It’s summer; it's beautiful outside and you have also been invited to what seems like a thousand weddings. And this has finally got you thinking, that it's time to pop that all important question! So, you read a few blogs, do a little bit of research and with an optimistic heart full of hopes to marry the love of your life, you’re at the jewelry store about to buy the most perfect engagement ring there will ever be!
But before you do that, there are some aspects you need to consider while buying the ring – the size of the center stone, the metal that brings it together and any little detail that you could add to make your ring special and personal?
What about how practical the design is and how sturdy it is? In the excitement of buying the most sparkly, beautiful engagement ring people often forget about the durability of the jewelry that they’re planning to invest in for life. Of course, it’s a great goal to make your ring gorgeous but it’s practical to also make sure that the expensive ring you are buying is secure and strong enough to be worn on a daily basis. It is very important to choose your engagement ring carefully to minimize the risk of damaging it. Here are the things to keep in mind in order to buy an engagement ring that is beautiful and sturdy.
The Setting
One of the most important aspects of a good engagement ring is the setting that you end up with. There are quite a few settings that you could go with that will give your ring the ultimate protection. If you are looking to have diamonds on your engagement ring band, then you should know that the channel setting is a very safe way to set small diamonds in a band, as the setting holds the stones in a secure metal channel.
Another great one is the bezel setting. This setting offers a protective metal rim around your center diamond that holds it securely in place and makes sure the edges of your diamond are way less likely to get chipped. The top of the diamond is not sticking out in this setting so it will not get snagged on sleeves.
Now, there are certain settings which are quite popular for engagement rings but they may not be the best choice for your partner's lifestyle. One of them being the cathedral setting that places the center diamond very high above the band and uses prongs to secure the diamond in place. The advantage of this ring setting is that it focuses attention on the center diamond beautifully by placing it so high. The setting also allows a lot of light to pass through the diamond so it sparkles like crazy. There are many good things to recommend about this setting but if your partner is someone who has an active lifestyle or someone who has to put on gloves and take them off through the day, this setting may not be the best for everyday use. So, it's all about finding an engagement ring that matches her life.
The Gemstone
Diamonds are a great choice for a sturdy engagement ring as it is one of the hardest natural materials. It is very hard to destroy and break a diamond during everyday activities. Other strong gemstones that you can consider are rubies and sapphires which are variations of the same stone – Corundum. Although they are about four times less hard compared to the diamond, these gemstones are quite durable and make great jewelry to wear daily.
Emerald is a gemstone that is often used in engagement rings but is actually not a very great practical choice. Emeralds are softer than gemstones like rubies and sapphires and you need to take extra care to prevent them from getting scratched, chipped or damaged.
Next, let's talk about diamond or gemstone shape. Shapes like heart, pear, and princess have sharp pointy ends and that's where they are most vulnerable. So, if you do choose a diamond with pointy edges, go for a setting that secures these pointy ends. A bezel would be excellent or tab prongs that protect the edges are perfect.
The Metal
Whenever you are choosing a metal for jewelry there are two factors that you need to consider: hardness and toughness. The hardness makes sure that the metal doesn’t scratch easily and toughness helps it to not bend and break. Platinum has tremendous toughness and is a great option for an engagement ring as it is sturdy and very hard to bend. So platinum is actually a great metal to consider for the prongs that will hold your center stone. While pure gold itself is a pretty soft metal, white gold, that’s mixed with copper, zinc, and nickel and then platted in rhodium for extra strength is a great choice for your ring band as it is quite durable and not easily scratched.
Anything worn every day of your life, like an engagement ring, will tend to get banged around quite a bit so how the metal will hold up is also very important. Platinum over the course of years develops a patina while white gold loses its rhodium plating. You can love the look of rich patina the platinum develops and you can always have white gold re-plated with rhodium – it's a matter of personal choice.
If you need more help, our diamond and jewelry experts will be happy to help. Give us a call on 1-866-522-2539 or get started on your engagement ring here.
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