Taking that first step

Working in the jewelry industry for 3 years in 2 different companies, i have met and served a lot of guys who comes into the shop, looking for that Ideal Ring for their loved ones, without a clue on how to go about choosing it or even what a proposal ring should look like.

For a guy to walk into a jewelry store alone, to look for a proposal ring, requires a lot of courage and deserves a pat on the back. But this is something which everyone of us would have to go through someday, and it should be a enjoyable process and not a nerve wrecking one. After all, its something which will bring you happiness for the rest of your life.

What most customers would ask when looking for a proposal ring is, " What's the price range for a proposal ring?" In the earlier days, the rule of thumb is minimum 3 times your salary!! Most guys would probably have their knees going weak upon hearing this, but do not fear, that's no longer the belief. When purchasing a proposal ring, its not the price of the ring that should be your utmost concern, what you should consider first, is which diamond size will suit your loved one the most. You must be thinking now, "at least a 1 carat, she said" with a frown on your face.

Sometimes, bigger doesn't means better. I'm sure some female readers must be cursing at me now, "**** you!! The bigger the better!!!" For most asian women, they are born petite, with slender fingers, having a 2 carat diamond on her finger, would look too heavy on her, covering almost the whole finger. When looking for the Ideal Ring, the most important is to find a diamond size that would look good on her, and not something that would look too big, which some other jealous girls might even say it's a fake or a moissanite. But of course, you wouldn't want to get something so small that she would not even want to wear it out when she's with her girls, and risk getting mocked.

BUT, if the missus insists on a 1 carat diamond ring and its within your budget (well, even if not, you still have to save and scrimp for the next 2 months), then try to look out for the best deal, but of course, of a decent quality. You wouldn't want anything of inferior quality for someone that important in your life.

There are at least 50 jewelry shops in Singapore alone, and it's always tough when making a decision, which one to get from. My advice would be, to look around as much as you can, plan ahead, at least 3 - 4 months in advance and keep your options open. There's more to a diamond than just the price alone. There are alot of other factors that affects the price and value of a diamond. I will go into the 4Cs and other factors in the next post.