In days gone by, choosing an engagement ring was perhaps more simplistic - brilliant or emerald cut? White or yellow gold? Yet here in 2023 the endless possibilities can seem overwhelming. We however, look at this as a wonderful opportunity to help you tailor the perfect ring to you.
1. Bespoke is best
There is a lot more to an engagement ring than a stone. It’s about the story. Your loved one will instantly want to know and will forever treasure the story of how you chose the ring - the decisions you made and the thought that you put in to create something just for them as timeless symbol of your love. Even the secret design-discussion locations are sometimes meaningful!
If you are both choosing the ring, you are writing the beautiful story together. The engagement ring story, however you decide to write it, is undoubtedly one of the most romantic things about getting engaged. Serena has had the pleasure of designing a range of engagement rings for a wonderful mixture of people, each one made to fit a different story. She believes the process should be personal and heavily led by sentiment. Every ring is tailored to you, your budget, your story. Bespoke is the best recipe for a wonderful story.
2. Don’t worry about trends
An engagement ring should be a timeless, beautiful embodiment of your love. Therefore, the stone, metal colour and style should match the taste of your loved one, so that they can enjoy wearing it forever. Again, this sounds like an overwhelmingly big task, but there are simple ways of doing this. Look at the jewellery they wear already - do they wear bold, statement pieces? Or do they go for a subtle, minimal look? Do they wear more yellow gold, or silver/white gold/platinum? Observe and listen to what they think of other people’s jewellery - do they admire old school, vintage pieces or are they a fan of more modern looks?
All of these are very useful details to give to us so that Serena can create some educated design inspiration and guide you through the process.
3. Quality of craftsmanship
An engagement ring should symbolise a timeless embodiment of your love. We believe this can only be achieved with the use of solid, precious materials of the highest quality alongside excellent craftsmanship. Starting your ring story by getting this right means there is a far greater scope of succeeding in creating the perfect ring.
We will not only make a ring that will last as long as your love, but also a precious family heirloom that can be worn and cherished for generations.
Stone size only matters if it’s important to you or your loved one.
If you or your future fiancé like big stones then, of course, we like your/their style (how can we not), but it doesn’t mean that it has to be vastly expensive. There are lots of options to explore.
If you are going for a diamond, you can place more emphasis on the size and less on the colour. We can then design a ring to look beautiful with a more yellow diamond (yellow and brown diamonds can be very beautiful, too). The same for clarity - many inclusions can barely be seen by the naked eye and some inclusions or organic stone shapes actually add to the beauty of the stone and the style of the ring, and we can help you design a ring that suits the stone as well as your loved one.
Coloured stone engagement rings give you a huge array of choice in size, cost and style. Your loved one may adore light blue - therefore the traditional choice would be to go for a light or cornflower-blue Sapphire. However, if you would like something big but of slightly less expense, then an Aquamarine would be beautiful, or cheaper still - a Topaz. The monetary value may be less, but depending on the factors that you consider the most important, it might be the right stone for you.
One of the great things about how much more choice there is nowadays is that everyone can have a ring that suits them. There is far less pressure to have a big rock as an engagement ring and instead making it an extension of style and personality, and sometimes this means avoiding anything big - another reason why we think your engagement ring should be to be tailored to you.
5. It’s not all about the 4 Cs
The “four Cs” (colour, cut, clarity and carat) has become an enormous consideration in engagement ring decision-making. We believe that, despite these being good to consider if you are looking for something top quality and value, it shouldn’t be the be all and end all. You don’t need a D Flawless Diamond or a Burmese Sapphire to create a beautiful ring, you should be looking for a stone that you get a good feeling from. Different people connect with different stones, so Serena sources a choice of stones to find the one that feels right to you. Or, you may be using family gemstones to create your engagement ring; we are always delighted to work with your own sentimental or inherited jewels. It can only add more depth and history to your piece of love.
Madagascan Aquamarines
Another part of the story of your ring is where in the world the stone came from. It adds an even more romantic element if the stone has a special origin or if it came from a particular stone dealer with an interesting backstory. It is also good to know that your stone has been sourced sustainably; the world is now much more aware of the impact that unethically sourced mining has on the planet. This, paired with our use of only solid, high-quality materials (rather than low quality, short-life materials) and sustainably sourced natural stones (rather than stones grown in high-energy-emitting labs) is our way of ensuring a more sustainable, lighter footprint on the planet.
So, when choosing your engagement ring, consume all of the interesting details about the stone and where it came from that you can so that you can share it with your loved one once you have given them the ring. Gemstones are a beautiful mystery to many, so the topic will usually be fascinating.
Although the stone or stones in the ring are usually the most romantic part, the style of the rest of it also needs to match that of your loved one. So, once you have fallen in love with the stone, the mount needs careful consideration. This goes back to thinking carefully about what style of jewellery your loved one tends to wear and admire the most. With this knowledge, we can guide you with design inspiration.
8. Don't be afraid to go for something unique
With the huge amount of choice available to us nowadays and the vast quantities of mass-produced goods, more and more, there is a craving for something special, personal and different. This goes back, again, to why bespoke is best - it means you are creating something entirely unique to them. The challenge is to make sure that, with this, the ring is still timeless. We are passionate about creating timeless jewellery at Serena Ansell, so you would be in safe hands with us.
9. Get by with a little help from your friends
Choosing an engagement ring might feel like a high-pressure task to do on your own. So, for peace of mind, there is no harm in having a confidant to help and reassure you during the process. They might even have knowledge of some helpful extra details, such as a particular stone cut, that your loved one has expressed admiration for. We can incorporate these little pointers into the design inspiration we create to make the perfect ring for you. Just make sure your chosen confidant is a good secret keeper…
10. A beautiful engagement ring does not require an enormous budget
As we hope we have made clear, we believe that your engagement ring should be tailored to you, your budget, your story. How much you spend on your engagement ring should not dictate whether it will be beautiful (whatever the budget, we devote ourselves to making sure it always is).