How To Make Sure You Love Your Engagement Ring (And What To Do If You Don't!)

It is the most personal piece of jewelry you will ever own, so it’s pretty important you love your engagement ring. With this is mind, ring pre-shopping has become something many couples do together but there also many who love the thrill of surprise.

If you are presented with a ring that is not quite your style, what do you actually do? This can be a tough one to navigate, but jeweller Erin Tracy says honesty is always the best policy in these matters. “I think it is very important to be honest on this subject than feel you have to wear a ring everyday that you don’t love,” she shares. “Often the majority of the cost goes into the stones in the ring so re-working the actual setting or design can be done fairly easily and can still be done affordably. There are other ways of changing up the look of a ring by pairing it with an interesting wedding band or a series of stacked rings.”

Below Tracy shares more of her thoughts on how to move forward if you find yourself faced with this problem without offending your beloved.

Not loving an engagement ring is an awkward situation that nobody wants to be in, is there a way to make sure it’s love at first sight?
“Personally, I love Pinterest because it allows someone to create a snapshot of everything, they love in an engagement ring. As a designer, it helps direct me and I often ask to take a look at the Pinterest page of the person we are designing rings for. It takes a bit of stress off the person proposing.”

What are some ideas one needs to put out there to a person who might be engagement ring shopping for them?
“Some things that are helpful to know in advance of designing are metal colour for sure, ring size, stone shape and type of stone ( ie. diamond vs. coloured gemstone). An overall idea of ring style is helpful too (classic, modern, vintage, etc.).

Do you find people are tuned in to what they want and love in an engagement ring?
“I really do feel people are more tuned in, but I also think they have to be. There are so many different options now for engagement rings and without a little guidance and direction it can be a daunting task to choose a ring someone will wear on their finger every day.”

What about making tweaks to the ring? It has been revealed that it was Prince Harry who switched up Megan Markle's engagement ring adding a pavé band. Is this a common thing with existing designs? 
“Adding or tweaking can be done fairly easily, and I have many clients who add more than one wedding band to their set to give it a unique look. Sometimes it takes wearing it for a little while to realize you want to make changes. It isn’t uncommon for a client to come see me a year after being married wanting to add another band to their ring or add diamonds to their existing band.”

What is currently the most popular ring style?
“Right now, I would say oval and pear-shaped stones are most common, and often with a thin band and a delicate halo. Diamonds and coloured sapphires are top picks right now for gemstones and stacking bands are always popular as an add-on to an existing ring or worn as a stand-alone set.”