Diamonds And Marriage

Written by Administrator
Saturday, 19 May 2007
Will You Marry Me? The engagement ring is a symbol of love, affection and commitment. The mainly western custom of exchanging engagement rings is believed to have originated in 1477 when the Emperor Maximilian I married Mary, the heiress of Burgundy. The Emperor gave his bride to be a diamond ring to consecrate their engagement and to act as a symbol unifying their two countries. The concept of an engagement itself is thought to have started about 250 years previously, when in 1215, it was pronounced that marriages were to be publicised in the church to enable any, so called hindrances, to be made known. Of course it is not as clear-cut as that. There are other theories, which suggest that engagement rings actually go back as far as the Egyptians who wore a ring on the third finger of their left hand. A finger they believed that carried a certain vein directly to the heart. Some cynics may even say that the engagement ring signifies the burden of future bondage between the man and woman. In modern society, the engagement ring is worn on the third finger of the woman’s the left hand, which is to symbolise her official acceptance of the man’s marriage proposal and of the commitment to their future together. As we will discuss a little later, it is no longer uncommon for the man to also wear an engagement ring. More and more women are also deciding to tie the knot these days, irrespective of whether it is their first time or the forth. The industry is forecasting five hot new trends to emerge in engagement rings. These are the styles that many fiancés will be wearing on the big day. Colored stones, antique and vintage pieces, titanium settings, classic cuts and the bezel and floating styles. Any of these, or even a combination, take your fancy? Let’s take a look at these a little more. An increasing number of women are actually starting to choose colored stones or colored Diamonds, like the popular pink and yellow varieties, instead of traditional clear diamonds. It appears that women believe that they portray a more individual and bubbly personality. It can be as simple as choosing a favourite color or perhaps finding out their respective birthstone. A second trend is that of bringing the old back as the new and vintage and antique rings are all the rage. People look for nostalgia and the workmanship can be extremely intricate and delicate. The cuts tend to be more sophisticated too as do the type of women who prefer this type of ring. The growing use of titanium is set to match that of platinum. This could partly be due to titanium being a sound investment. It is stronger than both gold and silver and also proved to be hypoallergenic, which a lot of the more common precious metals are not. Titanium looks a little like white gold, is lighter than platinum and is equally as good at supporting a precious gemstone as any other precious metal. Also making a big comeback, like the antique and vintage style ring, is the classic cut style. Classically styled rings are evergreen. They will be fashionable as much in years to come as they are now, that’s why they are classic. Round and emerald cut diamonds are still the biggest sellers and for the moment so too is the diamond for the traditional engagement ring. A classic cut diamond solitaire for example also makes for a beautiful family heirloom and people do buy their rings with one eye on the investment angle for future generations. The popular setting for a classic cut diamond seems to be the pavé. The last hot trend seems to be that of the bezel setting and floating style settings. These are good sturdy styles that are able to stand up to today’s hectic lifestyles and yet skilful techniques are used in which the stones are placed on a simple band, also making for a very delicate look Yet it is the diamond engagement ring that is universally recognised as the ultimate symbol. You have chosen the very best for your loved one and buying an engagement ring is likely to be one of the biggest decisions you will make. When looking a for diamond engagement ring, you must look and consider each of the 5 Cs we have previously discussed but probably the single most important aspect to look for may be the diamond’s cut. As mentioned above, the brilliance of a diamond and its ability to refract light relies most heavily on its cut, and the best diamonds are perfectly proportioned in the hands of a skilled cutter. When you start to look for your perfect engagement ring, you must first work out your budget. Then stick to it! It is no good having your budget all set then start looking at rings twice the price. Yes, of course they look spectacular, and you want the very best, but stay focused. You have set your budget for a reason. Don’t let the jewelry store try to up sell you, stick to your guns. You will find a beautiful ring within your budget. One of the benefits on buying on-line is, of course, no hard sell from the jewelry assistant standing behind the counter who is working on commission and has to meet targets. Try not to make a snap decision. There are countless rings for you to look at whether in retail stores or on-line. Visit as many stores and surf as many websites as you can. This is an important purchase, so make it a good one. This ebook will educate you what to look for, both good and bad and when you visit stores you will be able to ask questions with confidence and come over as knowledgeable with the jeweler. They will soon learn that if they were going to try to “pull the wool over your eyes” they are not going to be able to. And that’s a valuable asset to have when potentially spending a lot of money. If buying the ring without your fiancé, there are a few other issues you also need to take into consideration. If you don’t want to ask your fiancé some very subtle questions and potentially give the game away, try to pick up a few clues. What style and type of jewelry has she already got? Style is very subjective, so why not try to protect yourself by doing a little bit of “sneaky” research. Does she possess a lot of ornate or simple rings and jewelry? Even her general fashion style can give you clues. Is she an active type of person, always on the go? Into sports or outside activities? If so, you may want to consider a more functional style of ring. After all, she is, hopefully, going to be wearing it all day, everyday. A delicate ring may not be best suited to her. Don’t forget, rings and fingers come in different sizes. Unless you already know, I’m afraid you might have to be really sneaky and “borrow” one of her existing rings and take it to the jewelers so you know her size. You will want the moment you “go down on one knee” to go as smoothly as possible so the ring must be able to effortlessly slip her finger! She’ll be even more impressed. Follow these simple tips and the memory should last a lifetime. Your bride-to-be will appreciate, even more, all the hard work and effort you put in to select the ring as she opens that small box and her face lights up. Congratulations!