'Ring it on! - The perfect ring choosing guide

Forever certainly has a nice ring to it!

There's an alarming amount that goes into a marriage proposal. Even a cute, sweet and intimate bedside or living-room-in-your-pj's proposal can be stressful, but choosing the perfect ring should not be so daunting. 


We have created the following list of the important things to consider when purchasing an engagement ring.

  • Know your partner’s preference in jewellery
    Pay attention now, this part is important.
    When choosing a ring for someone else to wear for a lifetime, it pays to make sure that the piece is to their taste. If you do not already know their style, it’s easy to find out. Pay close attention to the type of jewellery they already wear. What do they wear most frequently and how does it look? What colour is the metal and stones involved? Is there a common theme in the symbols displayed (circles, rectangles, triangles, ovals, flowers, stars, moons, hearts, etc.)? What is their personality? Are they detail obsessed? Or do they prefer things to be clean and minimalistic? If you think you’ve nailed it, double check with one of their trusted friends or family members like their mum or best friend.

  • Find out their finger size
    The easiest way to do this is by borrowing a ring they already own and having it sized by a jeweller. Just make extra sure that the ring is usually worn on a ring finger. Please also note that people aren’t perfectly symmetrical and it is common for there to be up to a half size difference between left and right hands. Thankfully this can be easily adjusted after the proposal and a complementary resizing is included in the price of your Precious Metals custom design*.

  • Figuring out your budget
    Engagement rings vary greatly in price depending on metal type, stone type, stone size, design inclusions, customisations and much more. Our jewellers and designers are professionals trained to discuss your budget with you and will work hard to remain in your budget while delivering a beautiful ring. However, engagement rings are typically priced from $1500 and go up in price from there. 

  • Gather Inspiration
    When you have an idea of what your partner likes and are almost ready to start shopping, we recommend that you gather some inspiration. Google, Pinterest, and Instagram are all great options for finding beautiful images to help you find the style you want. Look at a wide range of different options by searching with adjectives that describe your partner as well as the ring itself. Once you have a number of inspiration images, look at the common themes, like metal colours, stone shapes, proportions and colours, as well as embellishing elements, like a halo, accent stones, asymmetry, etc. Narrow down your inspiration images to 2 or 3 images that best match the common themes that best describe your partner. We also recommend that you run these final inspiration images past your partner's best friend or mum for a second opinion.

  • Choosing a Stone
    Diamonds are and have been the most popular choice for engagement ring centre stones for almost half a century. Prior to this, centre stones for engagement rings often had no stones and doubled as the wedding band. Which incidentally came in all manner of colours, shapes, sizes and settings. Aside from Diamonds, popular centre stone options include Sapphires, Rubies, Moissanites and Morganites. Emeralds are another popular choice but are softer than the other stones mentioned and because of their beautiful inclusions are often less robust. This means that special care is required to keep these stones beautiful and lasting a lifetime.

  • Choosing a Stone Shape
    As far as engagement rings go, a traditional round brilliant cut diamond is the traditional choice. The timeless round shape is robust enough to wear for a lifetime and  gives the most shimmer and shine (scintillation) of any cut. This is the most commonly available off the shelf shape for rings to purchase too. This shape is beautiful, elegant, timeless and suits all fingers. Other popular shapes are pear shaped stones, oval stones and cushion cut stones. Emerald Cut stones are also making a resurgence in popularity in 2022. 

  • When are you planning to propose?
    Finally, decide when you would like to propose. The ring is a rather important aspect of a marriage proposal, and without one, the experience might feel a little incomplete. To purchase a ring off the shelf, means that your ring will be ready to go with you the same day. All you will need to worry about is insuring it and then hiding it until the time is right. If, however, you have chosen to have a ring designed and made, at Precious Metals there is usually a lead time of 6-8 weeks. Incidentally this is the perfect amount of time to plan a picture perfect proposal that will never be forgotten! 

Although it is important to educate yourself on what gives a ring quality and value, a good jeweller and jewellery designer will help you to understand the technical aspects of choosing a stone to suit your partner’s style and your budget, regardless of if you are buying a ring off the shelf or are commissioning a custom design. If necessary, they should explain the 4 C’s to you as well as the differences between lab grown, synthesised and created stones and will generally work hard to ensure that you get the best possible quality for your budget. 

We know there is a lot to consider, and that choosing a ring can be a little overwhelming. Getting engaged is a big step and we are here to help. Our expert team is trained to help you make the best choice with a range of options in stock in different styles. If you prefer something a little more unique, you can book an appointment with our in store designer to create the perfect ring too. 

One last note, if you’ve taken the steps above and still feel that your partner needs to have a say in their ring too, a Precious Metals Promise ring could be the perfect option. These beautiful CZ and Sterling Silver rings look the part for the proposal and mean you have something spectacular to present when asking the big question. After the proposal, you and your partner can come and pick out or design the perfect ring for them and trade in the Promise ring for the real deal! 

However you choose to go about selecting the perfect ring, we are here to help, so get in touch today

*Depending on the ring design, Precious Metals offer one complementary ring resizing following the ring production, up to two size variations up or down. Extra ring resizing is considered a separate maintenance job. 

Please note, comments must be approved before they are published

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.