It has long been tradition for the sparkling-eyed boyfriend to
"surprise" his girlfriend with a wedding proposal and an engagement
ring. The whole scenario is indeed romantic and is what dreams and
movies are made of, but if you're a girl that is serious about your
fashion, you may prefer to be involved in picking your engagement and
wedding rings to suit your taste. Why leave such a crucial part of your
style for a guy to do alone? Think about it, you will be wearing these
rings for a lifetime! With this in mind, you may want to "window shop"
together online once the relationship gets serious in order to let him
know exactly what you like.
The
ever classic solitaires are the most popular style of engagement rings,
but for many couples today, they are a bit too common. The engagement
ring symbolizes the special love you share with each other so you may
want to throw tradition out the window a get a ring that is unique such
as a vintage design, an uncommon diamond cut, a sapphire or emerald
setting, or maybe even a colored diamond (with yellow diamonds being the
most common while blue and pink are rare and fetch a much higher
price). Once engaged, couples will then be looking for wedding bands. To
begin the quest for the perfect wedding rings, consider all the options
in various stones, gemstone cuts, ring designs and layouts, different
precious metals, and, most importantly, the kind of statement you want
to make to the world.
More than likely, when you think about an engagement ring, you imagine a huge, sparkling, round solitaire. These traditional prong-setting rings have been around since the 1800's and are always the bestsellers at virtually every jewelry store across the country. These rings are used for all the classic stone shapes such as round cut, princess cut, emeralds, heart-shaped, and pear-shaped. Most women start the process of wedding ring shopping with the desire for something different but usually end up with a traditional solitaire in a prong setting with a gold band. Even if you decide to settle for the traditional style, you can add some variation with side stones. Typically these are diamonds, but you can also get colored gems like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. As the name states, side stones lay to either side of the main, center stone and are usually much smaller and come in assorted shapes, like half-moons, slim baguettes, shields, and trapezoids.
For another variation, large center stones can also be accentuated by just slightly smaller stones of the same shape on either side. These rings are known as three-stone rings. Traditionally, these were given on anniversaries but are now very much in style as engagement rings among traditional brides.
Even conventional jewelers continue to update their selections with fresh shapes of gemstone cuts based on the classic styles. Tiffany's, one of our most traditional jewelers, recently introduced the Lucida cut, a square-shaped stone set available in a wide gold or platinum band. Another example is the Asscher family who has introduced a new twist on its' signature style, an octagonal step-cut from 1902. This new version is called the Royal Asscher and is more sparkling than the old one.
An heirloom ring from the bride or groom's family could be a treasure to share for a lifetime. What if you don't have a heirloom ring in your family? Vintage rings such as Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian, or Deco can now be easily found online at such places as this site. You can also find exquisite reproductions of these styles here. Many women who want their engagement and wedding rings to look more like unique pieces of jewelry are snatching up these rings. Older cuts that were precursors of the modern brilliants and emerald cuts have a subtler shine than the newer ones, and offer a delicate, romantic look. These cuts include the old mine-cuts, rose-cuts, cushion-cuts, and the original Asschers.
Dead set against getting a traditional ring? Don't fret! There are many modern designs that double as engagement rings for couples with moderate or exotic aesthetics. One very popular contemporary design is a bezel-set ring where a diamond is surrounded by metal rather than being elevated up in a prong setting. Another popular design is the two-tone platinum and yellow gold rings with a sprinkle of diamonds.
The traditional wedding band is usually either a plain platinum or gold ring or one with intricate diamond accents that matches the engagement ring without detracting from it. This tradition is now changing as women are wearing everything from the plainest of bands to luxuriant diamond and gemstone studded rings that are equivalent or even larger than their engagement rings. Many women wear their engagement rings only on special occasions and have a diamond set band for everyday wear. Others get very thin wedding bands and wear them stacked. If a religious affiliation dictates a solid metal ring, many women will often buy one band for the ceremony itself, and get another fancier one to wear thereafter.
More than likely, when you think about an engagement ring, you imagine a huge, sparkling, round solitaire. These traditional prong-setting rings have been around since the 1800's and are always the bestsellers at virtually every jewelry store across the country. These rings are used for all the classic stone shapes such as round cut, princess cut, emeralds, heart-shaped, and pear-shaped. Most women start the process of wedding ring shopping with the desire for something different but usually end up with a traditional solitaire in a prong setting with a gold band. Even if you decide to settle for the traditional style, you can add some variation with side stones. Typically these are diamonds, but you can also get colored gems like emeralds, rubies, and sapphires. As the name states, side stones lay to either side of the main, center stone and are usually much smaller and come in assorted shapes, like half-moons, slim baguettes, shields, and trapezoids.
For another variation, large center stones can also be accentuated by just slightly smaller stones of the same shape on either side. These rings are known as three-stone rings. Traditionally, these were given on anniversaries but are now very much in style as engagement rings among traditional brides.
Even conventional jewelers continue to update their selections with fresh shapes of gemstone cuts based on the classic styles. Tiffany's, one of our most traditional jewelers, recently introduced the Lucida cut, a square-shaped stone set available in a wide gold or platinum band. Another example is the Asscher family who has introduced a new twist on its' signature style, an octagonal step-cut from 1902. This new version is called the Royal Asscher and is more sparkling than the old one.
An heirloom ring from the bride or groom's family could be a treasure to share for a lifetime. What if you don't have a heirloom ring in your family? Vintage rings such as Georgian, Edwardian, Victorian, or Deco can now be easily found online at such places as this site. You can also find exquisite reproductions of these styles here. Many women who want their engagement and wedding rings to look more like unique pieces of jewelry are snatching up these rings. Older cuts that were precursors of the modern brilliants and emerald cuts have a subtler shine than the newer ones, and offer a delicate, romantic look. These cuts include the old mine-cuts, rose-cuts, cushion-cuts, and the original Asschers.
Dead set against getting a traditional ring? Don't fret! There are many modern designs that double as engagement rings for couples with moderate or exotic aesthetics. One very popular contemporary design is a bezel-set ring where a diamond is surrounded by metal rather than being elevated up in a prong setting. Another popular design is the two-tone platinum and yellow gold rings with a sprinkle of diamonds.
The traditional wedding band is usually either a plain platinum or gold ring or one with intricate diamond accents that matches the engagement ring without detracting from it. This tradition is now changing as women are wearing everything from the plainest of bands to luxuriant diamond and gemstone studded rings that are equivalent or even larger than their engagement rings. Many women wear their engagement rings only on special occasions and have a diamond set band for everyday wear. Others get very thin wedding bands and wear them stacked. If a religious affiliation dictates a solid metal ring, many women will often buy one band for the ceremony itself, and get another fancier one to wear thereafter.
For more information about wedding and engagement rings visit the
author's site at inexpensive engagement wedding rings
[http://www.inexpensiveengagementweddingrings.com]
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kenneth_D_Bush
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