Engagement Ring Guide Lines

You're reading this engagement ring guide because the step you’re about to take is important.
Your decision in buying the perfect diamond engagement ring can be simple if you follow a few well established guide-lines.

1. Establishing Your Budget


2. Choosing the Perfect Diamond


3. Choosing an Engagement Ring Setting


4. Building Your Diamond Ring

1.  Establishing Your Budget

 The generally accepted convention is for the man to spend approximately two months of salary on the most meaningful purchase of his life. This ring will last a lifetime and be handed down through generations. Therefore, the recommendation is that you focus on quality. Your price range is an important consideration but should be flexible. Browse through our inventory of diamonds and get an idea of what is available in your price range.

2.  Choosing the Perfect Diamond

Before you proceed to choosing the perfect diamond, read about diamond quality. By understanding the 4Cs you will be better equipped to make the right decision for you.

Diamond Shape
First step to choosing a diamond is to decide on a shape you would like to purchase. Choosing the shape is based on your preference and the preference of the recipient. It might be difficult to gauge the preference of the recipient but you might be able to get some clues from the current jewelry she wears, her family/friends, or if you are shopping together then she will definitely tell you. Approximately 80% of solitaire engagement rings sold are either with round or princess cut diamonds.

Four Cs of Diamonds
Want to know all the details about the 4Cs of diamonds? In choosing your perfect diamond you will need to balance the 4Cs against your budget. Our Diamond Shoppers' Guide has even more details and questions you need to ask in order to be an informed diamond shopper. Here is a quick summary of the 4Cs of Diamonds:

Cut: The cut directly contributes to the brilliance of the diamond. The reflections and refraction of light within the stone is determined by table % and depth % for the most part. If the stone is cut to ideal specifications most light entering the stone will reflect back from the crown. You need to also be careful about girdle thickness, fluorescence, polish and symmetry, and the diamonds culet. (we’re here to help you, if needed.)

Color: Color of a diamond refers to the saturation of color in the diamond. More color present in the diamond means that some of the colors will be filtered out when the light is reflected back thus lessening the fire in the diamond. Colorless diamonds are rarer to find and more appealing to the eye and as such more valuable – unless the colors are fancy – yellow, pink, blue, green, purple, or red.

Clarity: Diamond Clarity refers to the presence or absence of internal and external flaws and blemishes. Diamonds without any flaws and blemishes are rarer to find and more expensive. Most diamonds have some inclusions or blemishes. These are either natural (trace of other minerals) or occur while mining and cutting. This is the least relevant aspect, as it won’t impact the beauty of the stone, unless the imperfections are visible to the naked eye. Best to select GIA certified stones – up to Si2.

Carat Weight: Carat weight for most people is the last deciding factor in buying the diamond. Once you know what cut, color, clarity you want the only thing to decide is your budget and find a size that falls in your range. Like all other Cs the larger sizes are rarer and thus the prices are higher for these stones.

3.  Choose the Setting

Choosing a setting can be harder than choosing the diamond. As this is a ring she will wear for a lifetime, you want to be sure that she will like it. Here are a few suggestions to find out what would be best for her:

• Notice the details in the jewelry she currently wears. Does she go for understated simplicity, elegant details or big and bold



• While shopping with her (any kind of shopping) note down her preferences



• Ask her closest friend or family members to get a better idea of what she favors

Does she prefer Yellow Gold, White Gold or Platinum?

Platinum is stronger and rarer of the two. It can only be in white color. Platinum does not have to be plated, but it does need to be polished periodically. In order to provide our customers with best of both worlds all our custom designed rings can have the diamonds set in platinum prongs.

Solitaire Settings

Would she prefer a solitaire setting, a setting with sidestones or a setting with a matching band? Or would she prefer a three stone ring instead? It is important that you know her preference. You might have to recruit help form one of her friends or family member to find out.

These are the most popular type of settings for engagement rings. You can find solitaire settings with 4 prongs, 6 prongs and bezelled settings.

6 Prong Engagement Ring Setting

4 Prong Engagement Ring Setting

3-Stone Engagement Ring and Sidestones

Matching Engagement Ring and Band - Wedding Bridal Sets

Three Stone Rings
These are commonly knows as Past, Present and Future Rings. Each diamond represents a phase of life. You have a choice to buy one of the rings we have or create  your own three-stone ring. Colored stones can add color to the ring and the diamonds can add extra brilliancy.

3-Stone Diamond Engagement Rings with sidestones

4.   Build Your Ring

Now you are ready to start your selection process. Regardless of where you decide to purchase your ring here are a few things that you should expect with your purchase:

• GIA Diamond Certificate
  All diamonds should be accompanied by a GIA diamond certificate if they are sold as certificated diamonds. The certificate ensures that the diamond you are receiving is in fact the quality you were led to believe. If a diamond is not a GIA certified diamond then you will probably find that the grading is not what it should be. Certificate of authenticity from a jeweler is not a professional way of grading stones. At Elsa we follow these policies strictly and all your diamond purchases will be accompanied by a GIA certificate as well as an appraisal for insurance purposes.



• Returns Policy
  All reputable jewelers have a clearly stated return policy. Elsa’s fine diamonds and timeless jewelry will meet or exceed your expectations. However, if you are not completely satisfied with the quality, we are pleased to offer a thirty (30) day return policy on all purchases.



• Ring Appraisal
  This is used to secure insurance for your purchase, against theft, loss or damage. Elsarings offers ring appraisals on all our purchases. If you need help securing insurance we would be glad to refer you to some reputable companies that deal with our clients on a daily basis.



• Certificate of Authenticity
  Certificate of Authenticity is a document provided by the jeweler guaranteeing the product they are selling you. Usually it is slanted in the jewelers favor, and not the way knowledgeable customers buy diamonds and engagement rings.



• Buy-Back Program
  Although Elsa will buy back certain pieces, and all our solitaire diamonds – we generally advise clients to sell it to someone they know. If you ever tried selling clothing, appliances, furniture, etc, back to the retailer you know what we mean. No industry is eager to purchase from the public a single item. We buy in huge quantities to keep our cost down. We can’t possibly offer the seller of a single diamond, even if it is our client, the same price.



• Trade-Up Program
  Elsa’s trade-up program allows the customer to get an 80% credit for their diamond. Rings purchased are not open for trade-ups. We will give you some credit depending on the condition of the ring and stones. Used rings are sold on the secondary market for pennies on the dollar. Elsa offers a trade-up program for life.



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A few Facts on Gold

• Gold is the widely used in making jewelry today. The rich history and universal appeal makes it popular. Pure Gold is virtually immune to the effects of air, water, and oxygen.

Gold Color

• Two factors determine gold color. One is the alloy being used to mix with the gold and the other is the percentage of each alloy.

Yellow Gold

• Yellow Gold is the natural gold color. Pure gold is mixed with silver and copper to retain the bright gold color.

White Gold

• Pure Gold is mixed with 40% percent silver, nickel, zinc, and tin to get the white color. 14K and 18K White Gold has a slightly yellowish color if not enough silver is mixed. In order to get a shinny white color these are plated with rhodium.

Rose Gold

• Pure Gold is mixed with large percentage of copper to get the rose color.

Gold Care

• Store your Gold Jewelry in separate boxes or bags to avoid scratches from other jewelry
  
  
• Clean Gold Jewelry using jewelry cleaner or soak in soap and warm water and then rub gently with a soft cloth. Do Not Use Detergent Soaps.
  
  
• Avoid contact with bleach or other harsh chemicals.
  
  
• Gold Jewelry should always be stamped with 18K or 14K
  

Some quick facts about Platinum

• Almost three-quarters of women prefer platinum for their engagement rings
  
  
• Of these only 44% end up with a platinum ring
  
  
• Platinum is 30 times rarer that Gold
  
  
• Platinum not only looks good it also feels good
  
  
• Platinum Jewelry will always be stamped with PT950 or Plat

Platinum Care

• Store your Platinum Jewelry in separate boxes or bags to avoid scratches from other jewelry
  
  
• Clean Platinum using jewelry cleaner or soak in soap and warm water and then rub gently with a soft cloth.
  
  
• Avoid contact with bleach or other harsh chemicals. They won’t hurt the Platinum but may discolor the gemstones.
  

Precious Metal Purity

• The most common purity used in jewelry today are:
  
  
• 95PT = 95% Pure Platinum
  
• 18K = 18/24 = 75% Pure Gold
• 14K = 14/24 = 58.33% Pure Gold
• 12K = 12/24 = 50% Pure Gold
• 10K = 10/24 = 41.67% Pure Gold
  
  
• Elsa Rings uses 18K in Fine Jewelry and 14K in all other Jewelry. We believe that gold purity any lower than 14K is not acceptable for jewelry.



• Platinum is the metal of choice at Elsa Rings for engagement rings, wedding bands and anniversary bands. Platinum’s luster brings out the brilliance of our diamonds better than gold. The Platinum used at Elsarings is at least 95% pure.



• Platinum used in jewelry is usually of 95% purity compared to Gold which is of 75% purity (18K Gold). The purity of platinum also makes it ideal for sensitive skins and is naturally hypoallergenic.



• Platinum is stronger and rarer of than 18K Gold. It is more expensive but requires less maintenance. The density of platinum makes it more durable than other metals used in jewelry. Like most metals, platinum will scratch.

Pricing Platinum and Gold

• The price of platinum gold jewelry is dependent on many factors such as purity, weight, jewelry design and craftsmanship. There are many other factors that can add to the price such as quality of the craftsmanship, quality of the diamonds, quality of the gemstones and many more. Two similar looking pieces may have different prices depending on the craftsmanship and quality factors.

You are now ready to select your diamond and ring setting

Find the perfect setting    |   Find the perfect diamond