How to Find the Perfect Wedding Ring

Knowing how to shop for wedding rings is very important.

This is arguably the most important purchase you will make in your life (or at least one of them).

This item represents the beginning of your couple’s new life, 

so you definitely want to get this one right. 

And want to make sure the lady’s happy, otherwise you’re off to a bad start! 

So if you plan on taking the big leap, these tips will definitely be worth your time.

Step 1: Center Stone

The first step when shopping wedding rings is to select the center stone, because everything else will depend on it.

Also, your center stone will usually makes most of the ring’s value.

So it is important to make sure that whenever you purchase a stone of high value, you receive a GIA certificate from the vendor. 

If you’re not sure what this is, you can refer to our article about the best kept diamonds secrets.

The most common center stone is the diamond, 

but some will go for another gemstone, such as a sapphire, ruby or emerald.

Once you’ve selected your stone, you want to decide on the stone cut 

(from the diamonds’ 4C - again, refer to our diamonds artlce if you’re not sure what this is).

The most common diamond cuts are listed below, but you can also request a 100% custom cut if you want to have something really unique.

Finally, you want to decide on the carat weight of your center stone. 

This will dictate its size.

If you’re not sure how to decide on the carat weight of your stone, and how much you should spend on a wedding ring… 

here are some stats for you:

In 2019, Americans spent an average of $7,750 on an engagement ring (up from $6,163 in 2017). 

The average center diamond size for an engagement ring is between 0.8 and 1.2 carats.

FUN FACT: The average value of the wedding ring should be around 2 to 3 months’ salary.  

Step 2: Type of Mount

Once you have your center stone locked in, you want to decide on the type of mount.

There 5 characteristics of a mount are:

 

1. The Color

 

• Yellow
• White (most popular)
• Rose

 

2. The Type of Metal

 

• Gold
• Platinum

 

3. The Metal Purity- know as the gold karats

The purer, the higher the karats number, and the higher the value. 

As a rule of thumb, most wedding rings have karats between 14K and 18K.

But that is at everyone’s own discretion.

The common gold purity levels are:

• 10K
• 14K
• 18K
• 20K

 

 

4. Additional stones

 

 

You may want to add some additional stones to the mount, to enhance the look of your ring. 

Here’s a good example, where you have a center stone and a nice display to smaller sized diamonds on the side.

5. Engravings

 

1. Laser
2. By hand (Etched)

 

The laser engraving is bolder and darker than etched engraving, making it slightly easier to read. 

But in reality, both types of engravings are very similar and work very well for gold or platinum rings.

Once you’re decided on your center stone and the 5 characteristics of your mount, 

you’ll have a good idea of the value of the jewel.

Take your time to shop for the perfect ring. 

As mentioned, this is a very important decision in your life and you don’t want to overlook it.

And most of all, make sure you get the GIA certificate for your stones, 

otherwise you may have a surprise down the road.

Now let’s point out one of the most important aspects of a WELL CRAFTED wedding ring.

In order to have a ring that fits you perfectly, you need to have it fitted to your finger.

And it needs to be fitted to your finger BEFORE it’s being crafted.

Why?

Because otherwise, you risk losing some of the stones during the resizing, 

since the ring wasn’t built for that exact size…

Resulting in a different look…

Lower value…

Things you definitely want to avoid.

Hopefully you now feel more confident in selecting the perfect ring for the Big day.

And we hope that these tips can help you make this day the most memorable of your life.

Cheers!

The MTL CustomJewelry team.

Click here to contact us and craft your perfect wedding ring.

Or shop our wedding rings