You have always dreamt of wearing a sparkling diamond ring, and now is your chance. The question though, is which ring shall it be? Well, there are several ways to make the sometimes-daunting task of ring hunting easier. Here’s how to find your perfect ring in just 3 steps!

1. Get Some Inspiration

First and foremost, you must feel inspired. Inspiration can come from a friend's beautiful ring, from a ring seen in a movie, or from a ring you stumbled upon on Pinterest. In any case, you should keep your eyes peeled for ideas. This will give you some direction as to what type of ring you are after.

An example of a LEIBISH's Pinterest board, where you can browse for ring ideas or inspiration

2. Become Educated – The 4 C’s

After you have allowed yourself to be affected visually and know to some extent what your taste is, you can step away from the window displays, websites, and bridal magazines and take a little diamond-ring-tutorial.

Not literally of course, but it does not hurt to do a little research on diamonds in general and diamond rings in particular. Take five minutes and read a little diamond education. You might be surprised to find that you have your own personal preferences in this regard. You will learn what a diamond’s carat weight means as opposed to its size, what different diamond colors actually exist, and what clarity really means to you.

Learn about the diamond colors.

The 12 colors of diamonds: Yellow, Pink, Blue, Green, Orange, Brown, Purple, Gray, Violet, Red, Fancy Black & Fancy White

Learn about the diamond cut (as opposed to its shape).

Diamonds of different cuts

A mix of diamonds with assorted cuts

Learn about the diamond diamond clarity.

imperfections in round shaped diamonds

Imperfections in a round shaped diamond

Learn about the diamond carat weight.

Once you also know more about the 4Cs and grasp the various diamond shapes and their implications, you will be more prepared to make the right decision towards a setting style!

3. Put it All Together

Okay, you have a have a plan, but now you have to start looking into what it will cost you. You can take all of the information you have gathered with you to the store or better yet, look online to see what similar styled rings are going for.

You will get a better idea as to how the diamond size, shape color, and setting style will look on your finger. Similarly you can see how a potential wedding band will look next to it, especially if you are planning on wearing the two together and are considering a detailed and slightly chunky engagement ring.

3.18 ct Fancy Intense yellow diamond ring

3.18 ct Fancy Intense Yellow diamond ring

Lastly, make certain you take someone whose opinion you trust with you so that you can get an honest second opinion.

Once you have your heart set on a specific ring, start hinting away so that when you open that little velvet box you will love it.

Bear in mind that budgets and availability do vary so allowing some wiggle room will help. For example, if you have fallen in love with a diamond studded band, understand that the main stone might be slightly smaller than you had hoped for. The same goes for rings with side stones or a pave setting.

As long as the ring is generally in your ball park in terms of your taste, remember that upgrades can always be made somewhere down the line.

What was the most useful piece of advice that you heard when you were shopping for your engagement ring? Tell us in the comments!