Engagement Rings Blog

Diamond Embracing 1.55ctw. 14K Gold Round Diamond Engagement Ring

If you’re looking for unique engagement rings, you’re seeing one of the masterpieces in this spiral designed diamond engagement ring. The setting in the picture is crafted in solid 14K Gold, and where it spirals, it’s channel set with beautiful G/H round diamonds all along the upper half surrounding the center diamond in a perfect embrace. On the bottom of the intricate spiral you’ll see there are even more round diamonds set on each side leading up to the inside curve. For a total of .55cts of side diamonds. The 1ct. round center diamond shown is a flamethrowing F/G color grade and a superior, completely eye clean VS2/SI1 clarity grade, and is interchangeable to support any diamond shape, or size, however only a round center diamond will have the 6 prongs while others will have four prongs. With this engagement ring you will receive free shipping, free ring sizing (even free one time resize if you guessed wrong when you ordered), free ring box, 30 day unconditional money back guarantee, and all of our engagement rings come with free certification papers. Available in any metal and color you chose, this is one engagement ring that will leave your bride-to-be happy as can be, and keep her friends mesmerized while she shows it off with pride!

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Insurance For Engagement Rings

After receiving a call from one of our customers the other day, we thought it was important to post a blog about insurance for engagement rings. Well it just so happens that this customer of ours had a beautiful wedding day, only to wake up the next day with the engagement ring gone from his hotel room. It turns out that their wedding day was very hectic (as all wedding days are) and the bride decided to take her engagement ring off for a short time and leave it in their hotel room. After all the dust had settled from the exciting wedding day, the bride went to put her engagement ring back on her finger. Unfortunately her engagement ring was no where to be found. After a couple of hours of searching everywhere for it, they concluded that it wasn’t in the hotel room anymore. They called the police and made a report, but could not prove that it was stolen, let alone who stole. They have since concluded that it was one of the cleaning staff at the hotel that came into their room and stole their engagement ring. But again, they couldn’t prove it. Now at least they were feeling a little bit better when they remembered that they had purchased insurance for their engagement ring. However the saddest part was that they would never be able to replace the actual engagement ring that he proposed with. But at least it was covered under insurance. (Or so they thought)

After you check with your insurance agent, then check around for a better policy if there is one, and maybe even get a better price. Another company that you can check with is www.JewelersMutual.com. Give them a call and see what they can offer you and see if it’s better. The old way of insuring your engagement ring (Homeowners) may not always be the best way. Engagement Ring Insurance is very affordable and no-one should go with out it. The pricing at www.JewelersMutual.com for engagement ring insurance is 1% per thousand dollars insured. So if your engagement ring cost $4,000, your insurance will only cost about $40 per year. That is cheap “peace of mind”.

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Buyer’s Guide For Engagement Rings & Diamonds

Based upon the many questions we receive about diamonds and engagement rings, we thought it was important to create a buyer’s guide for engagement rings & diamonds. Since many of people shopping for engagement rings and diamonds are first time shoppers, they are going to have questions that need to be answered. We take diamond education very seriously here at Secret Diamond and so should you. We understand that not everyone out there is a diamond expert and shopping for a diamond can be very confusing the first time you do it. Quite frankly, shopping for engagement rings can be pretty confusing too, especially if you are not familiar with all of the engagement ring terms like "Solitaire" or "Filigree" or "Milgrain". Many people that are in the market to purchase an engagement ring or even diamond stud earrings, have never owned a diamond in their life. And even if you consider yourself a pretty knowledgeable person when it comes to diamonds, reading our "Buyer’s Guide For Engagement Ring & Diamond Shoppers" may help you brush up a bit. Although this guide can’t possibly teach you everything you need to know about diamonds and engagement rings, it will be a very good start on the basics. It will include enough information so that you can start to shop with confidence knowing that you understand what makes a diamond desirable and what is truly a good deal on a quality diamond engagement ring. Come with us as we explore the world of diamonds and help you search for the "Perfect Engagement Ring" for your bride-to-be.

The Diamonds & Engagement Rings Budget Decision

Without a doubt, the first step in purchasing diamonds or engagement rings is to determine how much you are planning to spend. How much you can spend and how much you are going to spend may be 2 different amounts. Although many grooms would like to buy their new bride the biggest, nicest engagement ring that money can buy, the reality is that you may have to settle for something less. Good quality diamonds with a larger carat weight can get rather expensive. (And don’t forget to add the cost of the engagement ring setting) Try not to spend more than you can comfortably afford without going in to much debt if you can help it. Although you could certainly consider taking out an engagement ring loan, starting off a new marriage with the extra added stress of living in debt is not necessarily the best idea. Believe it or not, many couples decide to spend less on their diamond engagement ring than they actually can afford. They may be opting to allocate the money saved on something else, like their new home together or a much needed new car. Or perhaps they have decided to spend more money on the honeymoon or the wedding. Investing the money saved or putting it in the bank for a "rainy day", may not be a bad idea either. Whatever the case may be, deciding on your diamonds and engagement ring budget is the first decision you will have to make when getting engaged.

The Engagement Ring Setting

In most cases, the price of the diamond in your diamond engagement ring is going to account for the majority of the cost, with some exceptions. A Diamond engagement ring really consists of 2 parts, the center diamond and the engagement ring setting. In most cases there is also a 3rd part, the wedding band. However the wedding band is often purchased at a later date and you may have extra time to save for it. However many styles of engagement rings are available in matching engagement ring sets (matching wedding band included) that you can purchase at the same time. If you can afford to purchase both at the same time, you may ask if there is a price break for doing so. It may also be beneficial to purchase both the engagement ring and the wedding band at the same time to make sure they fit together perfectly. But for now, we will just stick to the diamond engagement ring portion of your purchase. Again, the diamond will often account for the majority of the cost. Exceptions will start to take place if you are purchasing an antique or vintage style engagement ring with a lot of extra carat weight of diamonds in the ring itself. Also, some types of engagement ring styles will have very detailed hand engraving, filigree or milgrain details. The more intricate your engagement ring gets, usually the more expensive it gets. Another potential significant cost to your engagement ring setting is the type of precious metal you choose. 14 Karat Gold Engagement Rings will be the most affordable option, in either white or yellow gold. 18 karat gold engagement rings will usually cost a little bit more. ($200 more per ring at www.SecretDiamond.com) That’s because an engagement ring made from 18k gold will have more gold in the ring. 14k gold engagement rings are approximately 58% gold, and 18k gold rings will be 75% gold. More gold in the ring, increases the cost of the ring. That is also why an engagement ring with a thicker band will cost more. The thicker the band, the more gold that is required to make it. The same principal applies to Platinum engagement ring settings. Platinum is the rarest metal on Earth, therefor it is very expensive. A simple solitaire engagement ring setting made in platinum, can increase the cost of the ring by $300 to $500. And if you are buying a platinum ring with a thicker style band, the cost can go up another $1500 to $2500. I have even seen platinum engagement ring settings cost as much as $10,000 with out a center diamond even included yet. Many times they may also have a significant amount of accent diamonds too, which contributes to the overall cost. That is the #1 reason why many people choose not to buy platinum engagement ring settings. A solitaire engagement ring setting will be your most economical choice. Typically they are not overly thick, and a solitaire engagement ring won’t have any accent diamonds to drive up the cost of the setting. So if you buy a solitaire setting, you will have 3 things that save you money. They are thinner, not intricately designed, and have no accent diamonds to drive up the overall cost. Three things that will all save you money. And please don’t feel that you are settling for anything less if you buy a solitaire engagement ring. They have a very simple form of classical elegance to them that has always been very popular in the past, and will always be very popular in the future. Besides, you will have more money left over to spend on the center diamond itself. You can get a bigger and/or nicer diamond. Many couples decide to purchase a solitaire engagement ring band so they can afford a bigger/nicer diamond, and then buy a fancy engagement ring setting in the future when they can afford it easier.

Next we will discuss the all important diamond purchase. Make sure to come back and read the upcoming section of our guide because buying the best diamond for your money is easy to do once you learn how. We will teach what the most important factors are when selecting your center diamond, and teach you a few tricks on how to save some cash.

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"Antique Engagement Rings"

What are antique engagement rings? Sometimes antique and vintage get confused. They are not the same. Vintage describes a set of items of superb quality (usually) of a certain year. While Antique describes a certain era, or period of time/years. Usually a hundred or more years old and are not dependent on whether or not the design was highly prized or desired. Antique quite simply means old. What sort of antique engagement rings are out there? You can use your imagination on this one. Rings and jewelry have been found in old digs, tombs, graves, attics, and some have been in plain site the whole time while being passed down from generation to generation known as estate antique engagement rings from all classes of life and using the material of the times in many beautiful and artistic designs. And as you can imagine, antiques are precious, hard to come by items, so they usually will command a pretty penny to obtain them.

Which leads us to Antique "Style" Engagement Rings. Like anything that is adorned, loved and cannot be obtained, people still desire them. And the right craftsmen or jewelry maker can replicate them. HOWEVER to truly replicate them they would need to use the material of the times. So even antique style engagement rings can come at a cost. To avoid this the jewelry maker can use materials of the present era and usually this good enough, for without a team of forensic scientists chances are no one will ever know. All in all, engagement rings for any taste, desire, design or class can be obtained or created if you know the right person or business. Whether or not these will be affordable engagement rings will be totally up to you.

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"Vintage Engagement Rings and Vintage Style Engagement Rings"

Vintage engagement rings are not the same as Antique Engagement Rings. Lets say that that someone asks for a 1945 vintage wine at a restaurant. What they are really saying is they would like a bottle of wine whose grapes were harvested in the year 1945. Vintage basically means "anything" that can be sorted by a certain year. Cars, trucks, planes, architecture, paintings, music, clothing, and yes even engagement rings. If someone says they have a vintage engagement ring, what they are really saying is that they are in possession of a ring that was designed in mass (usually) from a certain period of time or year. Usually Vintage rings or anything vintage is not a unique item.

Now, like a wine’s taste, an engagement ring’s design of a certain period of time or year can be superbly more desirable than other years. Either because of the craftsmanship of the year, or the designs of the period. So people will not usually refer to anything Vintage that is not of superb quality. Unlike most things that have to be grown, jewelry or anything that can built with modern equipment have the advantage of being duplicated. This is where vintage engagement rings and vintage style engagement rings come into play. Craftsmen of jewelry can duplicate the style and design of a year for anybody who enjoys that period of time’s artistic splendor. So when you hear a company offering Vintage "Style" Engagement Rings you are really hearing that the company has the technology or artistry to bring the past back to your future….metaphorically speaking.

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Engagement Ring Trends

Are you searching for the latest "Engagement Ring Trends" and new ideas for your engagement ring? Choosing an engagement ring is a personal choice that will almost certainly require a lot of different decisions. The choices are almost endless such as what shape do you want your diamond to be? What type of metal is best suited for your taste and your budget? Are you looking for a simple solitaire diamond engagement ring or a very detailed design with an antique or vintage style. Many engagement rings worn today may even have gemstones such as Emeralds, Topaz or Aquamarine accents. There is no right or wrong answer when it comes to your engagement ring except what you like and what you want to spend.

With today’s difficult economic conditions, it is becoming increasingly difficult for many couples to get married. People still meet and fall in love, and then may want to get married eventually. However it’s a well known fact that weddings can be very expensive. When you add up the cost of the engagement ring, the wedding and the honeymoon, it’s no wonder that couples are looking to spend less money wherever they can. Studies have concluded that the average amount of money spent on engagement rings has declined over the past decade or so, and is predicted to decline even more in the future. Exactly why is anybody’s guess. I believe that it maybe for a couple of reasons. #1 is that it is very easy to spend less on an engagement ring when you buy it online. It used to be that only jewelry stores sold engagement rings and could charge as much as they like. They really had very little competition except for a few other local jewelry stores. If each jewelry store kept their prices high, each jewelry store owner would make more money. I often hear from many jewelers that have been in the business for many years about how good the old days were. The days when they had their way with the consumer and unloaded any diamond they wanted for just about anything they wanted to charge. Huge mark-ups and huge profits. Almost like they were doing the newly engaged couple a favor. These old-timers long for those days, but they know things have changed for good with the internet. That is why many small independent jewelry stores are going out of business. They just can’t compete with the new way of buying diamonds. The internet makes saving thousands of dollars on your engagement ring entirely possible with all of the competition out there. And you will certainly have many more styles of engagement rings to choose from. The 2nd reason for people spending less on their engagement ring is just simply the economy. People’s average salaries are not keeping up with inflation. And then of course there are the lay-offs. Gone are the days of working for a company for 35 years and retiring at 62 or 65 with a full pension. Many workers today may not be able to retire at all. And even if you are working for a stable company, it just seems that it’s getting harder everyday to get married, buy a house and raise children, and still have money left over for your retirement. I know many couples that are in a 2 income household with good careers and still have trouble making ends meet. So whatever the reason may be, the trend is that people are spending less on engagement rings than they did before.

Another "Engagement Ring Trend" is White Gold Engagement Rings. Without a doubt, white gold is sold at least 5 to 1 over yellow gold engagement rings, Platinum Engagement Rings & Palladium Engagement Rings at our diamond company. And just like Yellow Gold, your engagement ring can be made with 14K or 18K white gold. There are probably a couple of reasons for this trend. The first reason is because white gold tends to keep your diamonds looking whiter. A Yellow gold ring can give a little bit of yellowish tinge to your diamond in some cases. Years ago, yellow gold was the metal of choice for diamond engagement rings and just like all things in fashion, it tends to be cyclical. White gold was invented after the 1st world war and ever since then, white gold and yellow gold rings have rotated in popularity. However at least for the last 5 years or more, white gold has stayed as the most popular choice for engagement rings. Platinum is also a very popular choice for it’s naturally white properties, sturdy makeup, and hypoallergenic properties. However platinum is too expensive for many couples and some of the engagement rings that we offer would just be too heavy in platinum. Palladium is the newest metal for engagement rings and is quickly becoming a very popular choice. Like platinum, Palladium Engagement Rings are naturally white and hypoallergenic. They are also about 12% harder than platinum diamond rings. The only draw back to palladium is that not very many companies know how to work with it, so you might have to send it back to us for maintenance, repairs and re-sizing if needed. With all things considered, white gold is still the most popular engagement ring metal of choice, and I seeing it staying that way for the foreseeable future. Just remember that any white gold engagement ring will need to have it’s rhodium plating redone periodically to keep it looking white. Palladium and platinum will not require that maintenance procedure.

The shape of the center diamond is another part of an engagement ring that is subject to trends. Years ago, Marquise shaped diamonds were very popular. Then there was a time that Emerald shaped diamonds were popular. Round diamonds have been very popular, because they are the most sparkly when cut properly. However the diamond shape that I see being the most popular today is "The Princess Cut". At times, we sell more princess cut diamonds than any other diamond shape, including rounds. There is no doubt that round brilliant diamonds have always been the top seller, but Princess cut diamonds have got to be right up there. I don’t know if it is just the name "Princess" (what bride doesn’t want to be a princess on her wedding day?) or if it’s because many women are just sick of seeing round diamonds everywhere. I do think there is a little bit of mystique to the Princess name in a diamond that dates back to her childhood fairy tales, but I could be wrong. So to recap. Round diamonds have always been popular and remain so today, but The Princess Diamond is certainly the newest engagement ring trend in diamond shapes.

The last thing that I see as a trend in engagement rings is the style and design of the engagement ring. Just like round diamonds, Solitaire diamond rings have always been popular and remain so today. I also see them being very popular for many years to come. A big advantage to a solitaire engagement ring is that you are not spending very much money on the engagement ring setting itself (unless it’s platinum) and you will have more money available to spend on the actual diamond itself, if you wish. Solitaires also require less maintenance because you don’t have a bunch of little diamonds (micropave diamonds) that can come loose or fall out. However antique style or vintage style engagement rings are super hot today. Just like all things in fashion, antique style and vintage style rings are coming back around in popularity. The only difference though is that the last time antique style or vintage style engagement rings were hot, they were the real thing. They were not antique style or vintage style back in the early 20th century, they were just a new engagement ring. Many people would like to buy an antique engagement ring, but there are a lot of potential drawbacks to them, so they opt for a new engagement ring with an antique style. However many antique engagement rings are handed down from generation to generation and are worn today by many new brides. Antique or vintage style engagement rings will almost always have milgrain and/or filigree details and possibly micropave diamonds incorporated in to their design. An antique style engagement ring can literally be a masterpiece of craftsmanship and design. They can truly be one of the most beautiful engagement rings that you will ever see, however you will usually pay have to more for them.

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