Wedding Jewellery

Engagement Ring Tips for Men

Seven tips for buying an engagement ring she’ll love

Every girl dreams of the day her boyfriend gets down on one knee and presents her with a beautiful engagement ring, but how can he be sure he’s got it right? Many brides-to-be have very fixed ideas on the style of engagement ring they’d like so her man needs to do his homework before he starts shopping.

Here are seven tips for men on choosing a ring she’ll love. Ladies you can always print this off and leave it lying around as a subtle hint for your future fiancé.

1. Check her existing jewellery to see the colour and type of metal she usually wears. Most women have a strong preference for gold or silver, very few wear both equally. Make sure that the ring you choose matches her main preference. If she really does wear both colours you could consider a two tone ring.

2. If possible try to get a ring in the right size. This is relatively easy if your girlfriend usually wears rings on her middle or ring finger. Perhaps you can sneakily borrow a ring and take it shopping with you. Otherwise you could make an imprint of it in some plasticine or make a paper ring of the same size. Rings can always be altered slightly, but you want it to fit as closely as possible.

3. Take a look at the clothes she wears and get an idea of her style and fashion sense. Are her clothes ultra modern and constantly changing with the times? Maybe she wears classic pieces with just a few contemporary accessories? Perhaps she loves to team vintage items with modern basics? The ring you choose should reflect her style if it is going to look good with her wardrobe.

4. Consider her size and shape when you choose the ring. Is she very slim or does she have a fuller figure? Are her fingers long or short? The jeweller should be able to advise you on the shape and cut that will look best on your girlfriend’s hand if you can describe it well. If possible you could even try to take a photograph of her hand with you.

5. Think about her lifestyle when you pick the setting of the ring. If she does a lot of manual work, has physical contact with people during her job, or takes part in a lot of sporting activities, a diamond with a high setting might not be practical. Choose a channel set diamond for active girlfriends.

6. Put some thought into your girlfriend’s views on colour when you are deciding on the type of stone to use. If she dyes her hair a different shade every week, and has painted her home every colour of the rainbow, you might want to consider one of the coloured stones that are currently in vogue.

Birthstones are usually a good choice, or coloured diamonds are very fashionable if a little pricey. A good tip for making sure the colour you choose doesn’t clash with her wardrobe is to think about the colour of her eyes. If your lady seems to prefer neutral muted colours, a classic white diamond is the best choice for you.

7. The final and most important tip on choosing an engagement ring is finding out whether she actually wants you to. Perhaps she would much rather pick the ring herself, or maybe she dreams of the two of you designing a bespoke ring together. Wait for a proposal scene in a soppy movie to casually broach the subject and see what her reaction is.

If you’re not sure, you can always buy an inexpensive temporary ring to propose with and go shopping for the real thing together. If you are going to choose the ring yourself be on the lookout for clues. If she suspects a proposal she’ll be dropping hints all over the place.