5 Things to Know before Ring Shopping

Time to go over all things ring related!

​If you're here and are like SOS how do I even guide my partner towards the ring I would love?
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​Worry not... our biggest tip is to communicate.
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​Tell EVERYONE in your circle. Talk to your family, parents, siblings, friends, roommate, and especially your significant other.  

How to present the ring

The proposal should totally be a fun surprise but the step in the relationship totally not. That means you have a window of opportunity to easily be honest (in a light way of course) on what is truly important to you. If you are like Jenna and heirlooms are important to you you can listen in to her personal experience on how not only she but her family communicated that to Hunter before he proposed.
If you are going to be buying a ring - WOW! Did you even realize before looking into it that there are so so many options? It's quickly overwhelming we get it so let's cover the basics.

Speaking of lots of options - what you carry the ring on and how you display it when you pop the question is a great detail too.

• Tied around a puppy/kittens neck
  
• Velvet ring box
  
• LED lit box
  
• Cut geode
  
• Heirloom/handed-down box
  
• Tied around a floral stem
  
• Wooden ring box (super sweet to re-use for the wedding too)
  

Different ring styles

​The cut of the stone (round, princess, heart, pear, etc.), the clarity, the carat size, the cut (depth/shallow from top to bottom), color, and then there is the styles. So being able to mix and match all of these specifics means that you will have the perfect, unique ring and can lean in directions that matter to you.

The main styles we see often include:

• round
• oval
• pear
• cushion
• marquee
• asher
• radiant
• emerald
• princess
• halo (round with a setting of smaller stones around it)

You can check out more in this helpful article on The Modest Man: HERE

Ring Trends in 2022

It's really fun to watch the trends of rings come and go over the years, of course all that matters is that you two feel special, loved and that it reflects your personality. Keep in mind that what is popular may not be in style in 5 years so don't choose just based on that. On the plus side though, odds are eventually in 1 - 2 decades it will all circle back for you to be in style.
Here is our FAVORITE article about current trends on BRIDES, we could go over it again and again.
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Click HERE to see more from them. ​

Engagement Ring Budget

One thing that you are sure to have kept in mind is how much you want to spend on this ring. Now, everyone's budget will vary drastically but in general, most people tend to like the 2 - 3 month rule. Basically put, if you save 2 or 3 months of your salary just for the ring then bam-o. Honestly, our biggest recommendation is that should something happen to this piece of jewelry and you need to replace it - would you have to take out a loan? Would you have to change your day-to-day spending? If so, probably should not be spending that amount, to begin with. Keep in mind it's the significance of the ring that truly matters.
Lab vs natural - yes you can save tons with a lab-grown diamond! Keep in mind, that their durability is highly rated however since there are more in supply they do not hold their value when compared to natural diamonds. Hopefully resale is not something on your mind but we completely LOVE the idea of family heirlooms etc so there is a great perk to sticking with the natural.

Before you go ring shopping have these basic details in mind

• Budget range/ideal budget
  
• Their personality/what is important to your significant other
  
• Your partner's day-to-day: do they work with their hands a lot? Or do they love jewelry and this needs to stand out from the others?
  

Your turn - switching gears, how to find a ring for the person who already got your ring and proposed.

We could not forget to think of both sides - and if that is you, and you are now on the hunt for the perfect ring let's go over a few things. Materials - so any ring can be in a variety of metals, non-metals etc. this is especially true for bands or men's rings.
Some materials are not able to hold up to elements and every day were easily. These are materials you may find dipped in resin or surrounded with a harder metal to help prolong their life length of them. On the other side of things tungsten - it cannot be cut off. Definitely a no go for our hands-on, first responders, etc who do find themselves needing to get it cut off.
Know their style - are they team diamonds/stones or not? Do they like to dress formal or prefer to ride dirt bikes and work on mechanics?

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Resources
Podcast Episode: LISTEN HERE
Don't miss a thing from our co-authors at Behind the Party
​Amazing photographers can be easily seen by clicking the photo above. 
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SUBSCRIBE + GET ALL THE INFO

BRIDES article HERE
The Modest Man article HERE
The Diamond Pro Details HERE