Wearing an engagement ring is no longer just for the bride-to-be as more men in the UK and US are starting to wear engagement rings of their own, dubbed “mengagement rings” by some of the media.
For hundreds of years it has been tradition for a woman to wear a ring to show that she is to be wed, but in some countries the men also wear a ring of their own before the marriage.
Male engagement rings are common in countries in South America such as Argentina as well as Nordic countries like Finland and Norway and some countries in Eastern Europe. Other places in the world have their own unique traditions; for example in Brazil both partners wear a ring on their right hand which they then move to the left when they wed.
The trend is now starting to spread to couples in the UK as it allows both partners to demonstrate their commitment and shows equality in the relationship. Male engagement rings can also chosen by same sex couples when they get engaged.
There are many choices for men that want to wear an engagement ring. Traditionally, female engagement rings often feature a diamond and there are rings available for men with inlaid diamonds. A plain ring similar to a wedding ring could also be chosen, and here at the Beautiful Company we have a wide range of rings in different sizes so both partners can choose engagement and wedding rings that are perfect for them!
In recent years, the popularity of white gold has dramatically increased with many people now owning white gold rings, earrings, bracelets and necklaces. The metal is an alloy made of yellow gold and usually palladium. Nickel is sometimes used but due to the significant number of people with nickel allergies, palladium is more popular.
Due to the unique way that white gold is made, all items of jewellery made of the metal require rhodium plating to make them look their best. Depending of the carat of gold used will depend on the colour – the higher the carat, the more yellow the item will look when it is first created. To combat this, a thin layer of rhodium plating is put on top which will make it brighter and also protect against scratches.
However, although rhodium plating will protect the piece and give it a better appearance it doesn’t last forever. On special occasion jewellery that isn’t worn very often, the plating may last for many years but on items such as wedding rings and engagement rings that are worn all day every day, the plating may fade much sooner.
You will know when the item will need more rhodium plating as the silver colour will start to fade away and patches of discolouration will appear, however a quick visit to a jeweller is usually all that is required to get your jewellery looking its best again.
It is thought that white gold was first used in jewellery in the 1920s, and although it is very beautiful it does require regular upkeep so if you’re considering buying this type of jewellery you have to bear this in mind.
When you’re getting married, there are many decisions you have to make and what rings to wear is one of the most important choices you will make as you have to be happy with the ring that you will be wearing for the rest of your life!
Many couples are now choosing to have matching his and hers wedding rings, but how do you choose a design which will suit both partners?
Although many people now choose patterned wedding rings or rings featuring diamonds, plain bands are still amongst the most popular wedding rings and these are the most likely choice for couples wanting matching rings.
However, there will always be some differences between the rings. As men generally have larger hands, a thicker ring will always be more comfortable for them whereas a woman will generally prefer a slimmer and daintier wedding band especially if they are already wearing an engagement ring.
As well as choosing the size, you also need to think about the material. Yellow gold was the standard for wedding rings for many years, but there are a range of options that are becoming more popular. Platinum has become more widespread as a ring material and many men consider it because it is more durable, so it is especially suited to those who work as a manual labourer or any other industry that will put strain on the ring.
Some women may find a platinum ring uncomfortable to wear as the material is denser and therefore slightly heavier, so if the man does decide that he wants platinum for his ring, the woman could consider white gold or silver to have the same effect but a lighter feel.
When you’re looking to buy your wedding or engagement rings, make sure you visit the Beautiful Company to find stunning jewellery at great prices. With a 30 day money back guarantee and fast delivery, you can be sure of an excellent service combined with value for money prices when you purchase your rings from us.
Alongside their engagement ring and wedding band, many women also wear an eternity ring on their wedding finger to show their commitment to their partner.
Eternity rings can be given at various points in a relationship, and is all down to personal preference when you choose to give this type of ring. In the past, eternity rings were usually given for a significant anniversary date, but a more modern tradition is to give the ring after the birth of the first child.
Diamond eternity rings are the most popular type available, but other gems can also be used in an eternity ring. Some couples choose to use their birth stones, others select rubies and emeralds. As well as traditional full eternity rings, some couples choose half eternity rings which means that the gems aren’t all the way around the ring. This is because some women find a ring with gems all the way around too bulky or due to cost considerations as these style of rings cost less to manufacture.
Although eternity rings are usually given to celebrate a birth or commemorate an anniversary, many couples that have chosen not to get married give each other eternity rings to symbolise their relationship. Unlike for married couples, it is inappropriate to wear the eternity ring on your wedding finger and another finger is usually chosen.
Giving eternity rings at Christmas can be a great way of showcasing your love, especially if you have been together for a significant number of years. At the Beautiful Company, we have a wide selection of eternity rings available so whether you’re look for gold, silver or white gold rings, you can find the perfect jewellery for your loved one.
New Year is one of the most popular times of the year to get engaged, with many people choosing to ring in the new year with a new life on the horizon. If you want to ask your partner to marry you on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day, there are many things to consider to make sure that your proposal is memorable for all the right reasons!
New Year is a time of change and excitement, a way of saying goodbye to the old year and welcoming in the new. If you’ve had a great year together an engagement at this time is the perfect way to celebrate it, but if you’ve a more challenging period getting engaged can be a great way of starting afresh in the New Year and having something to look forward to.
Choosing how to proposal is something deeply personal to each couple. If you know that your prospective fiancée would love to share this type of event with friends and family, a surprise engagement party could be a good option. If you want to make sure that your other half has no idea what you’re planning, arrange an event under the pretence of it being a traditional New Year party and pop the question during the bash!
For more private couples, an intimate proposal might be more suitable. You could choose to stay in together on NYE and propose that evening, or if you do choose to go out and celebrate, ask her to marry you just after midnight during a round of Auld Lang Syne instead of the traditional kiss.
Planning a proposal over the holiday time can require more preparation, as if you’re purchasing your engagement ring online you need to do it well in advance to ensure that you have it in time for the event. At the Beautiful Company, we aim to provide all customers with engagement rings UK and wedding rings as quickly as possible, with some people receiving their gold, silver and platinum rings in as little as 5 days.
With the Beautiful Company, we also offer a 30 day money back guarantee so if the ring doesn’t fit or its not to her tastes, you can return it without any hassle so you can propose in complete confidence!
Christmas is only just over a month away and if you’re planning on finding a special way to show your partner how much they mean to you, why not consider getting down on one knee and asking them to marry you this festive season?
The Christmas holidays are statistically the most popular time of the year to get engaged, with the romance and festivities of the season encouraging many people to take the next step and make a commitment.
The celebrities also love to get engaged on Christmas Day. Christmas 2010 saw celebrities such as Lily Allen, Natalie Portman and LeAnn Rimes receive proposals from the significant others, and many more public figures could follow suit this year.
Many people struggle to find the right moment to ask their partner to marry them, but the magic of the festive period is often one of the best times to make what’s already a special day just that bit more memorable (and also to ensure that neither of you ever forget your engagement!).
If you’re planning on asking your girlfriend to become your wife (or your boyfriend to become your husband!) over Christmas, you need to do some advance preparation. One of the key points to remember is that you need to get the ring in advance to ensure that you have it ready for the big day, and you should also think about what your plans are for the day. If you’re visiting family, you have to decide whether you want to propose in front of them or have it as a private occasion, so make sure that you have thought about all aspects of your proposal in advance.
Here at the Beautiful Company we have a great selection of stunning rings, so if whether you’re looking for a silver, gold or diamond engagement ring, you can get a beautiful ring at an affordable price. We also stock gold wedding rings and silver wedding rings, so you can come back to us and find all the jewellery for your big day after you’ve proposed.
Ok so it’s not my favourite blog post to write, every man’s proposal nightmare, but it’s a sad reality of life – sometimes she says no. See the video below of a man getting heart crushed in the most public and humiliating way possible only to be consoled by a giant mouse… ouch!
It’s not something we want to think about but it’s always best to be prepared. Although it’s been extremely rare (only one or two every year) we have had first-hand experience with customers who’s girlfriends have said no. Here is a quick bit of advice to help give you guidance and to put your mind at rest.
What about us? Although it will be tough, communication is key here. Two important questions need to answered. “Do you ever see us being married in the future?” If not, then it’s time to move on. A friend of mine dated a girl for four years and when he proposed it was kind of a wakeup call to her. She let him down saying that they had fun but she could never see herself married to him because of XY and Z. It may seem harsh but at least now he is not wasting his time and is currently happily married to another woman and is retrospectively glad he did it.
However it might be that she hopes one day she will be ready and it’s just not the right time. Timing is the most common reason why women say no they may feel too young to be married, too much going on in their career, perhaps she is still trying to come to terms with marrying again after a failed marriage. There are many reasons, but these are not without hope if you feel the relationship is repairable after the initial blow.
What about the ring? If she turns you down and you just forked out a couple of months’ salary for a diamond ring don’t worry about being stuck with it, don’t throw it into the lake, and don’t pawn it for less than half its value. Simply make sure you have proposed within 30 days of getting ring, then you will be within our returns policy which is further explained by clicking on this link. Returns Policy.
I hope you have found this helpful, and that you never have to experience any of this. If you do, may there also be a giant mouse for you to cry on!
Diamond engagement rings come in all shapes and sizes these days and it can be quite difficult to find a wedding ring that will match one where the diamond is sticking out to one or both sides or is split down the middle with the diamond suspended in the fork. When this happens there are three options available to you.
1. Just buy a plain ring and be happy with the fact that it doesn’t fit flush to your engagement ring. This is probably the cheapest option as any shaping or the buying of shaped wedding rings will inevitably incur additional cost.
2. Buy a wedding ring that is already shaped in a way that may fit exactly or near enough for you you to be happy with it an example of this can be seen below.
3. The last and possibly the best option is to take a plain or shaped wedding ring and get it altered to fit your engagement ring exactly. To do this the lady in question will have to part with her precious engagement ring for roughly a week and either send it in to an on line jewellery retailer such as ourselves or take it into a local jeweller who has the facilities do repairs and alterations. This work can be done on any type of platinum, gold, titanium or palladium ring but you will have to choose one that closely matches the profile of your engagement ring (that is the shape of the ring itself) before hand.
Profiles of wedding rings are generally either court, slight court, flat, flat court or D shaped and engagement rings follow the same choices so that shouldn’t be too hard to choose the right profile. What you will also need is the depth of the ring bit of the engagement ring so you can get the wedding ring to sit flush against it. Or just give one to the jeweller and as long as there is enough metal to play with the jeweller will make it work. However be aware that the more metal in the ring the more it will cost to start with and the more work the Jeweller has to do the more the labour cost .
When all the work is finished the result should last a lifetime and look something like this :-
“Engagement season” is soon approaching and will begin the second week of November and end just after valentines day, in fact one fifth of all proposals in the year take place between December the 20th and January the 1st and what better time to propose than the holidays? Especially these holidays, apparently women are more likely to say yes at this time since these holidays are associated with family, presents, excitement, positive emotion, causing people to reflect on how important the people are in their lives. Plus a lot of women want their family around to share a glass of champagne with afterwards! This year would be an ideal time to buy a ring, since diamond rings have dropped 10% in price over the last 12 months. To help out we looked up and asked around for some fun ideas on how to propose at Christmas and here they are.
1) Ring on the Tree: Hang the box on the tree by a ribbon. Wait till your partner has opened up all the presents then smile and say she has one present left to open! Tell her it’s on the tree and have her search for it, whilst she is concentrating on the tree, kneel down behind her and when she finds it and turns round… you know the rest
2) Christmas lights/Snow Marry me!: First, you’ll have to sneak away long enough to spell out “Will You Marry Me” in Christmas lights on the garden or house, take her outside when it’s dark and ask her or someone else to plug in the lights and watch the smile light up on her face! Alternatively if it has snowed, you can write marry me in the garden and either take her for a nice romantic walk and come back to the spot or ask her to look outside!
3) Wrap yourself up: Two ways you could do this one, my personal favourite is to find a large enough box (with air holes!) and hide inside it, it will make for two big suprises when she opens it up! Alternatlively you could make it obvious that your inside there, let her unwrap you and part way through bring out the ring.
4) Treasure Hunt!: Place clues all around the house, each clue leading to another until the big finale of it leading to you “suited up”, with flowers and a ring and some cheesy but lovely line such as “will you be my treasure forever?”
After reading an article that stated the “only reason people wear Rolex’s is to flaunt their status and success” I decided to write this blog – Why own a Rolex? Sure enough, Rolex ’s are the supercars of the watch world and their brand is recognized worldwide for being a symbol of affluence, but there is SO much more to Rolex than a heavy price tag and a pretty face.
Firstly if you were to look “under the hood” of a Rolex watch you would see a beautiful mechanical movement and design that whilst elegant is built to be both durable and functional, a true work of art that keeps a remarkably accurate time. This is what really draws me to Rolex watches, only the best materials are used and their put to use in the most efficient and effective ways.
Secondly the Rolex professional series are made to to complete certain tasks whether its yachting, mountaineering, diving or even travelling through space, Rolex have developed a watch to perform seamlessly in the most difficult of conditions. A sea dweller for example can plunge the depths of the sea at 3900m… granted the average Joe like me isn’t going to use the watch in this way but it’s reassuring and a real treat to think that you have such a robust watch that it could…
Lastly we go back to the money. Whilst Rolex may seem expensive they are actually a remarkably safe investment. They keep a big chunk of their value, mainly because the ingenious behind their mechanics allow them to function as new after 30+ years. If you’re real lucky – your Rolex can actually triple it’s retail value (namely, the 1608 double red).
Indeed there is so much more to Rolex than meets the eye!
There are many variants of Rolex’s the most popular are The Submariner, The Daytona, The Date just and the Day / Date
The image above is a Datejust and the one below is The Submariner.
It all comes down to personal taste but whatever you buy your Rolex is an investment.
