Engagement Ring Designs – What you need to know

Your Engagement, by design…

The call for an “engagement period” before marriage goes back to the Middle Ages, when Pope Innocent III called for a mandatory waiting time between betrothal and marriage.

When a couple gets engaged, there is huge excitement. Dreams of the impending wedding, reception and the dress abound. However, asking your significant other to marry you does come with a certain amount of pressure to get the engagement ring just perfect.

Are designer made Engagement Rings expensive?

Your choice of engagement ring should be a piece that will be treasured forever. If you are shopping for a surprise engagement ring, consult with your jeweller and have them handcraft a unique ring for your partner; or visit your jeweller together and ask them to design your custom-made piece. Having a jeweller design a custom engagement ring isn’t as daunting as it sounds, and is certainly not only for the rich and famous. All good jewellers can work within a small budget and still produce amazing work.

It helps to have a trusted jeweller who can walk you through the process; to help you with choosing your stone, your preferred metal in your own personal style. Bespoke, designer engagement rings are recommended for those who require something a little different or have a quirkier taste.

Custom-made rings can be created by skilled artisans who enjoy the extraordinary.

How long should it take for a Designer Engagement Ring?

It will take at least a month as the process includes the consultation to establish finger size, preferences or incorporating existing old materials, for example, a family heirloom stone that you may like to incorporate into the design and your choice of metal. You will then be presented with a quote and hand-drawn sketches for your approval. The last stage after approvals, is the final fitting.

Should my Engagement Ring design incorporate a large diamond?

The short answer is “No”. It was the discovery of large diamond deposits in South Africa in the 19th century that helped encourage the popularity of diamond engagement rings. It was thanks to a very shrewd ad campaign by the De Beers Group that served to cement the idea of a diamond engagement ring, which coined the phrase, “A Diamond is Forever”. Gemstones such as sapphires and rubies are very popular for engagement rings.

Practically, in terms of hardness of the stone, diamonds, sapphires and rubies are great choices. Remember that sapphires do not just come in blue, you get soft yellow, green, lilac, orange and pink. All other stone options will have to be worn with more care, but you won’t have the capital outlay. However, you will probably need to replace and re-polish if you wear them regularly.

Before making a decision, we have a few suggestions:

• Make sure the ring does not catch on anything. Those high settings, and the claws of the ‘70s are not practical. Claws tend to catch more than other types of settings.
• If you think you will wear it (hopefully) every day for a very long time, make sure it feels like a second skin and won’t irritate in any way.
• Consider the width; the wider a ring, the more moisture it traps underneath and it can hinder you when bending your finger.
• Consider your ring as a reflection of your personality.It can be a statement piece; an in-your-face ring or a simple classic setting. Both can work, but it must take your breath away and be meaningful to the two of you.
• Just a word of advice from our jeweller: don’t do too much, keep it simple, so you will not easily tire of your design. There are so many other simple ways in which to personalise it – such as an engraving that is symbolic for the two of you.
• Consider whether you will wear a wedding band, or is it going to be a stand-alone piece. If you are going to wear a band, you can’t think of the engagement ring in isolation, you must consider how they will look, fit and feel wearing the two together.

So, congratulations and have fun planning your perfect day.