Planning To Propose? 5 Things To Know Before You Buy “The One”

Planning to propose? Here are five things to know before you buy “the one.” (We’re talking about the ring, of course.)

Joel Graham is the founder and owner of Cape Diamonds. Even though he’s been creating fine jewellery for the past twenty years and now owns his own studio, he still loves getting his hands dirty in the creative process with the designing and creating of custom engagement rings.

We sat down with him to learn a few top tips for things to consider before you find the perfect fit for your loved one.

1. Size isn’t everything. Remember the 4 Cs!

When choosing a diamond, some key tips will make it a lot easier and ensure you invest wisely. The “four C’s” are here to save the day. Diamond grading works with these four Cs – Carat, Cut, Clarity, and Colour and these categories affect classification and price.

It’s helpful to remember that most diamonds will contain some form of impurity relating to at least one of the four Cs. Flawless diamonds contain no impurities at all but are MUCH more expensive. Cape Diamonds recommends ‘eye-clean’ diamonds, which means there are no diamond impurities visible to the naked eye but these tend to be more affordable than internally-flawless diamonds.

Image from Diamond Nexus

2. The details make the design.

The design of the engagement ring can be very daunting when you don’t know where to begin. If this is the case for you, the Cape Diamonds team always suggests keeping it simple and wearable. Remember, this is not an “occasional” ring. If she hasn’t dropped very specific hints, it would be best to go for a classic ring style. Looking for extra brownie points? A small, personal detail engraved on the side of the ring is always a great idea.

Image from Sands Company Jewelers

3. Think of the ‘future fit’

Something that a lot of people tend to overlook when choosing the engagement ring for their loved one is how the engagement ring and wedding band will fit together on the finger. If you want the rings to sit flush (band to band), the shape of the two rings needs to complement each other. There are some very interesting ways in which the engagement ring and wedding band can be made to fit together and fit flush. Here, research is key. Our Fynbos collection has been designed especially to fit a wedding band – take a peek via the Cape Diamonds website for more details and visual examples.

Image from Cape Diamonds

4. Aesthetics vs Durability

Any diamond ring buyer should think about the ring’s aesthetics vs. its durability. It’s not a good idea to choose a beautiful ring design that won’t last. A diamond may look very beautiful in a revealing setting, but if there’s a high risk of a diamond falling out, no-one will be smiling down the line. In terms of trying to get as close to your loved ones taste as possible, whilst still keeping the element of surprise – consider the following questions to help guide your purchase.

What colour metal do they wear most regularly?
Have they dropped any hints * Queue a good Pinterest stalk*
What other jewellery does your partner wear on a regular basis?

Image from Cape Diamonds

5. Going natural or man-made and how fits into your budget

Think about this, man-made sapphires were almost as valuable as natural earth-made sapphires back in the 1970s. Nowadays, the price of man-made diamonds is dropping as technology to manufacture methods improve drastically. These are a great budget-friendly option that are still visually pleasing, sparkling just as much as diamonds. Some jewellers are even calling them eco-friendly alternatives to natural diamonds. ‘Moissanites’ have also become very popular as man-made silicone alternatives – so if you’re on a budget, perhaps look to other stones and man-made options to save some randalas’.