Deciding to pledge marriage is no small step, as a result, mass-produced bridal ring designs are something of a compromise. Of course, you will save a little something on cost, but the trade-offs are quality and uniqueness. Besides, there’s something incredibly romantic and rewarding about a service that lets you design your ring with the help of one of the world’s top ring designers.
The engagement ring is usually, but not always, the more spectacular of the bridal ring designs. Certainly, the emphasis on beautiful precious stones is far greater than it is in wedding rings, making the engagement ring the best opportunity for exercising your creativity and adding your own ideas.
What do bridal ring designs entail?
1. With your intended, or as a surprise?
This is a personal choice that every man makes. Surprising her with your unique gold ring design for engagement is, of course, the more romantic option, but unique designer engagement rings come at a price, and will be worn by the love of your life for years to come.
If you’re not confident that you understand her taste in jewelry, or feel that she’ll enjoy being part of the design process, you may decide to pop the question first, and then get her involved in choosing a unique design with you. If you’re worried that this will be too unromantic, you can still surprise her when the ring you designed together is ready for presentation. Go on a special date, treat her to an outing she loves, and suddenly do the whole proposal all over again, this time with the ring.
Another approach, this time involving a ring that you have designed and made in secret, would be to consult with your ring designers to find out whether your ideas are feasible, and whether most women would like such a ring. Jewelry designers will be up to date with the latest trends, can advise on practicality, and can tell you what is generally preferred by the vast majority of women.
2. The precious stone you choose
The diamond, sapphire or other precious stone you choose will form the focal point of the ring. A lot of authors will talk about “flawless” diamonds, but very, very, small inclusions aren’t visible to the naked eye, and such a stone would be considerably more affordable, allowing you to get a more striking, larger stone for the same price.
You should never opt for the cheapest stone in a certain size. That’s because it may be heavily included, and therefore weakened, and it may not have as attractive a color or as good a cut. The value and quality of precious stones is determined by:
• Color of stone
• Clarity (presence or absence of inclusions and size of inclusions)
• Cut of stone
• Size of stone (Carat weight)
Ultimately, quality is far more important than size, at least, up to a point. Top jewelry designers will generally not be willing to offer you inferior stones, as this would impact on their reputation, so they can be trusted to give you good advice!
The type of stone you choose will depend on your (and your partner’s) color preferences, but it will also be influenced by the durability of the stone. This is determined by how easy it is for the stone to be scuffed or scratched. Diamonds and sapphires are hard and durable, making them a popular choice. And remember, when choosing stones, sapphires don’t only come in blue! Discuss what you have in mind with your designer, and allow them to recommend stones accordingly. If you are unsure, diamond engagement rings are the classic choice.
3. The setting
Most people are familiar with claw settings, but that’s only one approach to securing a stone in a ring. Bridal ring designs feature a number of claw setting variants, but can also involve a bezel or tube setting, either full or partial. Flush settings embed the stone in the metal as if they were part of it, and pave settings are good for rings with multiple stones. In this case, the stones are set very closely with beads of metal between them. Channel setting, without the obvious beads of metal are also popular.
Designs of rings include a fair amount of terminology, but using the description of what you hoped to achieve, your designer can help you to build your diamond engagement ring by making the most appropriate suggestions.
4. The band profile
Most ring designers only offer you a few options here, but even then, you’ll need a little help selecting your band profile. You can choose a flat, gently rounded or domed, half rounded or domed or knife-edge band profile, and if you’re not sure what will look best with the stone and setting type you’ve chosen, your designer can give you advice.
5. Precious metals
Unless you’re trying to cut costs, you’ll usually choose an 18k gold alloy or platinum. This is a durable alloy with a high percentage of gold, and comes in a variety of colors. White gold is extremely popular, but a person’s skin-tone may make yellow, pink or even green gold a more striking choice. If you are looking at bridal ring designs in secret, without the lady in question being aware of it, you can look at existing jewelry you see her wearing to determine which color gold alloy she prefers. Engagement rings design in gold is, dare we say it, the “gold standard”.
6. Bridal ring designs in mokume Gane
When you choose a bridal ring from top ring designers Labro, you get a whole range of extra choices and a few additional benefits that we’ll explore now.
In this technique, layers of different precious metals and gold alloys are combined and permanently fused through a combination of heat and pressure. Because this is an almost-natural process, each of the wood-grain patterns that emerge from the process is unique in its own way. Although we have been working with these combinations for many years, we have never found two of these fused gold combinations to be the same. There are always subtle differences.
One thing we (and you) are able to control, is the combination of colors that make up the pattern. Silver can also be added to the combination, not only allowing for a pale highlight (white gold does the same thing) but also allowing for etching that throws the pattern into textured prominence.
Unique designer engagement rings are created through a combination of factors, and in truth, it’s possible for someone to choose something very similar to what you have selected, but when mokume gane comes into the equation, you can be absolutely sure that no ring in all the world is quite like yours.
When you build your diamond engagement ring, consider incorporating mokume gane into the band. From bold, animal-print-like patterns to gently waving ones that may remind you of a seashore, or wood-eye grain patterns, there’s a combination of metals to suit every taste.
7. Ring sizes
No discussion of engagement rings would be complete without reminding you of the importance of determining ring size. If you’ve chosen to design your dream ring together, finding out will be easy, but there are lots of sneaky ways to find out without her knowing if you’d prefer your ring to be a surprise.
Ask her mom in confidence, see if you can sneakily borrow a ring she often wears, see how her rings fit on your fingers and use that as a guideline. Whatever your strategy, the ring size can be adjusted if you get it wrong, but right first time is best. She won’t want to part with her ring after you’ve given it to her!
Why choose Labro for diamond engagement rings?
There are a multitude of reasons why choosing Labro adds cachet to your engagement ring, not least the fact that the award wining designer is well-known around the world for his art jewelry, but other than this, Labro has the edge for the following reasons:
• Personalized service from the moment you get in touch.
• Stones chosen for their remarkable quality by a qualified gemologist and stone connoisseur.
• Individually made pieces that ensure your design will never be copied.
• The creation of rings by people who understand the powerful emotions they represent.
• Ring designs that represent the finest in art jewelry design and individuality.
• Absolute consideration for the environment, and supply chain ethics that exceed industry standards.
• Decades of experience studying under world-renowned master-craftsmen.
• A fine reputation that has taken many years of superb design and service excellence to build.
Experience the difference for yourself.
The birth of your first child, special birthdays, and of course, those landmark anniversaries. Make Labro your personal choice for one-on-one service and bridal ring designs with a difference.