Engagement Rings - Choosing the Best

When a man has made the decision to propose to the woman in his life, there will be a million and one thoughts racing through his mind; the most pressing one will probably be, will she say yes?! However, another important consideration will be the type of ring that he chooses, as this is integral to the entire proposal.

Picking the best ring to suit your purposes is a tricky business and without the right guidance it can be a veritable minefield of shapes, sizes, not to mention price tags. Some men will have the useful guidance of their future wife actually choosing the ring for them, yet for the more romantic grooms-to-be that are out there, here are some tips on choosing the best engagement ring.

The first thing to sort out is how much you are willing to spend on the engagement ring; it is tempting to blow as much as you can on the ring, yet this might not leave you with enough for a honeymoon! Traditionally, it is thought that two months salary is a good guide as to how much you should spend on an engagement ring, although it can be safely assumed that your fiancée would not complain if you spent a little more...!

Choose a reasonable bracket that you are willing to work within and stick to that as much as possible; of course, if you find a real bargain then you should snap it up and conversely, if there is a ring that you know that would make your fiancée ecstatic that is a little out of your price range, then it is probably worth saving up for.

Once you have decided on your price range, it's time to get researching; compare the entire market, from thrift shops to fancy jewellers and consider every ring going. A useful little tip is that real bargains can now be found in online jewellers, with many sites offering discounts for buying online.

To narrow down the options for engagement rings, try and find out what type of metal your future wife likes the most; this can be done by rooting through her jewellery collection or confiding in one of her friends and getting her to act as a spy...just make sure you can really trust them not to spill the beans.

The most important element of choosing an engagement ring is that you put your whole heart into it; it may sound cheesy and a little 'Hollywood', but if you have put as much love, care and attention into choosing the ring as you have your relationship, then you will definitely make the right choice.

By David Harfield