How To Choose Your Engagement Ring

In the face of true love, all is left is finding an iconic ring to symbolize your endless devotion. Choosing the perfect engagement ring is an important quest. It can bring up some interrogations like “Is this the right design? Did I spend enough money on it? Is the quality good enough to last a lifetime? How to know if I made the right choice?”

Whether choosing a ring on your own or with your partner, we are here for you every step of the way to help you find the perfect match for your lifelong commitment. Here is our guide to finding the one.

1. What style should your engagement ring be?

First things first, let’s talk design. This is the most personal decision.

Because you are looking to pick a piece that will last a lifetime, take cues from your partner’s current style to be sure it will be a perfect match.
Ask yourself: Is your partner more classic or avant-garde? Less is more, or more is less? Does your partner usually wear jewelry? Every day or on special occasions? Are they shiny or discrete, thick or thin?

The answers to these questions are only cues, not truth set in stone. Each person is unique, no one belongs unconditionally to a certain group or style. Try to get as close as possible! Once you have some initial ideas, we encourage you to share them with an expert jewelry designer, who will advise you and help you find the perfect match.

One last piece of advice, your engagement ring will symbolize your eternal love, and should last a lifetime. Ask yourself if your partner would still love the design in 20 years. Loyal.e offers a large range of engagement rings, all customisable, from classic to avant-garde designs, as well as our bespoke service, to create your unique engagement ring.

2. How much should an engagement ring cost?

An engagement ring is a precious item which requires a financial investment. However, focusing exclusively on the budget is not a good idea: it is much more valuable to have a truly personal engagement ring rather than an expensive ring that doesn’t correspond to your partner’s style.

We also believe you should prioritise quality and design over what would seem to be a good ‘financial’ deal. Your engagement ring will represent your unbreakable bond, your passionate love, your lifelong commitment to one another. Your budget in the face of that should not be what comes first in mind.

At Loyal.e, we don’t believe anyone should abide by a specific mathematical rule to assess the right budget. What is important is that this personal investment allows you to find the perfect ring to symbolise your union, without compromising on quality, design, and your values.

Your budget will be impacted by several factors: the choice of precious metal, center stone and quality of the ring. Read through to make an informed decision.

3. From which precious metal should your engagement ring be made out of?

Unlike style, which is purely subjective, the choice of precious metal can be more rational.

The choice of precious metal: gold or silver

An engagement ring is meant to be worn every day, and for life. The precious metal that constitutes it must be durable enough to accompany you.

Although appreciated for its white colour and its affordable price, silver will not resist through time. It will oxidize, writhe or get scratched. To symbolize your eternal love, we believe silver might not be the suitable choice.

The choice of gold quality

Gold quality is measured by the Carat or Karat metric, which indicates the percentage of pure gold (not to be confused with the diamond’s carat, which is a measure of its weight). Pure gold is 24 carat (24k). However 24k gold is rarely used in fine jewelry, as it is too soft to be finely worked.

This is why pure gold is mixed with other metals. The difference between white, yellow and rose gold is simply the metal mixture that is used to make them. While white gold has more nickel and zinc, rose gold contains more copper.

The finest and most recognised gold quality used in fine jewelry is 18k gold. It contains 75% of pure gold (i.e. 18 out of 24). We recommend that you systematically check the gold title when choosing a ring.

We strongly advise against 14k gold. Like silver, it will not withstand the test of time. Besides, gold rarely causes skin allergies. But it is not uncommon for other metals contained in an alloy with gold to cause skin reactions. This happens more easily with jewelry that has a low percentage of gold (low carat).

The choice of colour

Gold usually comes in three colours: yellow gold, rose gold and white gold.
If you don’t know your partner’s preferences, here are some tips to help you choose:

Yellow gold is the iconic colour of fine jewelry. Its solar shine particularly compliments matte and dark skin with a touch of scintillating delight.

White gold is a very common colour for engagement rings. Its neutral colour blends in well with all looks and styles.

Rose gold has been very trendy recently. Its luminous romantic pink tones especially highlight lighter skin.

Is gold traceable? Is it certified?

The choice of precious metal also comes with the choice of its origin.
Is it certified and traceable? Is it mined gold or recycled gold?

To ensure your gold has been sustainably sourced and traceable, the most reliable certification is RJC-CoC certification (Responsible Jewelry Council – Chain of Custody): a unique certification that guarantees that gold has been produced to stringent ethical standards and is fully traceable.

Besides, gold mining generates 2 tonnes of waste for every gram of gold mined, with mining companies dumping 180 million tonnes of hazardous waste into water streams every year. The good news is that gold is a precious metal which is infinitely recyclable! Gold recycling is an ethical and environmentally conscious way to give new life to this precious and finite metal.

Loyal.e chose to exclusively work with 18k recycled gold certified RJC-CoC, to help preserve the beauty and finite resources of our planet, while standing against the working conditions and environmental impact of gold mining.

4. How to choose your center stone?

You deserve a diamond

Most engagement rings feature a bright diamond as a center stone. Why is it that the diamond is the world’s most famous and coveted precious stone?

A high quality perfectly cut diamond is of incomparable brilliance thanks to the intense glowing light it reflects. Besides, a bright diamond has the immense advantage of being able to be worn with all outfits. Finally, the diamond is the hardest stone on Earth, it never gets scratched and therefore very easy to wear on a daily basis.

It is undoubtedly the most sought-after and the most mythical stone. This eternal stone will accompany you for life.

Which shape of diamond should you choose?

Diamonds are cut in many different shapes, round brilliant to cushion, emerald to pear and more. Some optimize brilliance. Some appear more classic, others more avant-garde. Each shape has its unique appeal. Choose the one you feel more attracted to, the one that will reflect your unique style and charisma.

The round brilliant cut is the most popular diamond shape, and most used in fine jewelry collections, as it is cut to optimize brilliance. If ever in doubt, choose the round brilliant cut and you will be sure to witness breathtaking reflections of light.

Here are some other highly appreciated shapes:

The cushion cut features rounded edges that soften the corners of this square diamond. It is a unique twist on the classic round brilliant for an engagement ring that reflects your unique style.

The pear cut adds a touch of originality, resulting in a tasteful teardrop for an intense sparkle.   

The emerald cut is the most glamorous. This octagonal step cut features mesmerizing symmetry revealing the stone’s pure colour and icy clarity. It is a choice for the bold and retro spirits.

Our bespoke service would be happy to help you select your favourite diamond shape and design your unique engagement ring. Contact our diamond experts to start bringing your dream to life.

What quality of diamond should your engagement ring hold?

If you are thinking of choosing a diamond, you need to determine the quality of diamond you wish to set your engagement ring with. Each diamond is evaluated according to the universal grading system called the 4Cs: Carat, Colour, Clarity and Cut.

Carat refers to the weight of a diamond (1 carat = 0.2 grams).
Historically, the weight of the diamond played a predominant role vs. the stone’s quality (larger stones of lower clarity were favoured). However, there has been a shift in preferences. The quality of the stone (clarity, colour and cut) is of much greater importance because it impacts how the diamond reflects light and therefore its brilliance and beauty.

Selecting the grade of diamond quality can be difficult and technical. We give you a hint to make sure you make the right choice regarding a diamond’s value: Most recognised fine jewelry houses apply similar selection rules: the diamond must have a colour of D, E or F, a clarity of IF, VVS or VS, and an Ideal or Excellent cut. This is precisely the quality that we select exclusively for our Loyal.e diamonds.

Learn more about a diamond’s features in our guide dedicated to diamonds

Beyond the 4C, the value of a diamond is intrinsically linked to its provenance.

A diamond can be created in a laboratory (lab grown diamond) or extracted from a mine. We strongly advise against buying a diamond without knowing its provenance, condition of extraction or growth, and without a guarantee of traceability, or else this might impact its value over time.

A diamond certificate of authenticity is essential, (especially for diamonds over 1 carat). It should indicate the 4Cs of your stone and its provenance. We advise you to privilege certificates issued from world renowned institutions such as IGI (International Gemological Institute) or GIA (Gemological Institute of America).

At Loyal.e, we exclusively select lab grown diamonds directly sourced from our laboratory. Thanks to expert advanced technology, we can offer the finest diamond quality without the negative environmental impact and mining conditions. All our diamonds are certified climate neutral to preserve our planet’s precious resources. For each diamond of 0.5 carat and above, we provide a unique IGI certificate.

Learn more about lab grown diamonds

5. Which quality should you choose for your engagement ring?

To understand the quality of a jewel, you need to understand how it is made.
Even if you have selected the most precious stone, it’s the savoir-faire and artisan expertise that will determine the final quality of your engagement ring. As industrial processes compromise on the quality of your ring, you should make sure that your engagement ring is hand-made. Privilege artisanal know-how in renowned regions.

At Loyal.e, every creation is hand-made in our atelier in France, safeguarding French craftsmanship excellence.
France is worldly famous for its fine jewelry savoir-faire. Today, very few jewelry houses, even of French origin, have maintained their manufacture in France, because of the cost that this represents. Only the most acknowledged fine jewelry Houses have maintained artisanal production in France. To choose French hand-made jewelry is a guarantee of quality.

6. How to define the ring size?

Once you have chosen the ring, you need to find the right size.
Easy for yourself, more difficult if you wish to surprise your partner!  

If you can find a ring that your partner already wears on the same finger (left ring finger in France), you can refer to our size guide. Be careful, the size of the fingers varies between the left hand and the right hand.

However, finding the right ring size can be tricky without trying a ring on. Privileging the surprise is a great gesture. However, ensure you can resize or exchange the ring if need there be.

Loyal.e is committed to offering you complimentary resizing or complimentary return for each purchase within our collections. We are here to advise you in your choice of engagement ring to make sure you find the perfect match.

View our sizing guide or contact us for more information.

7. What if the answer is YES?

Fingers crossed, the answer is yes!

In the event of a wedding, it will also be an opportunity to choose together the wedding band that will complete your engagement ring in perfect harmony.

We hope this guide helped you in your beautiful endeavour. To help you through this choice in a more personalized way, our jewelry experts are happy to advise you. Feel free to call us or book an appointment!