What Type of Engagement Ring Shopper are You?? And Some Advice While Shopping!

You're one of the lucky ones that has found the love of your life and you're getting ready to spend the rest of forever together, let's see what kind of shopper you are and a little advice I might give you!

I get asked a lot "well what do you think?" and I say the same thing every time "it's not what I like, this is your ring." Before we go any further, let me clarify again, this is YOUR ring...not your mother's, not your mother-in-law's (unless you're inheriting it), not your best friend's, this is YOUR ring, so pick something that YOU like despite trends and what your friends think #doyouboo

Years of selling engagement rings I've learned there's usually three types of women when it comes to engagement ring shopping: Type 1: this is the lady that knows what she wants to a T. Type 2: has no clue what she wants, but is so sweet. Type 3: I don't care what I get, I'm just happy I'm getting married!

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Type 1

Upfront, precise, knows what she wants!

There's not a lot to say about this lady, which is great! She makes it easy on her fiancé and easy on the person selling him the ring. One thing I want this lady to think about is potential budget issues. What other options of a center stone are you willing to compromise on if the 3 carat round brilliant isn't realistically in the budget? Are you willing to start out with something a little smaller, give and take on color and clarity, would you be open to lab grown diamonds or moissanite? Definitely don't stray from what you want, but don't go into debt over a ring, (unless you really want to, that again is most definitely your decision), I'm just saying there are other options that your friends and family won't know aren't natural diamonds, so if budget is an issue, just give it some thought.

Type 2

This lady can be a little bit of a challenge, but always fun and usually super, super sweet! It always breaks my heart when I get one of these ladies in my store and she's been to other stores that don't have the patience for her and she's just a little defeated. Engagement ring shopping should be FUN, so if you're this girl and people haven't been the most patient with you, just keep looking for a jeweler that fits you, I promise they're out there (or just come see me!).

My advice to this lady is to start looking at Pinterest and Google for images of rings you think are pretty. Chances are there will be similarities between them all, and if there's not, well then it's time we break down what you do and don't like about each ring and go from there.

When I'm helping this type of lady I try to kind of break it down into pieces. Engagement ring shopping can be overwhelming and there are so many different options so let's just start at step one: what color metal do you want? I recommend going into a store to make this decision because different metal colors compliment different skin tones, so try it on just to make sure!

The next step with her is to figure out what shape and type of center stone she wants? Round, heart, oval, marquis, princess, emerald, radiant, cushion, etc.? Diamond or colored stone? I use a pretty fun tool the Magnetic Ring Builder from Stuller, where you can literally put on a ring and take out the center stone to try on different sizes and shapes! It's too much fun, check it out here!

Once we get the basics down, we can then start talking about the style of the ring. This varies from individual, but trust me you can always get what you want if you keep looking, and if it's not in a catalog or a store, we can make it!

Type 3

I Don't Care What I Get, I'm Just Happy I'm Getting MARRIED!!!

This lady is also pretty easy, like Type 1. A little bit of advice to this lady...look around and make sure you don't care what he gets you. I'm really talking basics here, metal color is a big one, some people just HATE white gold, or yellow or rose gold and even though your engagement ring is a symbol of the love you both hold for each other, you want to like it and enjoy wearing it. Another thing to think about is center stone shape/color, is there anything you absolutely HATE? If so, let someone know!

So when you go into a jewelry store to get your finger sized have some fun with it and try on a few rings or take a look at a few catalogs, it won't hurt any I promise!

All in All

Getting engaged is exciting and fun, ring shopping should be too! If the store you go into makes you feel uncomfortable or pushy, just leave, that's your right as a customer. Good things take time and finding the perfect engagement ring can sometimes be a process. As always if any of my readers ever have questions, please don't hesitate to reach out, I'm more than happy to help!