1. Top Five Ways to Get the Diamond Engagement Ring of Your
Dreams
“We’d love to get engaged and married, but we just can’t afford the ring we want right
now.” We in the diamond industry hear this kind of sentiment all the time, and we have
just one response to it: true love should wait for nothing, especially not a number in the
bank. Contrary to TV commercials and popular belief, you can have a gorgeous,
dazzling diamond engagement ring that will attract every eye in the room, without going
into debt to do so.
The diamond ring experts at Whiteflash.com, which specializes in the genuine hearts and
arrows diamonds known as A Cut Above®, also specialize in finding the perfect
engagement ring for every budget and every lifestyle. Sure, celebrities like Reese
Witherspoon and Penelope Cruz may dazzle the red carpet in designer gowns and borrowed
jewels worth millions of dollars, but for the average gal, your diamond engagement
ring may be the most valuable piece of jewelry you will own for a while—in both
sentimental and actual terms.
These six tips will help you find the perfect engagement ring that will maximize your
budget, whatever that is, and ensure that you get a top-quality engagement ring that you
will be proud to wear for years to come.
1. The most economical setting is the tiffany-style solitaire setting, which consists of
a simple metal shank and a minimalist prong setting. Choosing the tiffany setting
will allow you to concentrate more of your budget on getting the very best
diamond you possibly can. However, many brides have their hearts set on the
sparkling, diamond-encrusted settings worn seen in the pages of every bridal
magazine. If you must have an engagement ring setting with melée diamonds,
choose a pavé or micropavé setting, which provide sparkle and glamour without
the expense of an eternity or shared prong setting. As a general principle, the
larger the melée stones, the more expensive the setting will be. Very small stones,
set close together in a bead setting, will sparkle beautifully without burning a hole
in your bank account.
2. Platinum is the must-have metal for engagement rings this year, but platinum
engagement ring settings can run 50% more than white gold settings that are
nearly identical. Platinum is a pure metal that despite being one of the rarest
elements on earth, is highly valued for use in jewelry, especially engagement rings.

2. But not only is it much more expensive than gold; its price is much more volatile
and unstable. If platinum fits into your ring-buying budget, it is a great investment
and will serve you well for many years. If you are trying to get a great ring without
going into debt, white gold can be a perfect replacement for the more pricey
platinum option. White gold, which is an alloy of gold and a bright white metal like
nickel or palladium. Although it does need maintenance to ensure that it retains its
luster, choosing white gold is another easy way to get the ring of your dreams
without a nightmare credit card bill.
3. If the true hearts and arrows diamond of your dream is just not a realistic option at
this point in time, don’t settle for a cheap, dull-looking diamond, or worse, a
tacky-looking synthetic. Choosing a bright colored gemstone instead of a diamond
is a fashionable alternative to the traditional diamond engagement ring. The deep
jewel tones and durability of stones like the ever-popular sapphire and ruby make
them perfect center stones for untraditional but glamorous engagement rings.
There are dozens of other gemstones that are hard and durable enough for settings
in high-use jewelry pieces like engagement rings, and many of these are gorgeous,
fashionable, and significantly less expensive than traditional diamonds. Look for
lesser-known stones like citrines and tsavorite that will give you a one-of-a-kind
engagement ring at a price that will be your secret.

3. 4. Katherine Heigl wears a dramatic pear-shaped diamond ring, Katie Holmes sports
an oval diamond in her engagement ring, and it seems like every Hollywood
princess who gets engaged finds a new unusual shape of diamond to wear. But the
simple truth is that the classic round diamond is always going to get you the best
value, so if you are shopping on a tight budget, stick to a traditional round
diamond and find a dramatic or unusual setting to add a modern flair instead. Plus,
only round diamond are available with certified hearts and arrows patterning, a
feature that ensures superior light performance even in a modestly-sized diamond.
5. This seems obvious, but a surprising number of customers ordering diamond
engagement rings are not sure of the ring size they need, so they guess a size and
count on getting the engagement ring adjusted later if necessary. Of course, get a
ring resized costs money, and while it may be inevitable after five or ten years,
there is no reason not to order the right size in the first place and save yourself the

4. cost of resizing. If you are trying to surprise your lucky lady with a dream
engagement ring and proposal, steal one of her rings for a day or two and find out
what size it is, or ask a close friend who might know her ring size.
Remember, the engagement ring is a once-in-a-lifetime purchase, and it should be a
special one, whether that means a modest diamond in a simple but elegant setting or an
over-the-top concoction of pavé stones. With a little research, and a dash of luck, you will
be on your way to the perfect engagement ring and the happily ever after of your own
personal fairytale.
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