As time has moved along, so has the way men used to shop for engagement rings.

Diamonds are timeless, classic and elegant and when making this purchase, it literally represents the most sacred choice you and your significant other will ever face. If the wrong engagement ring is chosen, men will forever remember the look of disappointment on their girlfriend’s face or else women will feel incredibly awkward and possibly forced to wear a ring they dislike, forever.

This is exactly why more and more women are choosing to shop WITH their boyfriends to pick out the perfect engagement ring together.

But gentlemen, this doesn’t mean that the element of surprise needs to be taken out! The proposal can be everything you’ve dreamed and much, much more this way.

You can still surprise her with a box containing a starter engagement ring, the dinner, the bending down one knee or whatever romantic idea it is that you’ve. The only difference is that the ring is still in the store and not yet on her finger.

As anyone knows, women love to be understood more than just about anything else! Shopping together for her input will make your woman feel incredibly important and extremely valued because she can contribute to the whole decision-making process about the ring that will be worn forever with pride and love.

Choosing an engagement ring together might sound a little strange to some people but think about it for a few minutes: It’s practically a foolproof situation! You get to give her the story of her life to tell everyone she knows while she gets the ring she’s dreamed about since she was a little girl.

Men get to spend less time going from store to store stressing out and women can have the ring resized and looking just right all in one go. Both parties are much more at ease making this experience a memorable one, not to mention, the end result is phenomenal!

You’ll worry less about what she might think of the engagement ring you’ve chosen and be able to put more time and effort into the whole proposal. Your better half will feel nothing but happiness and surprise, leaving no room for that awkward silence of accepting a ring they hate – assuming, that is, she wants to say yes.

Buying these rings are definitely not a light purchase to be made which is why diamonds are always considered an investment no matter their size and not just another ring to wear to the latest gala.

Not only that, it’s much more common to look at choosing your engagement ring together than you think! Out of all women who are proposed to, 75% of them receive a diamond engagement ring and from that, a whopping 53.7% of couples chose the engagement ring together. That’s more than half!

As the numbers continue to increase, some worry that this could mean a decrease in sales for diamond engagement rings but in Australia, jewellers say that their sales has remained exactly the same while the U.S. reports only a $600 decline as of 2008.

Shopping for engagement rings together has become the new trend of diamond wear and hopefully will continue to be so for the decades to come.

Are you one of those couples who have shopped for your engagement and wedding rings together? If so, we’d love to hear your story – leave a comment below for me!

Ironically, since females tend to have a lie detector implanted in their brain at birth, covering up surprises isn’t the easiest feat to pull off. Because of this, women feign their surprise and reply with, ‘How did you-when did you-I swear I had no idea!’ before bursting into tears. In all actuality, it’s the true emotion of being proposed to that turns their tear ducts into waterfalls and causes shouts of joy and unfortunately, not the element of surprise.

As this cat was slowly let out of the bag, men and women began picking out their wedding rings together. When the emotional aspect of the proposal was over, it was discovered that when looking down at their new engagement ring, most women didn’t fancy their wedding ring set at all. It became a taboo subject to broach since it sounded entirely ungrateful of all the hard work that their beloved went into finding what they believed to be the perfect ring; but, to wear something intended to be worn for a lifetime – well, that’s just a fashion catastrophe for a woman!

As more and more couples are beginning to pick out their wedding ring sets together, the ‘surprise’ wedding rings purchased have dropped down to a mere 19% as of 2007,[1] changing the proposal scenario a little bit. While men may still try to scheme the perfect proposal, the ring part of this performance is saved for when both partners can go ring shopping together.

Going to shop for a ring together may sound as though the woman will choose her wedding ring while the man chooses his wedding ring. This couldn’t be farther from the truth. Call it old-fashioned but men enjoy having a large amount of their choice being included with the final cut (pun intended) of which wedding ring his fiancé chooses.

Women, not to be outdone, also enjoy getting to have her thoughts and ideas incorporated into her significant other’s wedding ring. After all, it’s what says to her; ‘You’re mine – now and forever,’ allowing her to always be reminded of its significance.

Because the newly-engaged pair’s thoughts and feelings lie within the wedding rings, it’s important to understand how each of their ideas can be integrated while keeping each other’s needs in mind.

Ladies first:

Tips On Choosing Wedding Rings For Women – The Men’s Guide:

Find Your Inner Fashion

That’s awful sounding to a man but its intent was to get your attention! The real ploy is to take notice of the colour metal your fiancé wears most often. If she wears silver toned jewellery a lot, the obvious choice would be a platinum wedding set. For yellow gold, then stick with yellow gold. Simple enough, right?

The trickier part is helping to decide what type of wedding and engagement ring design to go with. When noticing which metal your fiancé favours, also notice the style in which she’s wearing jewellery: Is it a lot of dangly jewellery, chunky jewellery or simple studs, gemstones and fragile looking chains?

For women who wear dangly jewellery, this can be incorporated into the wedding ring set by the amount of stones and the settings in which they’re placed in. She’ll already know exactly the style she’s looking for so don’t stress out too much!

Women who like wearing over-the-top, big jewellery then obviously, the size of the diamond (or precious gemstone) they’ll be looking for will follow suit. If the cost is too high, both you and your woman may be able to compromise on distributing some of the stones into a multiple stone cluster setting rather than a single high carat gemstone.

Then there is the simple woman who wears just enough jewellery to subtly enhance her features. A simple diamond or coloured gemstone will suffice, along with a smooth, metal band.

Find The Right Sized Ring

How many times has your girlfriend-turned-fiancé come asking for your opinion on how something makes her look? Chances are, she most definitely has. It’s not to be confused with low self-confidence, rather, that your thoughts are the thoughts that count and matter the most to her.

This is the reason why your input for her wedding and engagement ring is so important to her. The ring your sweetheart finally chooses will be something that she’ll want to display to make a statement of the man she’s marrying. Your fiancé may want to wear something large to show off to friends and family but it may not look the best on her. It’s up to you to rein the excitement in and help her choose a wedding ring set that flatters her, not outweighs her.

Women’s hands are much smaller than men’s hands meaning that her wedding bands should remain a smaller width than his. There are generally four shapes female fingers go by:

• Long Fingers – For women with long fingers, keep away from marquis and oval shaped cuts. Other than that, any sized stone and band width will do. Just keep in mind that going too large can weigh the hand down while going too small will appear even smaller.

• Wide Fingers – If your fiancé has wide fingers (never say this aloud to a woman, I guarantee you she’s aware!), stay away from round and rectangular cut stones since this can make fingers look even shorter. Nudge her in the right direction of wearing elongated stones such as teardrop cuts, marquis cuts and pear shaped stones to lengthen the finger by giving it a slimmer shape.

• Narrow Fingers – Much like long fingers, narrow fingers are more forgiving to any shape or width of wedding and engagement rings. With narrow fingers, big stones look stunning! Cluster rings, which have become extremely popular lately, go perfectly on narrow fingers because it leaves little skin showing on either side, maintaining a full sense of balance.

Find A Sense Of Patience

Women are sentimental and emotional creatures. Already on cloud 9 from a near impending marriage on the horizon, they will take their time looking at and inspecting ALL wedding and engagement rings. It will need to be the perfect size, perfect metal and perfect design since this will be the most valuable possession she’ll treasure for the rest of her life.

Putting aside the shopping aspect, now your gal gets to tell everyone her story of how she got engaged while introducing her new fiancé to everyone within eyesight. The time spent together shopping for wedding rings will not only be cherished but stored away into her mental lockbox. Impatience can bring out the strongest of emotions and allow your soon-to-be-bride to break down into tears or worse, cause a quarrel that will forever change this historical memory of a great experience.

Tips On Choosing Wedding Rings For Men – The Women’s Guide:

Find A Manly Ring

This doesn’t mean picking the biggest and heaviest wedding ring out on the market. Men worry about their looks just as much as women do; they’re just quieter about it and jewellery isn’t a rule to that exception!

Because rings can easily look too feminine or too gaudy on a man’s hand, take some time to get familiar with the size and shapes of his hands and fingers. If your fiancé has smaller shaped hands with lean fingers, think proportional – not too small and not too wide. Going on the heavier side of the ring will weigh the hand down; going too small will make the hand look overtly feminine – which is never a good thing for a man!

For men with heavy palms and thick fingers, thinner wedding rings are better . Without going too small in the band width, keep it on the slimmer side of measurement. A neat trick-of-the-trade is if choosing a diamond or coloured gemstone to place into his wedding band, have the stone set in vertically which also helps lengthen the finger!

Men with medium sized hands and long fingers should opt for a heavier, thick or average-sized wedding band that will help keep a balanced look.

Find The Right Level Of Comfort

Comfort is a MUST for men, whether it’s clothes, shoes or jewellery – especially for men who don’t like wearing jewellery in the first place, such as, active men who play sports or men who work with their hands. Wearing a wedding ring that has the feeling of impending normal physical activity can cause annoyance and cause wedding rings to be found on the bathroom sink or left on dressers.

To determine the correct level of comfort, there are several factors to take into consideration:

• The edge of the wedding ring – Different wedding ring designs call for different styles of edges. The best option is having a ring with a soft curve on the inside edges of the ring for maximum comfort level. While this edge is more commonly found in yellow gold wedding rings, it can also be placed in other rings with different metals used or different designs.  Another option is having a comfort curve placed on the inside of the ring. Talk with your jeweller about options available to soften the wedding ring’s curve so that your guy is getting both the style and the comfortable feeling he’s looking for.

• The width of the ring – Although wedding band width can vary in size according to men’s tastes, the average size of the width is between 5mm and 7mm.[2] Obviously, the smaller you go, the more comfort he’ll feel but remember, going too small can make the ring appear too feminine on a man’s hand!

• The depth of the ring – This part of the ring is known as the ‘wall thickness’ defining the distance from the inside of the ring to the outside of the ring.[3] Because the depth of the ring determines the weight of the wedding ring, this is considered as more of a comfort to your fiancé’s bank account but it can also factor in the overall feeling of his wedding band.

Find His Fashion Sense

With new styles of male wedding rings more present than ever, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by the selections available. While yellow gold was always the most popular choice of metal for men, platinum, tungsten carbide and titanium has risen to meet its match.

Not only is there a bigger selection of precious metals to choose from, there’s also the choice of designer work, engraving and precious gemstones to add to the assortment. Have your fiancé share his ideas with you before going shopping together for that stylish wedding ring. Portray his ideas to your jeweller, who can then present both of you with an array of wedding rings as described, minimizing your fiancé’s stress level.

Keep Emotions In Check

Picking out wedding sets can generate excessive tears and emotional swings between stress and happiness. Remember that your soon-to-be-husband may not necessarily enjoy shopping as much as you do and by remaining calm, he’ll participate more and have as much fun picking out your ring, as you do his.

Also, because you’ll most likely be choosing two rings instead of one, planning ahead on which style to look for or perhaps looking up different styles online from home before heading to your jewellers will decrease his amount of time spent wedding ring shopping.

References:

[2] http://www.man-wedding-ring.com/mens-wedding-band-01.htm

[3] http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/guidance/profile_guide.php#http://www.weddingrings-direct.com/images/category_images/plat_wed_cat_7b.jpg

Just to jog your memory a little bit, the key component that separates designer jewellery from custom jewellery is who controls the designing process. When a jewellery designer is making a designer piece of jewellery, it’s completely thought up and created through the jeweller’s artistic eye. The goal is to design a masterpiece that will remain as a one-of-a-kind, never to be recreated again piece of jewellery. The amount of dedication, precision and materials used to complete this unique work of art requires a top-notch jeweller, the most precious of metals and the most magnificent of jewels.

Custom jewellery, on the other hand, is client based meaning that the design is thought out or portrayed from the client to the jeweller. It’s up to the customer to determine carat size, width of bands or chains, gemstone, types of precious metals and/or other materials they wish to incorporate into their cherished creation.

More importantly than only how the jewellery looks, it’s the sentimental reasons that go into the custom design that create a truly, original piece of jewellery. Think about heirloom jewellery – what makes it an heirloom? Many times, they’re older pieces of jewellery that are no long created but that isn’t specifically what makes them an heirloom. The secret is the emotional attachment to these pieces of jewellery that are passed down the familial line – sometimes for centuries!

It’s the same thought process behind customised jewellery. A proud husband may gift his wife a diamond ring for the birth of their first child. Mothers may wish to design similar rings or pendants that can grow as her family does, adding birthstones to signify her loved children.

Spouses may want to engrave their jewellery for anniversaries or weddings to include an endearing term or date; perhaps also including a special stone indicating something only each other understands.

Just recently, a very touching and inspiring experience occurred, here at Eskae Private Jewellers, requiring a customised engagement ring for an older couple. Both had, sadly, lost their spouses. Miraculously, this amazing couple found happiness again within each other and became engaged! Wanting to treasure the precious memories each had with their previous spouses, the couple wished to incorporate jewellery from their previous marriages to produce a magnificent engagement ring in honor of their deaths. Talk about a masterpiece!

From a jewellers viewpoint, customised jewellery is a great choice for clients (especially repeat clients) BUT it’s just as fantastic for the designing jeweller! Jewellers are artists at heart and customised jewellery allows for the required finances and extra time to do exactly what got them into the jewellery trade to begin with: Creative design.

Because ordering and purchasing vast amounts of gold and jewels are limited, jewellers save the bulk for their retail stock which doesn’t leave much time left over for their passion of designing. When a request for customised jewellery comes in, that means extra money and time for the jeweller to get the best custom materials by using their trade connections to make sure that you end up with the best piece of custom jewellery possible for your budget

Since custom jewellery has a completely different set of rules than all other jewellery – that is to turn your dream jewellery into a reality – quite literally! The processes used for designing are completely different than your run-of-the-mill window shopping wishes.

For custom jewellery newbies, when first meeting with your jeweller, he/she will sit down with you and work the details you have in mind into a sketch. After your initial meet-and-greet, the jeweller will begin incorporating his thoughts and master mindedness to expand your ideas into several more design options for you to peruse through.

Since most of the custom work revolves around mounting, some of the best custom jewellery creations are created from older or heirloom jewellery you already possess that you may have already thought of incorporating into your design. If you have an heirloom  or a family engagement ring you’d like to adjust to suit your tastes or update it while keeping its sentimental value , this is the perfect opportunity to do so!

For those lacking any creativity in their blood but still wish to have a piece of custom jewellery, fear not! This just means more fun for the jeweller to come up with some designs that can either blend your older jewellery into a new piece or coming up with a new idea altogether.

While many jewellers use old methods to create custom jewellery, many newer technologies have been incorporated, such as CAD (Computer Aided Design) and CAM (Computer Aided Manufacturing), to add a large variety of newer options that can’t be done by hand.

But how custom jewellery is made is another story for another time, so until then, happy designing!

Sam Kritsotakis

Private Jeweller

Showing individuality has been the longest, ongoing trend with engagement rings as pointed out with our series on celebrity engagement rings and several of our other, more recent engagement ring related entries.

Wearing these one-of-a-kind engagement rings often comes with a price tag better left to millionaires due to the use of traditional white diamonds or large, coloured diamonds, sometimes using the combination of both.

To give you a little taste of designer creativity that knows no bounds, here’s an inside look at the five most expensive engagement rings in the world that have had a part in inspiring this trend:

With exquisite diamonds comes an exquisite name: Secret Kiss Of The Roses. This engagement ring holds the secret of a 4.18 carat white diamond wrapped encasing a 0.80 carat rose cut pink diamond – all set in platinum.[1]

Total Price: $545,000 (USD)

Internally Flawless is the name given to this, well, internally flawless 5.98 carat oval diamond with a total of 3.96 carat diamond surrounding to form a floral designed engagement ring – all set in platinum.[2]

Total Price: $1.3 million (USD)

Just in case it isn’t enough to just hide one finger under its enormous weight of 14.79 carats in one diamond, the Tiffany Oval Diamond engagement ring also comes with an additional ring complete with 12.3 carat diamond-shaped pillows. Both rings are placed in platinum settings.[3]

Total Price of the 14.79 carat diamond ring – $1.49 million (USD)

Total Price of the 12.3 carat diamond ring – $800,000 (USD)

Total Price: $2.29 million (USD)

Having a more traditional style of design to it, the De Beers Platinum engagement ring holds a massive 9 carat single white diamond set in what the title claims – platinum.[4]

Total Price: $1.83 million (USD)

And last, but as you’ll see, definitely not least, is the most expensive engagement ring in the world titled as The Chopard Blue Diamond Ring. The treasure that lies in this ring is – drumroll please – the extremely rare blue diamond that is 9 CARATS in size! This fortune of a rock sits in 18 carat white gold and therefore earns its title, by far, as the most expensive engagement ring in the world![5]

Total Price: $16.26 million (USD)

And This Is Affordable To Me, How?

With all this talk about extravagant, customised engagement rings, some may look down and find that their current engagement ring could use a little updating or those still in the market may have decided to take a step away from the traditional look and have begun looking for a more modernised, trendy version.

The problem that many people will run into, however, is this question: How on earth would I ever be able to afford such an extravagant, multi-coloured, multi-diamond engagement ring?

Let’s start by taking a look at a few documented costs of the average engagement ring buyer:

• In 2009, Americans spent an average of $3,150 on engagement rings[6] with the average diamond size being .38 carats[7]
• In Australia, the average cost of engagement rings run $5,116[8]
• In 2005, the average amount of money in the UK spent on engagement rings was £1,289[9]

Keeping these averaged budgets in mind, there are certainly limitations as to how extravagant one can go when purchasing a unique engagement ring, but there isn’t any limitation on how creative one can be.

When thinking with a resourceful mind, options become available to re-create the design and style of an engagement ring you’ve chosen in your mind long ago. Talking with your jeweller is the best way to begin your process of customising or designing your ultimate engagement ring. By incorporating this step right at the get-go, options such as coloured diamonds or types of precious metals can be discussed to change around carat sizes, integrating gemstones and having the stones placed in ways that make it more affordable for you.

PLEASE REMEMBER – that while you can experiment with the quantity of the material needed for your ring, the one thing you must never substitute for is the quality of your ring! This can’t be stressed enough. While it may look beautiful the first time you place it on your finger, it won’t last and is guaranteed for replacement within a handful of years.

This means, when thinking diamond, think diamond! Don’t consider replacing a diamond with cubic zirconium. Instead, if you love pink diamonds and yet it’s entirely out of your budget, converse with your jeweller about pink gemstones that will resemble a pink diamond but cut the amount of money required down to something you can afford.

Is it still difficult to see the end result? To paint a clearer mental picture of how you can make one of the most expensive diamond engagement rings in the world end up on your ring finger, let’s explore how to make the original price for the Secret Kiss Of The Roses engagement ring come down to an amount that fits your budget.

When talking with your jeweller, you can discuss which gemstone and carat size suits you and your future engagement ring better. While there isn’t a single stone out there that perfectly imitate a brilliant white diamond, there are genuine gemstones that, to the naked eye, will give a great resemblance of a diamond. Substituting gemstones such as white sapphires and white topaz instead of white diamonds can be a great choice for the big carat selection. In place of the pink diamond, embed a pink tourmaline gemstone in the centre to create the proper effect of this magnificent ring. The budget that’s been set aside for the biggest price of the engagement ring – the diamond – can then be placed in the sequential order covering the band.

Keep in mind that customised or designer engagement rings can rack up the price if you’re not careful so keep things realistically within proportion. Instead of going for 4.18 carats, you may find you’ll be just as happy with a 1 carat gemstone.

The end result? You’ll have a customised, designer engagement ring that doesn’t forgo on quality and yet, gives the fantastic look of a multi-thousand dollar ring!

While trends may come and go, engagement rings have been around for many centuries and aren’t going anywhere – so have fun with it, book an appointment with your jeweller and get trendy!

References:

[2] http://engagementring.org/the-reason-behind-extensively-expensive-engagement-rings

[3] http://www.theoddpics.com/2010/07/4-most-expensive-engagement-rings-in.html

[4] http://www.worldinterestingfacts.com/wealthy/top-6-most-expensive-engagement-rings-in-the-world.html

[5] http://buydiamondrings.org/most-expensive-diamond-rings-ever

[6] http://blog.learnvest.com/learnvest-daily/average-cost-of-an-engagement-ring/

[7] http://www.ringenvy.com/engagement-rings/fun-%28and-useful%29-engagement-ring-facts

[8] http://money-guide.com.au/2009/12/average-wedding-cost-australia/

[9] http://www.thisismoney.co.uk/bargains-and-rip-offs/article.html?in_article_id=397984&in_page_id=5

Mistake #1:

Choosing An Ultra Trendy Engagement Ring

Trends come and go but engagement rings are designed to last a lifetime. Unless you’re having an engagement ring custom designed for you according to your own personal taste, you may want to think twice before choosing the next ‘It’ engagement ring.

For example, the latest trend in the engagement ring market is replacing the classic, white diamond with a birthstone. There’s no mistaking that this is a fantastic idea but remember to ask yourself if you want to be reminded of your birthday every day or your future husband.

Also keep in mind that your coloured birthstone may not match all of your clothing. If you were born in April (diamond birthstone) or June (pearl birthstone), then you can easily get away with this dilemma but if you were born in a colourful month like July (ruby birthstone) or August (peridot birthstone), your engagement ring may not flow as well with all of your pink or orange clothing.

Engagement rings can be an investment and the last thing you’d want to do is look back five years later and realize your wedding set has long gone out of style leaving you wanting a new set. It could possibly hurt your bank account as well as your spouse’s feelings.

The Fix:

If you’ve already chosen your trendy ring, enjoy it! If, however, in a couple of years, you decide that you’d like something more classic or updated, there’s always the option of having your jeweller make the changes necessary to keep you enjoying your ring forever.

For those who are 100% certain of putting colour into your engagement ring, think about opting for coloured diamonds instead of birthstones. Not only will they remind you of your most memorable day, they’re 58 times harder than the next hardest mineral on earth making them almost indestructible – that is, unless you plan on putting your ring into a fire of 1405 degrees Fahrenheit.[1]

If you’re still in the process of choosing your custom designed engagement ring or having it designed, the best selection would be a timeless wedding set that, 25 years later, you’ll never grow tired of admiring its beauty.

Mistake #2:

Picking The Bridal Jewellery BEFORE Picking The Wedding Dress

Once a woman receives her engagement ring, the frantic planning for the race to their dream wedding day begins. Because there is so much pre-wedding planning to do, it’s easy to lose order during the chaos.

Picking the wedding dress beforehand allows the bride-to-be to pick the bridal jewellery that emphasizes the gown rather than hiding under it or worse, clashing with it. The last thing any bride needs is to look just as chaotic as they felt when pulling together their wedding. By creating the wrong fashion statement with something as simple as the wrong choice of necklace, it will ensure that their wedding will be remembered for all of the wrong reasons!

The Fix:

The two most important considerations to notice before picking the bridal set is the neckline of the wedding dress and also, the embellishments that may or may not have been added. If your dress includes embellishments such as pearls or crystals, you’ll want to follow the theme accordingly with your jewellery.

For the neckline of your wedding gown, you’ll want to consider wearing your bridal jewellery the following ways:

• Halter Neckline or Backless Dress – These are perhaps the most restricting gowns when it comes to jewellery choices. Wearing only stud earrings and a bracelet would be the perfect selection.
• Square Neckline or Strapless Dress – These necklines are just the opposite, leaving many varieties open for most types of jewellery to be worn. The best choice would be to wear drop or chandelier earrings with a single or double stranded necklace. Another option that looks fantastic is wearing simple earrings with a fancy bridal choker.
• V-Neck or Plunging Neckline – Since you’ll want to draw attention to your face, wearing stud earrings with a y-drop or a pendant necklace will do just that!

Finding your dress and picking bridal jewellery afterwards is the common sense approach to take; however, if you’ve already fallen in love with the jewellery that you’ve decided is a must-have for your wedding day, you can always opt to design your wedding around the jewellery. Just remember that that can get a little tricky since the philosophy behind wearing bridal jewellery is to enhance your overall wedding look while bringing your own personal style into play.

Mistake #3:

Not Styling Your Hair According To Your Bridal Jewellery

That sounds a little silly, doesn’t it? But think about it, if you’ve chosen to wear beautiful pearl stud earrings with a matching necklace and have left your hair down, you wouldn’t even see most of your bridal jewellery!

The Fix:

Before going to the salon to have your hair glammed up, check out a few bridal magazines or try your jewellery on while standing in front of a full length mirror to get a feel of how you want to look on your wedding day. Ask a close friend or family member for their honest opinion because most store employees will say anything to get a sale.

Unless your wedding dress is extremely embellished, you’ll most likely be wearing a full bridal set and it’s a safe bet to say that you won’t want to hide it under your hair. By keeping your own personal style, you can incorporate professional styles to elegantly pull your hair up off of your neckline and away from your ears. If you have short hair, sweep either one side or both sides up over your ears to show off your gorgeous bridal earrings.

If you’re unable to decide on your own, much like consulting with your jeweller to pick out the perfect bridal jewellery, you can consult with your hair stylist to pick the perfect up-do meant just for you!

Mistake #4:

Not Matching Your Bridesmaids

Every bride wants to stand out on her wedding day and looking unique is a sure way to do exactly that. Your wedding day should be all about you which means this is the one time it’s okay for you to be selfish about who wears what with of your friends without sounding catty. Much like buying the bridal jewellery set before the wedding dress, you must plan out your bridesmaids’ entire ensemble beforehand so there aren’t any last minute clashes.

The Fix:

Most women prefer to give jewellery as a gift to their bridesmaids but if buying complete jewellery sets are out of your budget, purchase just the earrings, bracelet or necklace for your friends to set the tone of the theme. By choosing the coloured gemstone and/or design for them, they’ll be inclined to follow suit that emphasizes you and doesn’t upstage you on your perfect wedding day!

Mistake #5:

Choosing Your Bridal Set From The Store At The Mall (Gasp!)

Sure, bridal jewellery sets can be costly and after purchasing the wedding gown, wedding ring set, bridesmaid dresses, facility rental, DJ (the list goes on and on), you’ll be feigning to save money when you can. However tempted you may be, jewellery is one area you should never forego quality on.

Bridal jewellery is not always necessarily worn after the wedding day but it either already is or will be a future heirloom to pass down to worthy family members. In other words, bridal jewellery is meant to last not just your lifetime but generations to come.

The Fix:

You can cut down on extravagance to save some dollars but you should never wear cheap jewellery on your wedding day. You’ll want every little detail to be stunningly perfect and guess what? Cheap jewellery can tarnish even the most beautiful of all wedding dresses, not to mention the greenish marks left behind on your skin. To make sure you don’t fall victim to committing this wedding faux-pas, talk with your jewellery designer to use materials that work for your wedding day as well as your budget.

If you aren’t planning on holding onto your bridal set to pass down as an heirloom, discuss options to make your jewellery a part of your life that you can wear to fancy occasions or wear as an everyday piece.

Knowing what you now know to avoid falling into these common little traps, you can put your mind at ease and be rest-assured that you’ll not just look great on your wedding day; you’ll look above and beyond spectacular – you’ll be DAZZLING!

References:

1 Kara DioGuardi and Mike McDuddy

Kara DioGuardi is used to life in the public eye as a former judge on American Idol, so it comes as no surprise that her engagement to former school teacher and general contactor Mike McDuddy went public as well. While the two were on vacation in Mexico, Mike decided to pop the question while Kara sat in her thermal pajamas. With lit candles he presented a champagne citrine stone designer ring to Kara.

2 Stephen Moyer and Anna Paquin

While True Blood costars Anna Paquin and Stephen Moyer were heating it up on screen, they were also secretly heating it up off screen. The pair managed to keep their relationship out of the public eye for quite some time before going public with their engagement. Stephen proposed to Anna in Hawaii on the beach while vacationing with friends.

3 Jeff Francoeur (Atlanta Braves) and Catie McCoy

The “beauty” Catie McCoy found true love with her “beast” when Jeff Francoeur proposed to her during a production of “Beauty and the Beast” in Atlanta. While in the theatre Jeff got down on one knee and gave Catie a diamond engagement ring. Hopefully this marriage ends just as the movie.

4 Nick Cannon and Selita Ebanks

Vitoria’s Secret model Selita Ebanks and Actor/Musician Nick Cannon had a night of magic when he proposed to her on May 7, 2007. After leaving the Metropolitan Museum of Art Costume Institute Gala in New York, the couple headed to Times Square via limousine. On the JumboTron screen the words “Selita, will you marry me” appeared for her and the world to see.  After Selita answered with a yes the couple celebrated with friends and relatives at Butter. Unfortunately, the party may have lasted longer than the engagement. The couple broke up in October of 2007.

5 Tiffani Thiessen and Brady Smith

Former Saved By The Bell and Beverly Hills 90210 actress Tiffani Thiessen had a dream engagement to actor Brady Smith. Brady presented Tiffani with a scrapbook he handmade that showed their relationship step by step. Their wedding took place in July of 2005 in Montecito, California. Some of the celebrity guests included Jeannie Garth, Tori Spelling and Jason Priestley.

6 Travis Barker and Shannon Moakler

Tattooed rocker Travis Barker became engaged to actress Shannon Moakler on December 24, 2003 while on the Haunted Mansion ride in Disneyland. The couple got married in October of 2004 in California. Their wedding was inspired by the movie “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and was full of Goth inspired décor’. Two kids and a reality series later, the couple filed for divorce in 2006 and reconciled in 2007. After officially breaking up again the couple reconciled for a second time. It sounds like their marriage is still on the Haunted Mansion roller coaster.

7 Brendon Fraser and Afton Smith

Funny man Brendan Fraser had big plans to propose to actress Afton Smith. While on a vacation to Paris the couple was having a Polaroid picture taken of them. Right before the camera snapped the picture Brendan opened his coat to reveal a note that read, “Will you marry me, Afton?” Once the picture was developed he realized the words were too small so he had to open his coat a second time to reveal the note. The couple married in late 1998 and now has two sons.

8 Faith Hill and Tim McGraw

“Spontaneous Combustion” was the title of the tour and has since become the headline of the lives of Tim McGraw and Faith Hill. The couple met on tour in 1996 and Tim proposed to Faith right before a performance. Since Tim didn’t have time to hear what her answer was she wrote her answer on a mirror for him to see when he came off stage. The rest has been made history. The couple and their children lead the picture perfect lives.

9 Neve Campbell and John Light

British actor John Light and actress Neve Campbell had a romantic evening when he proposed. John recited lines from Shakespeare while on bended knee. Neve said yes and the couple married in Malibu in May of 2007.

10 Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi

We’ve all probably watched “The Bachelor” at one point in time, but the engagement of Jake Pavelka and Vienna Girardi was beautiful. While on the island of Saint Lucia Jake presented Vienna a three carat, princess cut, Neil Lane diamond platinum ring. While in her one shouldered teal dress Vienna said yes to Jake as he knelt on one knee. We all had hoped their romance would be as breathtaking as the engagement ring but it seems already to be over.

Celebrity proposals are not always what we think they will be. Some are corny and some are romantic, but one thing is for sure; it is always fun to see how the lives unfold of those whom we see in the public eye.

1 Chris Bosh and Adrienne Williams

After dating for one year Chris Bosh of the Miami Heat and Adrienne Williams got engaged in Miami just outside of their home. After the proposal they partied with friends where Adrienne was seen sporting a large diamond ring.

2 Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Basset

Kendra Wilkinson and Hank Basset were atop the Space Needle when he popped the big question. Hank wasn’t originally going to propose that day but decided that it would be a huge surprise so he made the decision to do it anyway. After taking family pictures with both families Hank got down on one knee to propose. He presented her with a 2 ¼ carat diamond mounted with sixty diamonds and white gold. Sources say Kendra was extremely shocked and very happy.

3 Simon Cowell and Mezhgan Hussainy

American Idol’s former make up artist Mezhgan Hussainy and former judge Simon Cowell met on the set while filming episodes for the show. The couple starting dating in 2008 during filming. The engagement ring Simon presented her with is almost bigger than life. It is reported to be six carats and approximately $750,000. The age difference between the two (fourteen years) has not slowed them down.

4 David Walliams and Lara Stone

Finding your engagement ring in a hamburger may not be your idea of glamour; but if it was a $100,000 art deco ring from Tiffany’s you may think twice. This is how model Lara Stone found her ring from comedian David Walliams. Apparently David thought that since Lara always removed the top bun from her burger to remove items she didn’t want it would be a clever way to present her with the ring. After Lara accepted his proposal they went on a romantic vacation to Mexico.

5 Chad Michael Murray and Sophia Bush

With twenty bouquets of roses and five hundred candles on a tennis court, actor Chad Michael Murray proposed to actress Sophia Bush. The couple held an outdoor wedding overlooking the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. Unfortunately, their marriage didn’t burn as long as the candles and they were separated just five months later.

6 Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan

Channing Tatum proposed to Jenna Dewan on an island in Maui. Channing invited their closest friends to view the proposal without Jenna knowing anything was going on. The couple met during the filming of the movie “Step Up” but didn’t begin dating until after filming was completed. The engagement ring was purchased from Neil Lane but no other details of the wedding were being disclosed.

7 Bill Rancic and Giuliana DePandi

In a helicopter ride over Chicago with pizza and champagne, season one winner of The Apprentice, Bill Rancic popped the question to E! News co-host, Giuliana DePandi.  The couple who had been dating for one year returned to Bill’s apartment which was filled with roses and chocolate cake. Their wedding took place in Italy in 2007.

8 Tori Spelling and Dean McDermott

With a horse drawn carriage ride that leads to a Christmas tree farm in Canada, Dean McDermott proposed to Tori Spelling. Lights led the way to a table for two in the middle of the trees. The couple soon wed and could not be happier. On every anniversary Dean presents Tori with a new wedding ring. She says it reminds her of the day she first became his wife. She says she looks forward to the day when she can pass on her large wedding band collection to her children.

9 Howie Dorough and Leigh Boniello

Backstreet Boys Howie Dorough found that singing in front of 40,000 people was easier than proposing to his girlfriend Leigh Boniello in front of the family. Howie made sure to ask Leigh’s family for permission; included in this were her parents and grandparents. The couple met in 2000 while she was working as Webmaster for his band. The relationship was kept quiet at first but  they decided it was time to share the news with the world right before the wedding. The ring was one round diamond surrounded by two smaller round diamonds that Howie designed himself.

10 Brandon Routh and Courtney Ford

Superman Brandon Routh wasn’t so brave when he asked girlfriend Courtney Ford for her hand in marriage. While the couple was painting a mural for a charity he asked her to reach into his pocket for his chap stick. Instead, Courtney came out with an engagement ring. Brandon said he was afraid he would say something dumb so he chose to do things the easy way.

Join me next time when as I take a look at 10 more celebrity proposals.

1.  Nicole Richie and Joel Madden

Richie and Madden have been a tight pair for some time, already building a family together with a 3-year-old daughter and a 13-month old son. Madden reportedly popped the question to Richie over a romantic Valentine’s weekend. When he presented Richie with a stunning engagement ring, she excitedly accepted.

2.  Jason Seehorn and Angie Harmon

Perhaps my favorite story within this set, Harmon and Seehorn shared their moment with literally millions on “The Tonight Show”. Harmon was a guest on the show, but refused to talk about her private life when pushed by host Jay Leno. Former football star – and Harmon’s boyfriend –Jason Sehorn came out on stage with a Diamond ring to pop the question. Harmon’s father was even on hand to provide his blessing over the proposal and a tearfully surprised Harmon accepted both.

3. Charlie Sheen and Brooke Mueller

Despite current problems between Sheen and Mueller, the proposal shared between the two was nothing short of sweet. While on a 10-day vacation at the Four Seasons Hotel in Costa Rica; Sheen proposed to Mueller with an 11-carat, $500,000 engagement ring. Mueller was reportedly caught off guard, but happily accepted.

4.  Katy Perry and  Russell Brand

The recently married Perry and Brand were engaged in a romantic ceremony at the Taj Rambagh Palace hotel in India on New Year’s Eve. Brand planned every detail of the proposal, including the dining experience and what Perry would wear. The couple arrived for the special evening in a horse and carriage. At midnight, they enjoyed fireworks while sitting on an elephant and were then taken to Mughal Garden where the engagement ring was hidden among the flowers. Perry found the ring, Brand proposed and Perry immediately accepted.

5.  Carmen Electra and Rob Patterson

Electra set out to plan her third trip down the aisle after Patterson proposed. The couple were celebrating Electra’s 36^th birthday in Las Vegas when Patterson popped the question. The two had been dating for more than a year and Patterson presented Electra with a black stone engagement ring. She excitedly accepted his proposal.

6.  Beyonce and Jay Z

Beyonce and Jay Z were a steady item for about five years before he asked for her hand. Jay Z proposed to his favorite girl while the two were enjoying a romantic getaway in Cannes. He reportedly promised to get her the “biggest diamond she could fit on her finger.” Beyonce excitedly accepted the proposal. With the promise of that kind of ring, how could she refuse?

7.  Roselyn Sanchez and Eric Winter

Winter knows how to take romance to the next level, creating the perfect proposal atmosphere. Under a full moon at midnight, just two days before Christmas of 2007, the two were seated in a double kayak off the coast of the Puerto Rican island of Vieques. It is reported that Sanchez became worried when the guide in the other kayak paddled away, until she realized it was part of the plan. Winter presented Sanchez with a proposal and a 4.3-carat brilliant-cut diamond ring. She readily accepted and then realizing they were still surrounded by acres of sea, begged him to put the ring away for fear of dropping it in the water.

8.  Ali  Fedotowsky (The Bachelorette) and Robert  Martinez

Not all reality television shows focused on finding “the one” can gain attention as a great proposal. However, the end of the Bachelorette, featuring Fedotowsky as the one looking for love, the proposal from Martinez was nothing short of breathtaking. Rumors had been surrounding the show and Fedotowsky as she was reportedly planning to remain single. Perhaps it was the 3-carat Neil Lane engagement ring worth about $50,000 that changed her mind.

9.  Megan Fox and Brian Austin Green

The second time around may be the magic number for Fox and Green who are engaged – again. Green proposed to Fox on the beach of the Four Seasons Hotel in Hawaii. The two had picked out a 2-carat diamond ring together and Green presented it to her on their special day. The day ended with confusion, however, as Fox reportedly lost the ring on the same beach. Hotel staff members combed the sand looking for the ring, but were unable to recover the prize.

10.   Tara Reid and Michael Axtmann

Party girl Reid appears to be on the path to finally settle down – or at least make the commitment to party with only one man. After a whirlwind romance of less than a year, Axtmann asked Reid for her hand while having dinner at The Little Door restaurant in Los Angeles. Reid readily accepted and patrons throughout the restaurant clapped and congratulated the couple as Axtmann placed a beautiful round brilliant cut diamond ring on her finger.

Join me next time as I take a look at 10 more celebrity proposals.

Sam Kritsotakis
Eskae Private Jeweller

Simply put: Handcrafted jewellery is jewellery made by hands, not machines.

This type of jewellery sounds pretty self-explanatory, doesn’t it? Believe it or not, there’s much more depth to handcrafted jewellery than just the use of hands to create exquisite pieces of jewellery art.

When jewellery was first recognized during ancient Egyptian times, obviously, electrical working machines weren’t yet invented – therefore, all jewellery was handcrafted by artisans as a trade. Over time, jewellery evolved from shells and pebbles, eventually becoming a career for artisans-turned-jewellers who continued taking jewellery design to a whole new level.

The great thing about handcrafted jewellery today is that it’s the one type of jewellery that still carries over ancient history all of these years later, albeit, in newer and more modernised fashions.

Modern or Art Deco, Boho, Modjewellery and Ethnic are just some of the newer titles given within handcrafted jewellery; all carrying some piece of history with them. Nowadays, creating handcrafted jewellery tends to fall under two main categories: Professional and hobby.

Professional jewellers have the artistic and dexterity skills required to incorporate gold, platinum and other precious metals along with pink diamonds, white diamonds and coloured gemstones into their handcrafted designs while people at home tend to use more cost-effective resources, such as, alternative metals like brass and copper wire, beads, polymer clay, wood, fabric and whatever other materials the designer may find attractive.

Because of this distinction, it puts the cost of handcrafted jewellery on opposite ends of the price spectrum. When professional jewellers create this type of jewellery, it falls into the class of being a one-of-a-kind type of custom designer jewellery, which in turn, makes it an expensive piece of jewellery.

People who make handcrafted jewellery as a home business or as a hobby use cheaper means and cheaper materials. It doesn’t mean their workmanship is cheap, it means the worth of their jewellery is lower than that of a professional jeweller.

Depending on personal style and budget, both hobby and professionally handcrafted jewellery have become an extremely popular choice when shopping for accessories.

The Popularity Of HOBBY Handcrafted Jewellery

Everyone loves jewellery – whether it’s a simple pendant necklace or a 5-carat diamond ring – but not everyone can afford valuable jewellery items. The next best thing to buying jewellery is making it or buying it from home, leading to the online craze of sites like Etsy.com, Rubylane.com and good, ole’ Ebay.com.

In fact, if you were to actually Google handcrafted jewellery, you’ll come across hundreds of how-to’s for starting your own jewellery business and personal websites selling these items. Very few websites touch on anything more about handcrafted jewellery, unless you just so happened to come across this blog, wink, wink!

The reason behind this hobby/home-business frenzy is the fact that handcrafted jewellery is perfectly fitted toward individual tastes, follows the latest fashion trend and it’s affordable for both parties – those who craft and those who buy.

Teenagers who want to become entrepreneurs, stay-at-home moms who are looking for some extra cash and people who want to one day become professional jewellers are the biggest contributors to the handcrafted jewellery hobby.

The great thing about making jewellery as a hobby is that it’s often a stepping stone towards becoming a fantastic jeweller!

The Popularity of PROFESSIONALLY Handcrafted Jewellery

Much like custom jewellery, handcrafted jewellery appeals to all people, especially women. Jewellery made by a person rather than duplicates made by machine is sure to make a woman stand out in a crowd – and who doesn’t want attention drawn to themselves after spending all that time glamorizing?

While pieces of jewellery made by home artisans are great for a night out, jewellery handcrafted by a professional jeweller are sure to add the WOW! factor for years of nights out, again and again! A jeweller who makes jewellery by hand is a sure sign that they’re not only extremely skilled but creative and artistic which leaves the guarantee of owning an enviable piece of jewellery.

Unlike home-business handcrafted jewellery, you won’t find plastic beading or fishing wire holding the necklace together from a professional jeweller. Instead, you’ll find completely original, valuable materials used such as semi-precious and precious stones, authentic crystals, glass beads, silk and precious metals amongst other uniquely, beautiful materials that are incorporated.

What makes handcrafted jewellery different than custom jewellery is that from the sizes, width, and colours all the way down to which metals and gemstones are used, it’s the customer who has complete control over the design, not the jeweller. What’s not to love about it?

Another great advantage of professionally handcrafted jewellery that most people aren’t aware of is that it’s the perfect way to refurbish heirlooms! More often than not, heirloom jewellery is handcrafted and made of precious jewels and metal before the 20^th century when machines were not yet available.[i] Such immaculate designs cannot be remanufactured or redistributed which is exactly what makes this jewellery so priceless.

Perhaps your great, great, great, great grandmother’s diamond engagement ring has been sitting stowed away to keep it undamaged and out of harm’s way. Taking it to a professional jeweller (one you know well and trust) can either help you put the shine and lustre back into that ring or update it all together to recreate the heirloom to show off your heritage while still keeping it in the family line.

With all of these great advantages, handcrafted jewellery doesn’t only keep customers happy; handcrafting jewellery even has perks for jewellers! By not using machines, one handcrafted ring alone cuts gold or platinum loss by 5% meaning less recycling of gold or platinum, less refining and of course, more money saved which we can pass on to you![ii]

Making handcrafted jewellery is a wonderful part of every culture whether to hold a piece of history close by or invent a new fashion trend. Regardless of who does the designing or creating, handcrafted jewellery is vastly becoming the most popular selection because of its authenticity and never-ending choices of design.

Sam Kritsotakis
Eskae Private Jeweller

References:

[ii] http://www.ganoksin.com/borisat/nenam/Platinum-wedding-bands.htm

Whether or not employers should put people on their scale of 1 to 10 hot-or-not rating meter, it happens no matter how many of them claim to make unbiased decisions when hiring. Just look at these statistics:

• Studies suggest that attractive people earn 5% more in hourly pay than their average-looking colleagues, who in turn earn 9 percent more per hour than the plainest-looking workers.[i]
• Not only do looks come into play, height does as well! A woman who is 5 feet 7 inches tall, well above the national female average of 5 feet, 3.5 inches, will make $5,250 more over the course of a year than a female co-worker standing 5 feet 2 inches.[ii]
• In Malcolm Gladwell’s best-selling book Blink, he polled about half the country’s top 500 CEOs and found that 58% were nearly 6 feet tall; in contrast, the average American male is 5 foot 9 inches tall.[iii]

Studies after studies show that people instinctively equate beauty with being higher-functioning and more successful in life. Obviously, this isn’t always true once we get to know a person but the fact remains that people are instinctively programmed to make first impressions. This is exactly why looks count during first impressions.

Based off of these studies, height, weight and facial features play the biggest part in determining first impressions – whether it can be changed or not. While not everyone has been dunked in the genetically perfect pool, there are certainly ways to improve yourself to bring out your most attractive features.

Even though jewellery is used for many purposes, such as engagements, gifts and marriage, did you know that jewellery also serves to bring out your own striking qualities?

Perhaps you’ve never noticed just how bright your blue eyes were until you put on a pair of sapphire earrings or how graceful your neck was until you wore a beautifully fit pendant. Gold jewellery can make bronze and darker skin glow while platinum jewellery makes fair skin radiant.

In the same way pants are tailored to slim the stomach and elongate legs, jewellery that’s appropriated to body types and skin colour can also be slimming and flattering. Heavier women look great wearing chunkier necklaces and cocktail rings because it can divert attention away from problem areas while drawing attention to the more becoming facial and body features. Thin, delicate pieces of jewellery fare better on slim women by not overpowering them or their outfits. For those on the short side of the height spectrum, putting on long-chained necklaces adds the illusion of an extra inch or two.

Since men can’t exactly walk around the office with false eyelashes and chunky necklaces as easily as women, it comes down more to presentation style and execution. Having a suit tailored to accentuate the body proportionately is great but beefing it up with accessories such as a perfectly-sized wristwatch, cufflinks and/or a tie clip will make a fantastic impression.

While we can’t always change our naturally given looks or stature, there’s much to be done with how we present and portray ourselves within the corporate environment. The next time you’re out shopping for a brand, new suit or getting a new hair cut or style to give yourself a boost of confidence, remember to look for the perfect jewellery that’ll pull your whole ensemble together!

References:

[ii] http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/05/appearance-work-pay-forbes-woman-leadership-body-weight.html

[iii] http://www.forbes.com/2009/12/05/appearance-work-pay-forbes-woman-leadership-body-weight.html