How To Pick The Perfect Engagement Ring

The origin of the engagement ring

The tradition of wearing a ring as a symbol of love and commitment goes back 7,000 years, when the fourth finger of the left hand was thought by ancient Egyptians to contain the vena amoris, or vein of love, running straight to the heart. Romans wore betrothal rings of iron and later gold.

Diamonds were thought to possess magical, protective powers, and in the Middle Ages, diamond rings were worn as amulets to protect the wearer and bring luck. Perhaps inspired by the ancient belief that Cupids arrows were tipped with diamonds, the diamond became a universal symbol of love. In the Middle Ages, following the betrothal of Mary of Burgundy and Archduke Maximillian of Austria with a diamond ring, it became a feature of royal weddings.

The engagement ring today

Today, thanks to the availability of diamonds and other precious stones, every girl can feel like royalty. Hasn’t every girl with dreams of marriage imagined the engagement ring she would love to receive?

And yet, since every jewel is different varying in size, shape, colour and clarity there is a sense of mystery surrounding the stones which can make the choice of an engagement ring intimidating.

An engagement ring from Biagio

At Biagio the Jeweller, we aim to make your choice a pleasure, whether you are selecting from our extensive range, designing your own, or perhaps opting for the more novel idea of owning a single, loose diamond. We believe that we can find you your perfect ring at a price that suits your pocket, and can, if you wish, design an exclusive piece of jewellery with your chosen diamond.

Terminology

If you are considering a diamond engagement ring, there are certain terms that are used often referred to as The four Cs, and indeed some of these are relevant to other gemstones too. Of course, if you come into one of the Biagio the Jeweller stores, we will explain these to you in detail, but you may wish to get a feel for the terminology in advance.

At Biagio the Jeweller, we believe there is a fifth C – confidence. Confidence in the source and craftsmanship of the diamond. This is, to Biagio, as important as the essence of the stone itself.

The four Cs

Cut Cut is the only one of the four Cs influenced by man. A good, round brilliant cut releases the life and sparkle of a diamond through the arrangement and proportion of its 57 or 58 facets. Light reflects from facet to facet and disperses through the top of the stone, creating a display of brilliance.

Colour While most diamonds appear white, many display hints of colour barely discernible to the naked eye. The closer a diamond approaches colourlessness, the rarer and more valuable the stone. Diamonds with a strong pure colour are extremely rare and are called fancies’. Amongst them can be found pink, blue, green, orange, yellow and even black. The rarest are blue and pink.

The scale defined by the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) is divided into steps between D and Z, D being the clearest and most valuable: D-E: exceptional white; F-G: rare white; H: white; I-J: slightly tinted white; K-L: tinted white; M-Z: tinted colour.

Clarity A diamonds clarity is determined by the degree to which it is free from naturally occurring inclusions, often called natures fingerprints. The number, type, colour, size and position of the internal birthmarks can affect a diamonds value. However, many are invisible to the naked eye and require magnification under a standard 10x magnification loupe. The fewer inclusions, the rarer the stone.

The EGL Scale of Clarity refers to the amount of inclusion in a stone when viewed through a 10x magnification loupe:

FL/IF                         flawless or internally flawless

VVS1 and VVS2         very very slightly included

VS1 and VS2             very slightly included

SI1 and SI2               slightly included

I1, I2 and I3              included

Carat Carat refers to weight and therefore the size of the diamond. One carat is divided into 100 points. A diamond weighing 100 points equals a one carat diamond, 50 points equals a half carat diamond. Two diamonds of equal size can have very different values, depending on their cut, clarity and colour.

Established over 30 years, Biagio the Jeweller are THE diamond experts. If you’re looking for the perfect engagement ring and our engagement ring experts will guide you every step of the way visit our stores

Or let us help you find the perfect engagement ring here Must have diamonds