Engagement Rings

Finding the Perfect Engagement Ring

If things go right, you'll only be buying one engagement ring in your lifetime. Finding the right ring doesn’t have to be a hard work. We outline some buying strategies that will have you finding the perfect ring in no time.

1-Determine Your Budget While you want to get her a ring that is sure to please, don’t forget, you have to pay for it. Our suggestion: Figure out how much you can afford to spend before you step foot in the store. When we work with you, we’ll make sure to ask you this important question, and then we’ll help you to find the perfect ring in your budget that she will be talking about for years to come.  The standard rule is two months salary – but –keep in mind, this is also a rule that the diamond industry created! However it's still a decent place to start, but then figure out your personal budget.

2-Pay Attention You're going to have to make a lot of choices – platinum or gold? Modern or traditional? Flashy or understated? It's easier if you've done your homework beforehand. Look at the jewelry your sweetheart wears on a daily basis – if it's all silver with intricate designs – look for a platinum engagement ring with intricate designs (often called filigree). If it's just a few heavy gold pieces, well, then go in that direction.

3-Choose a Stone If you’ve been paying attention to your sweethearts taste, this choice should be pretty simple. Diamonds come in round, pear, marquis, and many other choices. At Bellestar, we carry all shapes and sizes of diamonds so we will be happy to find the right stone to put into your ring.  The most classic shape is a round solitaire.

Choose the Setting After you've got your stone, then comes the setting. You could go for simple with a solitaire setting, or you could add filigree, extra side stones, and other details. You can choose gold, white or rose gold, platinum, or even titanium.  Again, pay attention to your sweetheart’s taste and this choice will become much clearer. The diamond experts at Bellestar can also help you choose the perfect setting to showcase your diamond stone.

4-Think About Bringing Your Sweetheart With You You'll lose the element of surprise, but you'll be sure that she likes her engagement ring. More and more couples are doing it this way.

5-Plan Ahead You may not be able to just walk out of a jewelry store with a ring. Not only will you need to save up for it, but depending on what you order it could take a couple weeks for them to set the stone, do any engraving, or even custom design your ring (like Brad Pitt did for Jennifer Aniston). So if you want to propose on a certain date, make sure you start working on the ring early.

6-Get it In Writing Would you buy a house without an inspection? No? Well then don't buy a diamond without an independent diamond-grading report from the GIA or the American Gem Society. It should include the 4 c's of color, cut, clarity and carat, as well as the shape and size. And, like your house, don't forget to get the ring insured.

How To Buy The Perfect Diamond

 What You Should Know About the Four Cs

Diamond Characteristics

There are many characteristics that control a diamond's appearance and durability. Four important factors are often lumped together and called the Four Cs: diamond color, clarity, cut and carat weight. Each of those topics is important on its own, but it's up to you to combine them in different ways to find a diamond that suits your style, your needs and your budget.

Diamond Color

A diamond's color can be natural or it can be altered by treatments. Diamond color can be affected by fluorescence--a characteristic that makes diamonds shift color in different lights. There are several topics to explore to begin understanding diamond color.

Diamond Clarity

A perfect diamond with perfect clarity--or clearness--is rare.

Diamond Cut

Did you know that a diamond's cut does not refer to its shape? When gemologists say "cut," they are talking about a gemstone's proportions--its depth and width and the uniformity of its facets--all characteristics that control brilliance, durability and other qualities we look for in a diamond.

Diamond Carat Weight

Carat weight affects a diamond's appearance and its price, making it a characteristic you should definitely understand before you buy a diamond.

Shopping for a Wedding Ring

Purchasing wedding rings and wedding bands
The tradition of a woman wearing a gold wedding ring when a couple gets married is thought to date back to 860 AD, when Pope Nicholas I stated that a man should give his bride a gold wedding ring to show his personal financial sacrifice for her hand in marriage.
During World War II, men started to wear wedding bands to show their love and commitment to their wives back in their home countries.
And the tradition of wearing wedding rings on the fourth finger of the left hand can be traced back to the times of the ancient Egyptians who believed that a special vein vena amoris, the "vein of love", ran from the top of the fourth finger of the left hand directly to the heart.
When it comes to buying weddings rings or wedding bands, the only way to ensure you find wedding rings or wedding bands that will match both your tastes and styles is to discuss the various choices with your partner and then to go shopping for the rings together.

The difference between a wedding ring and a wedding band is:

A wedding ring may have small diamond or gemstones set into it and it may be part of an engagement ring and wedding ring set.
These are known as bridal sets and are manufactured so the two rings match perfectly and can be both worn together or separately. Wedding rings are among the highest class of wedding jewelry.

A wedding band is a solid band of metal without any stones set into it. A wedding band can be worn on its own or with an engagement ring.

There are wedding bands available which are known as comfort fit wedding bands. These are bands which have the inside edges of the band rounded, a process which makes the rings more comfortable to wear.
You may want to have your wedding bands engraved and the most popular engraving seems to be the couple's names or initials, followed by the wedding date.

Wedding rings and wedding bands are manufactured from:

Platinum: These are the most expensive but are becoming a popular choice because of its unique polished, mirror finish.

Titanium: There are extremely light and easy to wear, but cannot be resized.

Gold: The classic metal for wedding rings and wedding bands and available in yellow gold, white gold, rose gold and combinations of the three colors. A substitute for platinum is white gold, but rings made in this material require a rhodium finish which needs to be replaced every two or three years.