The History of the Engagement Ring

In Western tradition, an engagement ring is worn by a woman to indicate she is engaged to be married. The ring is presented by a man as a betrothal gift to his prospective wife while he proposes marriage or soon after she accepts his marriage proposal. The engagement ring represents a formal agreement to future marriage.

In certain countries, such as the US and the UK, the engagement ring, typically a diamond solitaire ring for a lady, is worn on the left-hand ring finger, while in other countries, it is customary for the ring to be worn on the right-hand.

For centuries, only women received engagement rings, but today an increasing number of men also receive engagement rings. This trend began during the second world war, when many couples were faced with years of separation. The mens engagement ring served as a reminder of the people they’d left behind. It has taken even longer for diamonds to be incorporated into men’s engagement rings, but there are numerous male diamond rings available today. The mens engagement ring is sometimes called a man-gagement ring!

How to Buy the Perfect Engagement Ring and Save £££’s

Buying the perfect diamond engagement ring for your lady (or man) is not only challenging, but can also be risky! For most of us an engagement ring is likely to be the third most expensive purchase we make, after a home and a car. However most of us know much more about buying a home or a car than we do about buying a diamond ring! This lack of knowledge opens up the opportunity for unscrupulous retailers to take advantage; this generally takes the form of selling a poor quality diamond ring for a highly inflated price.

How to avoid the pitfalls

By taking some basic precautions you can significantly reduce the risk. Some of these include:

Educating yourself – Research the subject of buying diamonds, the same as you would if you were buying a car. There is no substitute for this, and if you are willing to make the effort you can have more knowledge of the subject in a couple of hours, than 90% of your fellow consumers.

Buy from a reputable source – Whether you decide to purchase from an online jeweller or at a High Street store, make sure you have some background on the retailer. If possible, visit or call the store and ask some questions to gauge the level of knowledge the sales people have.

Never buy a diamond without a certificate – Without one, you could be buying a piece of glass set into an engagement ring and be none the wiser, but up to £5000 poorer. Having said this, a certificate alone does not guarantee a better deal, you need to be adept in understanding exactly what you are be told, and how each factor that is covered affects the price and quality of the ring.

Understand the 4 C’s of diamonds – Most people know something about the Cut, Carat, Clarity and Colour of diamonds, but very few people know how each of the 4 factors contribute towards determining the price and quality of a diamond.

By following this advice you should significantly reduce the chance of being fooled into buying a dud. Set your budget and stick to it, and try not to get too emotionally involved in the actual purchase of that special diamond engagement ring.