The 7 Most Important Questions to Ask Yourself if You’re Engagement Ring Shopping
Lia Wilson & Danielle Mainas are diamond experts and professional engagement ring consultants. They founded Little Bird – Diamond & Engagement Ring Expertise to help people navigate the murky waters of diamond shopping and engagement ring selection. It makes a huge difference for people to have an unbiased expert in their corner, who can provide a little straight talk and clarity, help them avoid the usual pitfalls, spot industry hype, and filter the vast amount of diamond science down to the most relevant and helpful info and tips.
If you are just starting your engagement ring search, you may be already starting to feel overwhelmed by all the different options. There is a lot of engagement ring advice out there, mixed in with a lot of marketing. Before you have a full-blown panic attack, let’s get some some advice straight from an actual Little Bird engagement ring consultant. Little Bird starts by going over the seven main questions that they ask all of their clients. Today, we are going to explore two of those questions in depth. This should give you some insight and help you determine what direction you should focus your attention and research energy.
What’s she like?
Write down a description of your partner. What is she into? Describe her favorite stores, food, car, vacations, workouts, her professional style, her leisure style, all of that good stuff.
Here’s an example: She is energetic and kind and quirky. She likes clothes with bright colors, with trendy prints or with sequins. She likes spicy, exotic food. She does yoga and goes hang-gliding on weekends. Her dream vacation is a warm tropical beach with sparkling white sand or maybe a tour through Southeast Asia. She is happy at work and seems to make friends wherever she goes. She prefers her red bicycle to her car.
So would we get this girl a basic band with a diamond in a tall setting? Nope. The tall setting would be difficult to wear when she is doing yoga, riding around town and being active. She would probably prefer something low-profile, with either some sparkly or internationally inspired details. Maybe with a touch of color? A ring that looks like it has a story. If you feel like you have a good handle on this, go ahead and write some answers in for Question #4.
What’s your timeline?
The best way to handle timeline is to pick an end date and work backwards. Most rings need to be made from scratch so you’ll need at least 2-6 weeks depending on the ring you select. Give yourself time to do some diamond research plus a little extra time so that you can make a final selection without feeling like you are under the gun. Also, know that there are some times of the year that are better than others to go diamond or ring shopping. Hint: the holidays are not one of those better times. Why? Scores of people will be getting engaged during the holidays. The longer you wait, the more inventory gets depleted, so competition for the remaining good options goes up, usually causing prices to rise. Holiday shopping (and advertising) are in full swing and sales staff don’t have as much time to explain the subtle differences between diamonds or styles. Take it from the experts, start your hunt now and avoid the mad rush.
Here are some other questions to consider:
- What’s your engagement ring budget? What is you plan for sticking to your budget?
- What kind of setting are you interested in? Is there a jeweler whose style you like? Is the planning to wear a wedding band next to her engagement ring in the future?
- Do you know generally what type of center gem you are going for?
- Have you figured out her ring size?
- Do you know what type of metal is right for the ring and for your partner?
Hopefully this exercise gave you some insight and help you determine what direction you should focus your attention and engagement ring research energy. If your answer to any (or all) of these questions is “I have no idea!” you can get in touch with Little Bird for some one-on-one expert advice. They offer free 30 minute phone consultations, where a Little Bird engagement ring consultant will go over all of these questions with you and talk to you about your specific goals and vision. It’s a no brainer for anyone who wants to save time, money, and get a stellar ring.