Hatton garden, diamond rings, and bling

If you are looking to purchase a diamond engagement ring there is no better place than Hatton Garden in London, as the area is filled with exquisite diamond merchants and jewellery shops. There are lots of engagement ring styles to choose from with many different types of diamond cuts. It is important to take your time deciding to make sure you pick the ring of both of your dreams.

Precious metals

Deciding on the style of band is the first step to consider, this is the part of the ring that fits around the finger. The band is made from a precious metal, the most common are gold, silver and platinum. Yellow gold is a yellow-orange colour, there are options for a lighter yellow colour by choosing less pure gold of 14K or 10K. White gold has increased in popularity in recent years and has an off white colour with a bright silver appearance. Platinum has a silver appearance but dulls slightly over the years. It is important to find out the ring size you require. This can be done subtly by borrowing one of your future fianc├®es rings to check the size she wears.

The setting is the part of the ring that holds the gem in place to the band. Depending on how active the person wearing the ring is, it is possible to have a setting with a bezel of at least 6 prongs to increase the security of the gem. The higher the positioning of the gem, the easier it is for the gem to be caught.

Precious stones

The gem is the main feature of the ring and is most commonly a diamond. The diamond can vary in colour, carat, clarity and cut. Price is dependent on the size of the gem and can vary greatly from a half carat to a one carat. A carat refers to the weight of the diamond, with every carat having 100 points. The most important thing is to take your fianc├®es preferences into account.

The colour of diamonds also varies and can range from a grade D which is very rare, to the more common grade F and H diamonds. The clarity is the amount of imperfections within the diamond, the clearer the gem the higher its value.

If you have an idea of a ring in mind, it is possible from a jeweller to design a custom ring which could also match the wedding rings. It is common for many to provide a temporary engagement ring so the couple can pick one together at a later date.

If you are interested in the more esoteric aspects of the materials and processes we use, please visit our diamond knowledge centre.

Decisions, decisions, decisions

There are some tactics which can be used to find out your fianc├®es ring preferences. One possibility is to ask friends and family if she has mentioned any styles she likes. Perhaps you could ask her friends to subtly find out which type of ring she likes. If you understand your future fianc├®es personal style this can help you to decide. Perhaps your partner likes plain or bold fashion statements, maybe she is very traditional rather than contemporary.

Once you have decided on the style of ring you would like to purchase you will need to decide on a budget. It is traditional that a man should spend 2 months of his salary on the ring, however times have changed and the decision is completely up to you. It is helpful to let your jeweller know your budget so that a range of rings can be shown to you which you can purchase.

If you are looking for diamond engagement rings, London is one of the best places in the world to find one.