ll have plenty of reasons to fall into debt during the wedding planning). Have a price in mind prior to shopping so that you don’t get caught up as you’re looking at all the bling.

Choosing the Ring

Here comes the fun part – choosing the right ring. Here are a few tips to keep in mind as you shop:

Shape/Cut – What shape does your future finance like? Some of the most popular cuts today include cushion, emerald, marquise, princess, and square.

Settings – Settings are essentially how you want the stones to sit on the ring. The most common is a prong setting which is frequently used for solitaire stones. This is a metal claw that pokes out and clasps onto the stone. Tiffany settings, similar to prong settings are popular and use less metal than prong settings to reveal more of the stone. Bezel settings are another popular trend. The elevated metal from the ring wraps around the diamond like a collar. Lastly, tension settings are when the stone is held in place by pressure from the metal band as opposed to with a prong.

Metal – There are tons of band types for you to choose from. However, one of the most popular trends is platinum because it is durable and hypoallergenic. There are other options that include gold, red gold, yellow gold, and sterling silver. You should choose the metal type based on her jewelry preferences. If she wears a lot of yellow gold, for instance, you’d probably do best to get a yellow gold engagement ring.

Stone – Last, but certainly not least you’ll need to choose a stone. Although diamonds seem to be forever popular, engagement ring trends are changing. Many brides to be are flossing stones that include rubies, emeralds, and other types of stones that are just as beautiful as a diamond. Perhaps be unique and choose her birth stone.

How do you know when you’ve found the right ring? Some will say, you just know it when you see it. However, if you follow all of these tips you are sure to have an easier time in finding an engagement ring that she loves. The only way to come closer would be to let her pick her own out… which if you’re stumped, may not be a bad idea.

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Pretty Pear Bride is The World’s Only Site for Plus Size Brides. Bringing Bridal Inspiration to brides that look like “YOU”, created by Shafonne Myers. Shafonne Myers is a certified wedding and event planner who longed for bridal inspiration that looked like her. She has created a website and magazine that brings bridal inspiration to plus size brides. She does speaking engagements educating the world about plus size brides and self confidence.
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