It’s hard to say if it’s the nostalgic qualities of Christmas, the mistletoe, time with friends and family or it’s just plain down to the drink, but the festive season remains one of the top times in the year to pledge your troth, or in less flowery language get engaged. Although the drink helps at such times, careful planning can make it an occasion to remember and rightly so. Now before your eyes sink in the west with all of Aldi’s finest, let’s go with a little planning to make you the grooviest potential groom in the neighborhood.
Be A Diamond
Having firstly used your charm and sophisticated repartee to find the ideal mate, the reality will soon permeate through and after the elation subsides it will be time to formally seal the deal with a visit to the local rock emporium.
If you’re planning on surprising your partner a clandestine mission to their jewelry box can be an informed help in preparation; but there is plenty of guidance on the internet and some printable ring seizers out there to help you in the search and a sneaky hour coach surfing will give you some basic guidance while the better half is out window shopping/wine bar with bestie
Regarding the rock itself, well there are 4 C’s of diamonds that even the local apprentice has to learn and it’s as well to familiarize yourself with the basics.
- Colour: A high quality diamond has no cast or hue and should have mirror like transparency.
- Cut: Sparkle is all with multi-faced diamonds having superb light refraction.
- Clarity: A quality diamond will have no marks, flaws, and blemishes of any kind.
- Carat Weight: The heavier the rock and carat weight the better and more expensive the diamond and setting.
Whatever ring your partner chooses, prices will range from a few weeks salary to wallet busting thousands and although colored gemstones are on trend, diamonds, rubies and sapphires are still the stones of choice and sentiment for discerning couples. Colored diamonds can be very attractive as a long-term purchase but are ultimately more expensive because of their rarity, but choosing a lesser grade white diamond can still be a canny move and can be up to a third cheaper than yellow cut diamonds. Research will reveal some popular and up and coming brands out there ;Nirav Modi,Polly Wales and names such as Andrew Geoghegan and Kataoka are popular quality driven brands and will seldom fail to please .
Customize The Relationship
There are as many jewelers out there as stars in the sky and all are eager to sell their wares, but for some lucky partners there is another option to explore, that’s the custom made ring. Depending on the jeweler bespoke products can start at around £2000 with many real crafts persons keen to please by literally undercutting the big boys of the trade. Many will rely on word of mouth and will be happy to show you examples of their work. Remember you’re paying for the craftsperson’s time and individual attention sometimes designing or with a consultant designer to ensure the partner’s specific requirements are met.
Bespoke designers have more control over the source material and if ethically sourced products are you’re thing then this could be the choice for you and not be as wallet busting as you imagine. Whatever you decide may you’re journeys be fruitful and mines a large G&T!
