Want to buy an engagement ring? Avoid these 7 big mistakes.

If you want to buy an engagement ring, you’ll find that it can be an intimidating, confusing and costly business. Walk through any shopping mall in South Africa and you’ll see jewellery stores with sparkling, glamorous window displays, enticing you in with posters such as:

“Now 35% Off!”
“Wholesale diamonds straight to the public!”
“Engagement rings at cost!”
“Closing down sale!”

The advertising phrases are endless, as is the list of sales tricks to try and get you to buy an engagement ring on the spot.

Don’t fall for the sales gimmicks at retail jewellery stores. It’s almost certain you can still get a better price (and quality) working with an independent jeweller online. Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash 

For most shoppers, going out to buy an engagement ring is something they’ve never done before (makes sense when you think about it, right?) and you might not know what to look for, or what questions to ask. Sometimes, picking the wrong jewellery store or jeweller, or not asking the right questions, can lead to costly (and sometimes embarrassing) mistakes.

Here are the seven biggest (and sometimes expensive!) mistakes we find clients make when they head out to buy an engagement ring:

1. Buying an engagement ring in a retail jewellery store

Avoid the shopping malls and tourist traps (particularly if you’re an international visitor to South African shores). Shopping in a flashy retail jewellery store is a sure-fire way to ending up with an over-priced diamond ring.

Why? Retail jewellery stores have significant overhead costs that they need to cover, ranging from rental space in shopping malls, to staff costs, to advertising costs (including print, billboard and sometimes even television) and insurance costs. Who do you think ends up paying for these costs?

You do – in the form of expensive price tags on that ring you’ve got your eye on. Staying away from the shopping malls will save you a significant amount of cash.

Retail jewellery stores are great for browsing and getting an idea of what might look good on your hand, or what’s available in the market place, but you’re almost guaranteed to be paying too much for your item of jewellery.

2. Being a slave to trendy Pinterest and Instagram ring designs

Social media is dominating our world right now and there is no better way to find inspiration and design ideas than by browsing through an infinite number of Pinterest and Instagram pages to find jewellery designs that you love. However, you need to bear in mind that not all designs you see on these pages are practical. Some designs are made purely to look good for The Gram and have absolutely no practical design elements at all.

You might love the minimalistic, tiny claw look on a big diamond, but would you really want to run the risk of that diamond (or sapphire, or ruby etc) falling out of the ring because the setting isn’t sturdy enough?

An engagement ring is meant to last a lifetime, so pay attention to the practical elements of ring design and make sure to buy one that strikes a balance between aesthetics and design longevity.

An example of a ring design inspired by Pinterest that looks good in theory, but is exceptionally unstable in practice. See the big open space under the gallery? That needs reinforcing to be sustainable in the long run.

3. Estimating your partner’s ring size with a piece of string.

One of the hardest things to get right if you’re commissioning or looking to buy an engagement ring is the correct ring size. Sure, rings can be resized (dependent on the design and the number of sizes required), but for the perfect engagement proposal, you want a ring that fits. If the proposal is a surprise, there are a number of ways to estimate your partner’s ring size without her, or him, knowing. We’ll do a later blog post on this to help you out, but one widely suggested tip online is to measure their finger with a piece of string.

Time and again, we’ve had clients tell us that the ring size is one particular size, based on the string method, but upon correct measuring, the size is completely different (often it’s much smaller). We had one gentleman who estimated his ring size (using a piece of string) as larger than Z+8 (which would essentially be The Hulk’s size!), and his actual correct measurement was “U”.

Another client had estimated his girlfriend’s ring size as “S” when they did the string measurement together. Her actual, accurate ring size was “K”. That’s a huge difference and resizing a ring that many sizes would be virtually impossible.

The piece of string measurement trick that inevitably turns out to give you the wrong size. This customer estimated a ring size of “S” based on his string. The actual correct size he needed was “K”.

4. Forgetting to check online reviews

We’ve recommended staying away from brand-name retail jewellery stores (and even some of those have terrible Hello Peter or online reviews), so in this internet-era of shopping and private jewellers (like Katannuta Diamonds), how do you decide who to trust with your hard-earned money?

Look at the social media pages and online reviews of customers who have used the jeweller you have your eye on. What are their Google Business reviews like? What are their Facebook recommendations and reviews like? Are their clients tagging them in posts and sharing their happy stories with the world?

Cross-check this with a few other factors including a local (South African) contact phone number and a local address. If the jewellery website has client testimonials on the page, are the photographs accompanying the testimonial real photos, or stock photo images (we’ve seen this a couple of times on some jewellery websites!)? Does the testimonial sound like it was written by a real person, or is it bland and generic?

These are all important factors to consider before deciding who to work with.

5. Blowing your budget to impress or buying an engagement ring on credit.

It’s unfortunate that we live in an era of materialism, social media fakery and a need to impress people we don’t know. Don’t let this influence what you spend on your engagement ring. There is no amount of money you “should” spend, or “have” to spend, irrespective of what marketing and advertising might tell you. Spend what you can afford and stick to the budget you’ve set for yourself. You’ve set it for a reason; don’t bankrupt yourself for the sake of appearances. If your partner and/or friends honestly think it’s all about the size of the rock or how much you paid, it might be a good time to check the alignment of your values.

Contrary to what advertising has led us to believe over the years, an engagement ring generally isn’t a financial investment. Yes, it’s an investment in your relationship, your life together and a traditional symbol of your love and commitment, but very rarely will it be a financial investment (especially if you buy the ring at a retail jewellery store).

A 1 carat diamond ring sounds impressive and it’s the size that, thanks to marketing, everybody wants – but don’t blow your budget just to impress people.

6. Forgetting that you may need a wedding ring to go with the engagement ring

There are some wonderfully creative and elaborate engagement ring designs in the market currently, and as Pinterest and Instagram push our design limits, it’s worth thinking forward to what needs to happen after you propose (and she, or he, says “Yes”). Even though at Katannuta Diamonds we have some very atypical views on things, we appreciate that many of our clients do love customs and tradition. For many, proposing with an engagement ring, then adding a wedding ring to it on the day of the wedding is a time-honoured tradition.

Take this into account when you’re designing or purchasing an engagement ring. Is it the kind of design that you can fit a wedding to ring in the future? Do you need to consider the position of the gemstones and the elevation of the ring gallery to fit a wedding ring under the main stone of the engagement ring, or wrap around it?

It’s possible that your partner may not want or need a second (wedding) ring or band, but it’s best to err on the side of caution (especially if the proposal is a surprise) to give them more options when your wedding day draws closer.

A pale pink sapphire engagement ring with a wedding ring fitted underneath. If you don’t plan ahead when commissioning an engagement ring, the wedding and engagement rings may not fit together perfectly.

7. Buying the cheapest ring or diamond you can find.

 Know and understand the difference between price and cost (here’s a great video to explain it) when buying an engagement ring. Yes, you’ll find price differences between different jewellers and different diamond dealers but go beyond this. Be thorough in checking the credentials of the diamond you’re being offered. Is it a certified diamond? Which independent laboratory has issued the diamond certificate?

Is the ring you’re being quoted on being manufactured in 9ct gold, 14ct gold, 18ct gold or platinum? Is the jeweller skimping on the amount of metal used to make the ring, leading to potential wear and tear challenges (or even gemstones falling out) in the long-run?

If you’re buying a round brilliant diamond, what is the quality of the cut? If it’s only a Good, Fair or Poor cut, you’re sacrificing quality (and the most important of the 4C’s) and the diamond will naturally be much cheaper than an Excellent or Very Good cut stone. Maybe the diamond you’ve been offered has high fluorescence or you’re the coloured gemstone you’re considering is a synthetic sapphire. Many factors influence the final price tag, so bear that in mind. If the deal seams too good to be true, it quite possibly is.

Don’t make the mistake of cutting corners on what should be the only engagement ring you ever purchase. You’re buying a ring planning it to last your partner a lifetime. Be smart and make sure that it does.

Not all certified diamonds are equal. A “good” cut diamond from a smaller certification laboratory will inevitably be cheaper than a GIA-certified, excellent cut diamond.

Now you know what mistakes to avoid when you make your engagement ring purchase, you know that you’re at the right place to consult the experts. Katannuta Diamonds have a proven 15 year track record in the luxury South African engagement ring market. Our expert advice, personal attention, outstanding gemstones and workmanship make us the best choice for this life-changing purchase. We specialise not just in diamond engagement rings, but in sapphire and ruby engagement rings, as well as popular alternative engagement ring options like peacock (teal) sapphires as well as salt and pepper diamonds. Contact us today to get the best engagement ring advice in South Africa.