How To Choose An Engagement Ring You Will Love

Congratulations! Did your fiance present you with a diamond engagement ring when he popped the question? Why do guys bring us rings when they propose? This tradition actually comes from Italy during medieval times. Back then the groom had to pay the bride's father before he could marry his daughter. Part of what the groom paid with were precious stones. This is why diamonds and other stones are part of the proposal today.

Diamonds come in many beautiful styles. Did you also know that diamonds come in colors other than clear? A lot of brides, including celebrities, have colored diamonds in their wedding rings.

The most popular diamond colors other than clear colored ones are yellow, pink, black, and brown. But the most valuable of the colored diamonds and the most difficult to find are the red ones.

Some diamonds are naturally colored and, of course, are worth more than the synthetically colored diamonds.

You will need to know the 4 C's of diamonds before you choose the diamond you want to wear.

Other popular ring stones are emeralds, rubies, and sapphires (think Princess Diana.) Many brides-to-be choose a combination of these stones and diamonds.

If you have questions about stones, ask the gemologist at your favorite jewelry store. To get a beautiful ring or a set of bridal rings, you do not have to spend thousands of dollars at the most expensive jewelry store in town. That is not what love is all about.

When my husband and I had been dating for several months, we were at a mall, passing by a jewelry store. David, my boyfriend at the time, asked what kind of a diamond engagement ring I would like to have. I wanted a great big one, for sure, but I knew he could not afford that and I did not want him to go into debt to make me happy. I think this was a smart move on my part. Instead, I told him that if he wanted to buy me one, he could pick it out.

Several months later, that is just what he did. He picked out a small diamond, but it meant a lot to me when he proposed and gave it to me. He paid cash for it and we have been married for over 22 years now. By the way, last year for my birthday, he bought me a beautiful diamond ring that I got to pick out. We paid cash for it.

Never go into debt to buy a piece of jewelry. Always buy what you can afford. You can upgrade later on. I did not mind. The new ring was well worth the wait and I still wear the old ring for everyday occasions and I wear the new one on special occasions.

Learn about the different types of metals available for your bridal rings.

Bible Study Proposal

by Jackie
(Narobi)

My fiance, Aaron, told me his sisters were organizing a Bible study session on homemaking experiences being hosted by other more experienced ladies in the church. So all my friends were there and I went. Right there his sister goes "welcome to the family Jackie" my fiance had the most beautiful white gold engagement ring ever. Everyone was in tears and so was I! It was so beautiful.

Bible Study Proposal
by: Juanita

Jackie,
Best wishes on your engagment! I love stories of unusual engagements and I am sure all of our readers do as well. What a great idea your fiance had. What a wonderful story you will have to tell your children one day.

Keep Christ as the foundation of your relationship and you will have a great marriage.
Thanks so much for sharing!

He Proposed With Balloons And Roses

by Katie
(Seattle)

He proposed with balloons and roses. He invited me over to his apartment for dinner. Before I got there, he filled his living room with red balloons and a few red and silver mylar balloons. There were 25 different balloons in 3 balloon bouquets. There were also 3 vases of red roses in the living room in various places. Soft, romantic music was playing low in the background. The lights were dimmed and aromatherapy candles were burning on the mantel.

When I walked in, I gasped in amazement. He had never done anything like this before. He pulled me to the center of the living room, got down on one knee and asked me to marry him. How could I say no? We are getting married in February, the weekend before Valentine's Day. The proposal was in June.....

Valentine's Wedding
by: Juanita

Katie,
Best wishes on your upcoming Valentine's wedding. What a romantic and beautiful way to propose. Wow! I hope your husband to be stays romantic for many years to come and that you have a wonderful life together!

The Parade Engagement

by Cassie

It was September 29 2007 and Ryan proposed to me when he was in the parade for DSU homecoming. I was walking in the parade for the school library which was planned by Ryan so the proposal would work.

Ryan was standing on the sidelines with a large sign that said “Cassie, will you marry me?” At first I didn’t even see it I was looking at my cute little nephew who looked scared.

Finally I looked up and realized what was going on and of course said yes. Everyone knew what was going on except me. Both my family and his family were there for the occasion. It was perfect!!!!

Surprise Parade Engagment
by: Juanita

Cassie,
Best wishes to you on your engagment and thank you for sharing it. I think surprise engagements like that are the best. I probably would not have noticed the sign either at first. That was so thoughtful of him to have both of your families there for the special occasion. I hope you have many happy years together as you build your Christian home. Enjoy planning your wedding!

My Beach Proposal

by Jenna
(Georgia)

We went to the beach for the day, and it was actually my idea to go! I had a stressful week, and wanted to relax. I left the beach to go down the street to the bathroom and when I came back he was listening to his iPod. He said "Hey, check out this song!" He'd downloaded a song called "Let's Get Married," but had changed the title to "Jenna, Will You Marry Me? (Please Say Yes)" the artist name to "I Love You" and the album picture to a pic of the ring. He had the ring on his pinky. :)

Surprise Beach Proposal
by: Juanita

Hi Jenna! Thanks so much for sharing your surprise beach proposal with us. I love the idea that your fiance downloaded that song to your IPod and used the album cover like that. I like even more that the whole thing was your idea because you suggested going to the beach. Best wishes on your engagement and as you plan your wedding!

Surprise Wedding Proposal

by Juanita
(San Antonio)

My husband gave me a surprise wedding proposal. On Friday night at the end of our date, I mentioned that I had to work overtime the next day and I had to be at the office by 7am. His car was in the shop so he asked if he could drive me to work and borrow my car and then pick up at noon when I got off. I told him no because I was afraid he would not be ready to go by 6:30am and then I would be late. Being there by 7am was mandatory. He was disappointed but I did not know why. So I left to go home. I felt bad and soon returned to his home and told him okay, that he could drive me to work and use my car.

He was ready the next morning on time and I made it to work with no problem. At 12 noon, he came into the office with red roses and all of my friends gushed and made a big deal about how romantic that was. He said he was taking me out for a steak lunch so we left.

Now it is important for you to know that the date was December 13, 1986 and that we were living in El Paso, Texas where it very seldom snows. It just so happens that it had snowed and was chilly. There was still a beautiful sprinkling of snow on Transmountain so David decided to go the long way around the city, up Transmountain. He had a plan, but I had no idea...

So up Transmountain we drove. There are several places along this beautiful strip where you can pull over and get out and look at the scenery. He pulled over at one of these places. The snow was gorgeous and he suggested we get out and look so we did.

Then he told me to reach into his jacket pocket. I wondered why but I did it. There was a small fuzzy box which I pulled out. I opened it and there was a diamond ring. I was so surprised, shocked, bewildered, and thrilled. He then asked me to marry him. Of course I said yes. It was a great moment and I love how he planned it out.

Wedding Proposal
by: David

Thank you, Juanita. I am glad you enjoyed the proposal so much. I had a little help from the Lord who sent us the snow so I had a good reason to pull the car over so I could propose. Of course, the steak lunch was fabulous as well. I love you. You are an incredible wife, putting up with me for almost 21 years now. Love, David

My Christmas Wedding Engagement

by Juanita Schulze
(San Antonio, TX)

Here is the story of my Christmas wedding engagement. I thought possibly he would give me an engagement ring for Christmas, but I never expected to get one on Saturday, December 13, 1986. Later, David told me he figured I would have guessed it for Christmas, but he wanted to surprise me with a Pre - Christmas wedding engagement. It sure worked. This is the way it really happened...

It was December 13, 1986. I had to work from 6am until noon that Saturday. The night before, my boyfriend asked to borrow my car as he had errands to do and had just sold his. We were not living together. I was living at home with my parents and David lived about a mile away. I told him no because I had to be at work by 6am the next morning. We had a quarrel and I ended up leaving and we were both mad. I felt guilty and right before I got back to my house, I turned the car around and went back to David's house. I thought by this time we were going to break up but I finally told him okay to borrowing my car the next morning. I picked him up at 5:30am. To my surprise, he was ready to roll. He dropped me off at my office and took my car.

Now, it had snowed the day before which is a rarity in El Paso, Texas. Some of the snow was still up on Trans-Mountain Road and it looked beautiful, but I never went to work that way because it was way too long. Trans-Mountain is a highway that goes way up a mountain and cuts through it to get from the Northeast Side of town where I lived to the Westside where I worked. But the freeway was much faster than this road and actually a lot shorter of a route. Trans-Mountain is the scenic route.

David showed up at the office and came inside right before noon when I got off with a single red rose for me. I was thrilled. All of my co-workers got to meet him and made a really big deal about it. David told them he was going to take me out for a steak lunch.

We left and David was driving. He suggested that instead of taking I-10 to get home quickly, we should go the scenic route and take Trans-Mountain home. Trans-Mountain is a highway that cuts through a beautiful mountain in El Paso. The view is gorgeous. We started driving up from the west side of town and David pulled over at one of the scenic outlooks to see the snow. We got out of the car to look. It was beautiful, quite spectacular.

Then David told me to reach into the jacket pocket that he was wearing and find something. The only thing in there was a box. I pulled it out and opened it up. There was a diamond ring. He then asked me to marry him! I was so surprised. I did not have a clue that he was going to propose! Of course I said yes and we started planning our wedding.

Well, first, we went out for lunch and ate a delicious steak meal at a local restaurant. Then I went home and told my family. (At this point, the story is no longer romantic or happy, but that is real life....)

My mother was in shock and actually fainted in a chair and I thought she had died. It was freakishly scary. I really thought she was dead. No one in my family congratulated me. They all told me no to getting married and they fought me tooth and nail for the next 4 months until I was married. My El Paso Texas Christmas wedding proposal quickly turned into a nightmare....AAAAAHHHHH...Family! What can you do? Well, at least the proposal was romantic!

There are so many beautiful diamond engagement rings to choose from. Your fiance may buy your ring and surprise you.

I did not have a clue that my husband was going to propose. He went out on his own and bought a ring. Then he surprised me with it. Perhaps you will look at diamonds together first and then he will surprise you. Maybe he will enlist the help of your mom, your sister, or your best friend. So let them all know what you like.

Diamonds can be cut in different shapes and sizes. Usually the bigger the stone, the more the jewelry costs. Diamond engagement rings can have one stone or multiple stones. There can be a mix of tiny precious stones with a larger diamond at the center. A colored stone (not a diamond) can be at the center, with small diamonds all around as well.

The diamonds can have different shapes or cuts. There is a big variety. Oval, round, emerald, princess, pear, rectangular, heart-shaped, and marquise are popular. Try several types on to see which looks best on your hand.

If your hands are large, a large stone with a large setting will look fine on your hand. It will not look as though it is overpowering your hand.

If you have tiny hands, a smaller stone in a smaller setting would work better for you. A single stone instead of multiple stones would look better.

If your fingers are wide, you will need an elongated cut like a marquise or and oval to make your fingers look longer and slimmer. Slimmer cuts of pear, emerald or rectangular would work as well.

If your fingers are slim, try a rounder or wider cut. A marquise turned sideways would work also.

Diamond rings are the preferred engagement rings for most brides-to-be. Before you or your fiance make a decision to purchase one, you need to learn about what jewelers call the 4 C's of stones. The 4 C's are cut, carat, color, and clarity and are very important to how your wedding jewelry will look.

Cut is the most important characteristic of your diamond ring. It is more important than the carat weight. The word "cut" refers to the facets or small flat planes created in the stone. Cut shows the stone's brilliance. The diamond needs to be cut to proper proportion so its beauty will sparkle. Grading of the cut starts from poor to fair to good, very good, premium, and ideal.

Carat

Carat means the weight of the stone. It also means the size of the stone. So the larger the diamond, the bigger the carat. Carat has nothing to do with the cost or the quality of the stone. Just because a diamond is big, does not mean it is filled with beauty, sparkle, and light. A big stone without these qualities is just a big stone.

Color

Traditional clear-colored diamonds are classified by color. Most clear-colored ones have tiny traces of color, usually yellow or brown. The color is caused by stone impurities. Interestingly, diamonds are ranked by letter starting with the letter D.

D through F have no color and cost the most.

G through J have barely any color.

K through M have very light traces of yellow.

N through Z have light yellow color.

Clarity

Almost every diamond has inner flaws in the stone.

These flaws are also known as inclusions. The amount of flaws plus their size and visibility make up the clarity of the stone. The smaller the number of flaws, the more brilliant and expensive the diamond.

There are eleven clarity grades for diamonds. A perfect diamond is flawless or FI.

Very slightly included is VS.

Slightly included is SI.

Imperfect is I.