The Beautiful Company

When buying an engagement ring there are really only a few things to consider, namely what band and what diamond. The band is largely down to personal choice, though the twisted style is becoming one of the most popular in 2011. The rest of your budget should go towards a beautiful, certified diamond as this will be focal point of the ring.  When buying a diamond ring always consider the “four C’s”

Cut – What shape the diamond will be (Oval, princess, round etc.). If you’re looking for a big ring with a smaller budget then you might want to consider an Emerald cut ring. This style of diamond has fewer facets so will sparkle a little less, but will cover a much larger surface area compared to other diamonds with the same carat, however you will have to go for at least an SI1 clarity as any imperfections in the diamond are more visible with this cut.

Colour – Like window’s the clearer (or more colourless) they are the more light they allow through and the more the diamond will sparkle. Therefore the whiter the diamond the greater its value. If you really want a diamond to sparkle then a good colour with a brilliant round cut will be sure to catch anybody’s eye. We recommend at least a colour H for any diamond ring as any less and the diamond will look increasingly yellow.

Clarity – This means how visible inclusions (flaws) are present within the diamond after being examined under 10x loupe magnification. This is decision is largely due to your budget but for a diamond which will look clean to the untrained naked eye we recommend SI1 clarity.

Carat – Many people believe this to be the size of the diamond when it is in fact the weight of it. The greater the carat the more expensive and generally bigger the diamond becomes. This is where you must compromise to fit your budget, stones with higher carats, clarity and colour are rarer which results in a steep increase in price. However for a diamond that is sure to turn heads we suggest you go for a minimum of 0.5ct and beyond that the sky is literally the limit.

If you look round for a new ring say for a wedding or just because you like to wear rings you will be aware of new metals that are available for you to choose from. Two of these options are Titanium and Zirconium.

Titanium& Zironium rings are now increasingly popular as wedding rings as both metals are attractive hard wearing and can be personalised with inlays, diamonds and engraving. Titanium is an alloy first used in the manufacture of air frames for aircraft as it is strong rust free and light compared to other alternatives. It was then adopted by the jewellery industry for the very same reasons with the added benefit that it is hypo allergenic so there are no issues with allergic reactions to nickel. Titanium is also much cheaper than gold or platinum and attractive gold and platinum inlays are available and also engraved designs on the outside can make a distinctive wedding or fashion ring.

Zirconium isn’t perhaps quite as well known as Titanium but many people have opted for it due to its unusual colour, it is a naturally black metal, and the fact that a two tone effect is easily achievable and attractive makes zirconium a great choice for someone who wants something just a bit different.

I am writing this post in the midst of a recession for people who want a happy occasion but want to save money wherever they can. One tip I have is to buy Silver Wedding Rings instead of gold or other metals. Silver looks beautiful and will match perfectly with most of the other jewellery that young women own these days.

You can get the same court and D shape profiles that are available for the more expensive metals and if you have them rhodium plated you will be hard put to distinguish them from the much more expensive white gold cousins.

Get a nice box to go with them and trust me know one will be any the wiser. Whilst silver has increased in value along with other metals it still offers amazing value given the way that it looks and feels. Its also hard wearing enough to be used for wedding rings, so go on if money is tight consider this option I am sure you will not be disappointed.

From January 2010 Palladium was officially classed as a precious metal requiring any ring to be assayed and hallmarked as with all the other precious metals. The question is on what basis would any body getting married choose between a platinum wedding ring and a palladium wedding ring.

The simple answer would be cost, on a like for like basis the Palladium ring would be quite a lot cheaper than the Platinum equivalent, but what are you getting for your money? Palladium is from the same metal family as Platinum and has similar qualities in that it is hard wearing and does not require rhodium plating like white gold to maintain its colour. By the way the colour of Palladium is very similar to Platinum but it is not exact so wearing the two next to each other could be noticeable though a few of our customers have done it successfully.

The main difference lies in the weight with Palladium being noticeably lighter than Platinum so and Palladium ring will feel less substantial than its equivalent Platinum one. This for some people will actually be a bonus as they would find a heavy platinum ring too intrusive to be comfortable with.

At the end of the day as with all jewellery its personal preference and I hope from this article any one can now decide between marrying with a Platinum wedding ring and marrying with a Palladium wedding ring.

The Beautiful Company has been featured in a double page spread in the June 2011 edition of  Lorraine Kellys At Home magazine. The feature mainly focuses on our expertise in wedding rings and we look at the current trends when people are buying them. For instance diamond wedding rings in gold and platinum seem to be on the increase and also Palladium wedding rings which are a cheaper alternative to Platinum whilst having similar qualities.

There are many other great articles in the magazine with loads of information, to be honest I thought it was great value at £3.95.

The editorial team said we had been chosen because we seemed to offer the best value for money and one of the widest ranges of any of the websites they had come across, so that was good.

The big part of the feature is the competition for the best engagement story which was mentioned in a previous blog. By the way closing date for the competition is the end of September. So get your self a copy and see us in there.

We at The Beautiful Company are running a competition with the prize of a £500 diamond eternity ring for the best perfect engagement story.  Was your story one of being taken to the most romantic place? Did he get down on his knees in front of all his friends. Were you whisked off to some foreign clime where he dressed up as a matador or sky dived into your arms with a diamond engagement ring in his hand?

If there was a special story that made your engagement unforgettable then we would like to hear it. Simply email us your story on perfectengagement@thebeautifulcompany.co.uk and we will enter it into our competitiion and publish it on our blog.

We want to be a source of inspiration to all those considering making a commitment and spending a life together and pay tribute to the wonderful times that true romance can bring us.

We have just added a new range of diamond engagement solitaire rings to better meet customer expectations of faster delivery.

The old diamond solitaire range was sourced from overseas and therefore had longer lead times of 21 to 28 days which is a long time when you suddenly decide you want to become engaged or in the run up to Christmas or Valentines day.

The new range can be found here http://www.thebeautifulcompany.co.uk/diamond-jewellery/diamond-engagement-ringsfast-delivery

The diamonds can be certificated and come from Antwerp, one of the largest diamond centres of the world. The rings themselves are made in the UK so lead times are a maximum of 7 to 10 days.

We have also added some diamond solitaire rings that we can make up from stock. Again the diamonds come from Antwerp but the rings originate in Italy. Delivery on these is generally 3 to 5 days.

When buying a diamond ring please make sure the colour and clarity options to arrive at the one you want and you understand what you are getting

The buyer of diamond earrings is in most cases buying them as a present for either a loved one or for themselves and it is generally a luxury purchase given that there are cheaper things to buy as a present than diamond earrings. Therfore the buyer needs to have some knowledge and discernment in order to make the earrings that they eventually buy the perfect present. I list below a few things the buyer should take into account when buying diamond earrings.

1. What other diamond jewellery does the recipient have? What are the set in e.g. platinum or gold, and if gold what carat of gold. What is the shape of the diamonds in the existing  jewellery i.e. if they are round or square etc? The buyer should be looking to buy diamond earrings that match the style of some or all of the recipients jewellery.

2. Does the recipient generally by dangly, round or stud earrings? This you can tell from seeing what they wear now or, if you can, by having a look at their current collection. Also are their earrings generally chunky or delicate in appearance. Again the idea will be to match their preferences.

3. Once this information has been gleaned through observation the buyer is now armed with enough information to go searching for the perfect diamond earrings and the places you can look are the internet and the high st. Both places should have similar offerings especially on basic diamond stud earrings though the internet is more likely to be cheaper.

4. If the diamonds are set in gold then the carat of the gold can be important as the different carats of gold are slightly different in colour though if they are diamond earrings are stud earrings it is possible to get away with having 9ct settings for the earrings and 18ct for the rest of the jewellery as the settings for earrings will be barely visible.

5. If the recipient generally wears platinum jewellery then it is advisable to get platinum for the earrings again unless they are stud earrings in which case you may get away with palladium or even 18ct white gold settings.

6. The size of diamonds you purchase for the earrings will really depend on your assessment of the preferences of the recipient and/or how they will look on the side of their face. Large diamonds may not actually be the right thing to get for the design of earrings you want, if either they have jewellery already generally with small diamonds or their face is small and delicate and large diamonds would be just too much.

7. When retailers quote the diamond carat weights they are usually referring to the total weight in both diamond earrings. For example when someone (including ourselves) quotes 1ct diamond earrings they generally mean you will be getting two earrings with a half carat stone in each.

8. The quality of diamonds you purchase will affect greatly the price you pay. Quality is determined by the 4 C’s namely Carat, Colour, Clarity and Cut. Most web sites and high street stores can tell you about what these mean. Generally speaking its best to get the highest quality of diamond you can to match your budget and you will be trading off diamond size (Carat) with Colour and Clarity to achieve the right compromise.

9. The final element is packaging which can come in kinds of shapes, sizes and qualities, given that this is likely to be a present its best to ask what kind of packaging you will be getting and whether gift wrapping is available to present your diamond earrings in the best possible light.

When buying gold rings there are a number of things to consider.

1. What is the gold ring for? If the gold ring is for use as a wedding ring then the most popular choice would be a plain gold ring though increasingly the inclusion of diamonds to complement the diamond engagement ring is being chosen. If the gold ring is to celebrate the birth of a child then a gold eternity ring would be an excellent choice. If it is to be used simply as a fashion accessory then patterned gold rings or diamond inlaid gold rings would fit the bill nicely.
2. What colour of gold do you want? The main gold colours are yellow, white and red. White gold rings are also generally rhodium plated to enhance their whiteness. The plating will wear off over time but can be redone with no detriment to the ring. The decision what colour of gold ring to buy will generally depend on what jewellery you already have, a rule of thumb would be its better not to mix gold colours although you can get gold rings that are a mix of the colours which can work well.
3. What carat of gold do you want? The UK generally features gold rings with carats of  22ct, 18ct, and 9ct. In America and Europe the standard grade is 14ct. Again it depends on what carat of jewellery you actually have or want to collect that will determine your choice. Generally speaking it’s not a good idea to mix the carats as they each have a slightly different colour and hardness. If you have 2 gold rings next to each other of different colours the harder one will wear the softer one away more quickly. The higher the carat the harder the gold. The most popular grade for gold rings is 18ct.
4. What profile and weight do you want? Gold rings especially wedding rings come in different profiles and weights. The main profiles are court shaped, D shaped, Flat Court shaped and Flat. Court shaped rings are curved on the inside and outside and are generally called comfort fit as the shape is the most comfortable to wear. D shaped rings are curved on the outside and flat on the inside which is often the same shape as gold engagement rings. Flat court is a D shape in reverse ie curved on the inside and flat on the outside and Flats are self explanatory. Flats are the least popular profile of gold ring as they resemble washers especially in the thinner widths and Court shaped is the most popular. With respect to weights there tends to be light medium and heavy weight rings available. The medium heavy is the most popular whilst the light is for people who don’t want to feel it on their fingers and the heavy who really like the feel of a ring on their finger.
5. How much do you want to pay? Gold rings have reached a high price over the last year so the decision will be based on available budget and how heavy you want the ring to be trading off the width of the ring against the desired weight of the ring to meet your budget requirements.