The perfect engagement requires the perfect engagement ring. If you are about to pop the big question, you are likely a bit nervous about finding that perfect fit for your loved one. Shopping for engagements rings can be overwhelming, but it doesn’t have to be. It should be fun! The following are some simple tips that will make your search as fruitful as possible.
Only Do Business with Reputable Sellers

Jewelry fraud is more common than you might think. Crooks have access to more realistic looking fake jewelry than ever, some of which are even difficult for experts to detect. Fake diamonds are among the most common fake gemstones, though they are often easily spotted. The majority of fake jewelry sales are perpetuated by individual scam artists that present themselves as experts or wholesalers. Jewelry businesses that sell poor quality, overpriced, or outright fake products typically don’t last long. Reputable jewelry businesses tend to stick around for a long time—choose a seller that is established and carries a good reputation. When in doubt, you can always hop online and do a little research.

Learn the Basics

For all their brilliance and value, diamonds are actually quite simple. Finding the best value for your buck only requires you to know the basics of how the diamond is graded and priced, known as “The Four C’s:”
  • Color. Diamonds come in a variety of colors, ranging from a blinding gray to pinks, yellows, and reds to the stunning colorless “white” diamond. The color of a diamond has a significant effect on its value, with certain colors such as pink and red carrying higher prices. A colorless or near colorless diamond is typically the most valuable white diamond, as they tend to produce the brightest shimmer and overall beauty. The value and price of a colored diamond may fluctuate according to current trends and popularity.
  • Carat. The weight of a diamond is measured in units of carats, which are named after the carob seed that was once used to weigh gemstones by traders. A diamond carat is exactly 0.2 grams, and has no correspondence to the carat measure used to weigh gold. For the most part a diamond’s value will rise according to the numbers of carats, though the other three C’s also factor in heavily. Size is not necessarily an indication of quality; certain heavier gemstones may be of poorer overall quality. 
  • Cut. The cut of a diamond refers to its shape; freshly mined diamonds are rock like and irregular until processed and cut by a jeweler. There are a wide variety of diamond cut styles, all of which are graded according to how light strikes the faces or “facets” of the diamond. While the grade of a cut has a significant effect on evaluation, larger stones with fairer cut grades will often cost more than smaller stones with more quality cuts.