A Guide to the All-Important Ring Purchase    by Leigh Johnson Before delving too deeply into what buying an engagement ring is all about, let us establish what it is decidedly not about. Although, symbolically speaking, the ring reflects your love for one another, a higher price tag does not imply a greater love, no matter what some jewelry salespeople may imply. On the other hand, buying the engagement ring is also not about getting a rock-bottom, bargain-basement price for a piece that might well be bargain-basement quality. Shopping for the engagement ring is a three-step process. First you should educate yourselves and learn as much as you can about the jewelry industry and its products. Them you should comparison-shop to get a feel for what you like and what you can expect to pay for it. Finally, you'll need to choose a reputable jeweler from whom you will purchase your ring. This guide will give you tips on all three parts of the process, and will help you get the ring of your dreams at a price that won't give you nightmares. Like any other major purchase, buying the engagement ring requires careful research. You wouldn't simply walk onto a car lot and buy a vehicle without learning about its record on the road, current value, and so on, would you? The same holds true for an engagement ring. The winning consumer is an informed consumer, and while you may imagine that all engagement rings are the same things in different settings and sizes, a trip to the jewelers will assure you that they are not. Learning about settings There is a copious amount of information available from a variety of sources on diamonds in particular and gems in general; however, there is significantly less information out there on settings and jewelry-making itself. Peter Atman, of Peter Atman, Inc., recommends test shopping for settings to gain an understanding of quality workmanship. The best way to get a good idea of how jewelry should be built is to go to the best jewelry store in your area and educate yourselves about quality of workmanship. Ask a lot of questions. The more you know about quality, the better success you will have getting a better ring. Even if you don't plan to buy from the store, you'll gain a sound education in quality that will serve you well as you search for the perfect ring. Comparing settings When comparing settings, Atman recommends that you look at how the mounting is built in proportion to the stone, and examine the piece from all angles, including upside down and sideways. The stone and setting should be highly polished to show the ring's true brilliance. Try on a variety of rings; one that looks great in the shop window might look far too large for your hand in reality. The ring should feel good on your hand and the stone should not appear too high above your finger, or too close to it. You can also use the try-on time as a workmanship check: Rings with side stones should fit as if made for your finger; side stones that look like wings may be a sign of mass production or poor workmanship. Determining value Choosing the mounting for your stone can be a very simple and inexpensive process. Some will show you a simple setting when you buy the stone. But just because it can be doesn't mean it should be: Simpler is not always better and inexpensive is not always the best value. The more elaborate the setting and the more previous the material used to make it, the more expensive the setting. Fine engagement rings have always been made of platinum, but platinum doesn't come cheap. It can cost up to twice as much as white gold. On the value side of the equation, however, as Atman points out, platinum is highly durable and holds the diamonds more safely than white gold. It will also last three times as long. Which is the greater value depends on your circumstances and priorities. Learning about stones Although engagement rings can come set with almost any stone, or no stone at all, many bride-to-be still appreciate the tradition of the diamond engagement ring. Diamonds are relatively rare among gems, and they last forever, a fitting symbol for the start of your new lives together. Information on these previous stones is readily available from a number of sources, and the gems are rated by two non-profit organizations dedicated to maintaining high ethical standards in the gemological industry and to ensuring that consumers are made aware of the quality of the diamonds they purchase: The American Gem Society (AGS) and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Both organizations offer objective analyses of diamonds in the form of independent rating certificates, which should come with any gem you purchase. If you r diamond does not come with a certificate, do not buy it without an independent analysis from an outside appraiser. Even if the stone seems beautiful when viewed with the naked eye, close inspection may reveal flaws that will decrease its value over time, and the value of the money you're spending on it now. Of course, having the certificates and comparing the gems is no guarantee of a good value if you can't be an adequate judge of what the certificate means. That's why most experts recommend that you educate yourselves as completely as possible, and shop only with a GIA or AGS certified jeweler, or with a local jeweler whose reputation you trust. To ensure good value for your money you will need to understand a diamond's 4 value factors, which are its color, cut, clarity and carat weight. A balance of quality in these four characteristics will produce a high-quality gem you can be proud to wear for a lifetime. Go to page 2