How to choose an Engagement Ring

The most important thing to buying an Engagement ring is to DO YOUR RESEARCH and look at the stones using a eye glass, Know what you are buying before you commit. 

 There are so many different styles of engagement rings, remember to look at the styles that better fit your lifestyle. Think ahead of what style of wedding you would like a see if they fit nice together. If you are on a budget then make sure you go for a single stone design as you will get a bigger better stone for your money. if you like unusual shapes then make sure you can get a matching wedding ring to see and check if they fit nicely together, as you might need a shaped to fit wedding ring.

The best metals to choose for low maintenance would be Platinum, Palladium and red gold, yellow gold, as these do not need Rhodium plating every 3-6 months for people with hard labour jobs, all white gold is Rhodium plated and cheaper but can cost more over time. Remember the metal you buy your engagement ring is the same metal you should buy for your wedding, this helps the rings to last and not wear to much over the years.

Some people cannot see the difference in the diamond setting but it can make a lot of difference depending on what hobbies you have or your lifestyle.
Bezel set is the safest setting, Pave set is for a more vintage look and channel set is a more popular modern setting also very safe. The French V slip or Cathedral set lets a lot of light in to the stones so is very nice for diamond wedding rings and engagement rings shoulder stones.

We always recommend to look at diamond grading charts before you buy an Engagement ring, it helps to know what you are buying and where's best for you to spend your money. Clarity is the most important as this is the imperfections in the stone, next is colour, D highest and Z Lowest. Then the Cut, the more symmetrically cut the stone the better the sparkle. When talking about Carat people think it is the size but this is not true it is the weight of the stone.

Brilliant cut diamonds are the most popular shaped of diamonds as this cut will sparkle more than other cuts, a good Emerald cut diamond is nearly as clear as water. Princess cut diamonds if you get a symmetrically cut stone will be almost as sparkly as a brilliant cut.

Remember that the symmetry is as important as the Colour, Clarity, Carat.

Call Goldfinger on 0207 405 7590 Design your own rings.

Just Engaged?

Firstly, congratulations on your engagement and hope you were given the engagement ring of your dreams! 

This is a very exciting time in your life which you need to share with your family and friends but where to start on the wedding plans! 

Here are some ideas on how to get on track to planning the perfect wedding day with your special someone.

Choose your wedding party:

This can be very hard but choosing your best man and maid of honour very early can help with all your plans and they can help with picking the venue, dress, suits, Photographers etc…

Choose a style:

What style of wedding would you like, traditional church wedding, hotel wedding, Barn wedding, wedding abroad. Choosing your style can help to look for a venue that will be to your liking with so many wedding venues it will be easier to narrow it down. When you have chosen a few venues book to view them with the chosen wedding party to check out which of the venues are most suitable for your wedding plans.

Set the budget:

Yes, the budget! You must have one so be realistic, look at average prices online to help you get an idea for you to set the budget and then try not to go over that budget for each item. Ask for discounts where you can and ask friends and family to recommend suppliers they have used. But most importantly make sure you set a good amount of the budget for the things you will have after the wedding day! Like Photos and wedding rings.

Set the date:

Once you have chosen your favourite wedding venue book the date. The most popular dates are between May and September and on Fridays or Saturdays. If you love your venue but the price is too much, then ask for a weekday or winter/spring prices as most venues will do offers for out of season weddings.

Wedding planners:

Wedding planners can be very helpful, you can either have a personal wedding planner or you can do your own wedding planning online to help you get organised and know when to book certain parts of your wedding and help with time scales.

Guest List:

You will need to do a rough guest list as soon as possible so you can get the estimated numbers for the total wedding, like how many for the day and how many for the reception. You will need to know numbers for the venue, food, cake, accommodation etc…

Find Suppliers:

The best place to find wedding suppliers are from recommendations and wedding fayres. Recommendations are always good but if you do not have any then go to wedding fayres, you can take your wedding party to help you pick suppliers. Wedding fayres are a fantastic way to get ideas and to see what is out there for your special day. Some wedding suppliers offer on the day discounts, it is a great way to see their work and to book consultations before using them for your special day. 

Family run businesses are recommended as they will take the most pride in their work and normally have better customer services.

Ready to book:

Once you have all the above in place you can book to view dresses, meet photographers, cake and food trials, but the most important thing to remember is to have fun! Enjoy booking and planning your wedding day and have what you want but try not to worry about making the people attending happy, REMEMBER IT IS YOUR DAY!!

For Wedding fayres in your area:guidesforbrides.co.uk/wedding-fairs/ 

Bespoke wedding rings:www.goldfinger-rings.com
Call 0207 405 7590 for a quote on any design