Congratulations on your engagement!

1) First of all find out what your size. You can do it at any decent jewellery store for free.

2) Then decide what your budget is. As you can buy a beautiful gold plated ring with created diamonds from $40 or get a solid gold natural diamond rings for as much as $1000 a piece. The difference is not too obvious, so it is up to you.

3) Regardless of your budget, you still probably will want to get good value for money, so you can establish the type of ring you like by trying rings on in the jewellery shops. Then you can find jewellery wholesalers online and order a ring from them. This way you usually save 10-20%

4) Maybe you will want to design your own ring. It will be one of a kind and reflect your personality. This normally will cost you a lot more, though.

5) If you still want your ring to be one of a kind, but do not want to pay a lot, It is cheaper to get your ring engraved. Ask the jewellers which rings can be engraved, because some can't. For example some rings with scattered crystals can not be engraved or resized as the crystals may fall off.

6) Do your rings have to be new? You can find good deals on used jewellery in perfect condition and save up to 70% of original value. For used jewellery (and new as well) check out Ebay.

I hope this helps, and you find perfect engagement rings.
Source(s):
Recently married.

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When deciding on an engagement ring, you may want to look at a few points. First, do you want to surprise your future fiancee or do you want her to pick the ring she wants.

If you are looking to surprise her, notice the types of jewelry she is already wearing. Some women like white gold vs yellow, some like intricate vs simple.

Once you have figured out her likes and dislikes then you will want to decide a budget. An engagement ring does not have to cost you thousands of dollars. Sometimes a less expensive ring is more beautiful and meaningful than one that will have to be kept in a bank vault.

Once you have your budget, then you are armed with everything needed to go shopping. Map out a few jewelry stores and ask to see all the rings in your price range. Find the ring that 'talks' to you. Some of the rings you find will be kind of cold and impersonal. Others will make a statement to you.

Take a few days to hit all the stores on your list. Take pictures from your phone so that you can sit down at the end and decide on the perfect ring. You will find that your final decision will be the perfect ring because 1. It will not put you in the poor house, 2. you took the time to evaluate all your options, and 3. She is going to love it because you picked one that 'spoke' to you.
Source(s):
personal opinion

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First off, congratulations! I know this can be a pretty stressful process, but hopefully some of this can help you get started.

1) Determine your budget. Rule of thumb is about 2 months salary, but go with whatever feels comfortable. However, I would take a second right now to accept the fact that you're probably going to go over your initial budget. Deep breath. And exhale.

2) Next, find out what kind of diamond she wants. You're going to want to read up on the four Cs (cut, clarity, color, carat). Your gf probably has a preference in terms of cut and carat size, so try to find that out by either asking her friends and family or asking her in whatever covert way you can come up with (looking at rings at a department store or a jewelry store at the mall is a popular way of finding out).

3) Find out what style setting (ring) she likes--for instance, does she want a plain and simple solitaire band, one with engravings, or one decked out with diamonds in the band?

4) Pick out a ring metal. This is probably the most "logical" part of the process, since you can pick it on factors like durability and maintenance. Try to find out if she has a specific metal preference or at least a color preference (white or yellow). If you can't, I know that platinum is a really popular choice right now since it's really durable and keeps it's whiteness.

5) Determine her ring size. This might require you to be a little sneaky. One way is to trace the inside of her ring on a piece of paper. A jeweler should be able to determine the size from that.

6) The last thing to do is pick out a ring that incorporates all these elements and that stays roughly around your budget. Buying online is one way to get a better deal, but you might feel more comfortable getting it from a jewelry store where you can see what the ring will look like in person.

Well, I hope some of that helps! I know it's definitely a lot to consider. But if you're lucky, you'll only have to do this once! :)
Source(s):
If you're looking for more in-depth info, this might be a helpful place to start (the website name is pretty self explanatory): http://engagementguide.com/

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