Over 332 weddings take place in Melbourne every year. When you first got together, a ring wasn’t the first thing on your mind. At some point, though, proposals start to happen and then rings enter the equation. Find out what kind of engagement ring your spouse to be is looking for before you consider styles, brands, or the latest trends.
Here are some things to consider when buying an engagement ring from one of the reputed jewellery stores in Melbourne.
Table of Contents
Should You Choose Round Diamonds Only?
The average cost of a diamond ring in Melbourne is around $10,000. Most women prefer round diamonds because they are the easiest to fit into a setting. If she’s very daring, she might ask for a princess-cut diamond engagement ring with angles that can symbolize something unique between her and her fiancée.
How will big round stones look on your fingers? Ensure your future wife has fingers that can pull off that size without it being overwhelming. A halo around the center stone will draw more attention to the diamond and make sure there’s room for more than one ring on the finger.
How Do You Feel About Yellow Gold Vs. White Gold?
Melbourne’s jewelry industry grew by 23% over the past decade. White gold is popular because it doesn’t require rhodium plating, and it’s a more affordable alternative to platinum. However, yellow gold is just as beautiful and if your girlfriend loves gold, go with that.
Some buyers may prefer white or yellow gold depending on their style preference or what look they’re going for at that moment in time. Sometimes, this will come down to finances, so be sure you know how much you can afford upfront before you get too far into buying rings.
Diamond Color
The color of a diamond is typically graded on a scale of D-Z, with D being completely colorless and Z having some tint to it. When you first look for an engagement ring for your spouse to be, go with something near the top of the chart if your future wife doesn’t have an actual preference or likes both yellow gold or white gold diamonds.
Carat Weight
Carat weight refers to how much weight is added by the diamond in terms of size. Most people don’t realize it, but bigger isn’t always better when buying them in quantity (giving away diamonds).
The size of the diamond does matter in terms of public opinion, though, so if you’re planning to propose publicly, make sure the diamond is at least one carat. If it’s too big, your future wife will feel uncomfortable wearing it out in public – which defeats the purpose of buying an engagement ring for your spouse to be in the first place.
Diamond Quality
Diamond quality can be determined by looking at its grading report. This doesn’t affect what kind of stones she prefers. Different grades range from poor up to excellent.
For example, poor-quality diamonds have noticeable inclusions and sometimes even surface flaws. An excellent grade diamond is considered nearly flawless and has no visible inclusions except when under magnification.
Diamond Certification
Your fiancée will also want to know if her ring has been certified by the DCLA, the GIA, the AGS, the EGL, or the HRD. The GIA is the most recognized diamond grading laboratory in the United States. Diamonds that are certified by this group are also guaranteed to be conflict-free diamonds.
All mined diamonds used in engagement rings are certified by the government. They are inspected to make sure that they do not violate international law or ethical business practices. Each certificate documents everything about that particular diamond, including its origin information. Diamond certificates are important because they allow for insurance purposes when buying fine jewelry.
Diamonds with certificates are also traceable back to their origins which means you can see where your future significant other got her ring from if she’s concerned about where it came from or where it’s going when she decides to get a new ring.
Shape of Diamond
The main shapes available today are the round brilliant, princess cut, cushion cut, emerald cut, and more, depending on your future wife’s taste in rings. It looks like a landslide has taken over the princess cut in terms of which shape is most popular out of everything else available. However, this will depend on what region you live in because not everyone is familiar with these cuts yet.
Types of Settings
Pave Setting – When diamonds are set next to each other and connected, it’s called a pave setting. This is the most popular way to set diamonds because it makes them look like they are touching each other, and it also looks more expensive than simply having a single diamond.
Tension Setting – Another popular setting is a tension setting. This is where the metal of the ring wraps around the stone and grips it tightly. This prevents stones from falling out even if they have lower quality settings.
Halo Setting – The most popular type of engagement ring has a halo surrounding the main stone. This makes the diamond in the center look bigger, and it also gives a classic aesthetic appeal to each diamond in the ring.
Custom Setting – This is where a jeweler creates a unique setting for each diamond in the ring to make it look one-of-a-kind. The downside of this option is that it can make a stone look cloudy or dull when too much metal prevents light from entering the gemstone by overshadowing the diamond when viewed from certain angles.
No matter what preference your girlfriend has, both options look beautiful and if cost is an issue, go with a round brilliant diamond instead. Keep in mind that there are so many different shapes and cuts to choose from, and they all have their unique qualities.
Most jewelry stores in Melbourne will offer a handful of engagement ring settings to choose from, and the only way you will figure out which one your future spouse to be likes is by spending time with her and getting an idea of what she thinks of each one.
Featured Photo by Jesus Arias from Pexels
