Buying "THE RING"... Breathe We Can Help

We know buying "THE RING" can be overwhelming, but we can help. Scotch Street Vintage has found the right engagement ring for over 300 hundred couples...we have been here and done this...use our knowledge. 

We have written several articles about engagement rings that are more logistical, about diamonds or trends and we will link those articles in here because the more knowledge the better. However, this article is about taking the real questions and scenarios we have have received from our clients and the ideas we came up with that have made for some really happy "brides to be".

First and foremost, know the recipient...before my husband and I were engaged we would go looking at rings and he was all about the diamonds and I was all about the setting. It was a lot of “well I like this but if I could combine these two settings...” coming from me and I just wanted the diamond to have good sparkle, I could have cared less about any grades it may have. In the end he went to diamond row in Chicago bought a diamond had it put in a simple solitaire setting, asked me, and then sent me off to the jeweler to design the actual ring. It was one of the best experiences ever, for someone who loves designing!

My point is, he knew how happy I would be designing it, so he made the experience happen for me. He did it within his budget, and he picked the diamond, which was what was important to him, and then he gave me what was important to me. For some girls it might be important to have their grandmothers ring, or a ring that is completely different than anyone else's, or maybe they want it to be 100% from you. All of those are awesome but you should know which direction to head in. I wrote a big article about this that you can find here..."I Want to Propose...How Do I Pick the Ring?"

Next know your gemstones. This does not mean buy the “best” and most expensive it means know what you are getting and what you should pay for it. I write a monthly gemstone guide and you can find them all here....Scotch Street Vintage Gemstone Buying Guides and of course the Scotch Street Vintage Diamond Buying Guide which is very in depth on diamond buying, including my honest analysis on the "Three Cs" .

But as I said before this article is about the real life engagement ring questions we have received and the solutions we have come up with...

1. We have both been married before and don't want to make a big deal about the second time around.

Hold on I have to get my soap box out...this is one of our most asked engagement ring questions and I don't get it. People should not be embarrassed to be looking for a ring whether it is their first engagement or their fifth (ok maybe). If you have found love celebrate it and as a matter of fact you should celebrate it just as much, if not more than, you did the time it did not work out. Now I totally understand if you want this time to be completely different but people almost always have an apologetic tone in this scenario and I want to just give them a hug and say congratulations you have found love, maybe for the second time or maybe you have learned from your mistakes in the past but YOU HAVE FOUND LOVE!!!

So keeping that in mind let's talk different, I often point people to alternative stone rings in this scenario. In our experience the first time couples often go very traditional and if you want to go different this is a great bet. Below we have three stunning non-diamond rings that would make fantastic engagement rings. To see them all click on this link Alternative Stone Engagement Ring Collection.

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2. I’m in love...we have both been married before...she has a little girl that I also love and adore...I want them both to know this is all of us getting married.

If you are blending families it is so important to make the whole family feel like part of this new union and I think a multi stone ring is a wonderful way to do this. For the example above I picked two different three stone rings that can represent each person and how you are all in it together. 

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3. I don’t have a lot but I know she is the one for me and I want to wow her? 

Starting with vintage is a GOOD start because you can get so much more WOW for your buck. Next, I would think about a cluster ring because they have all the WOW without being nearly as expensive as a large solitaire. Here are a few examples.

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4. They do not like diamonds?

Yes I know, to many of you this may sound a little crazy but I am hearing this more and more. I think it is more that they don't want the same old same old, which I applaud. It really is about time that wedding jewelry caught up to other fashion by offering more individuality. Here again I suggest Alternative Stone Rings, which offer so much more individuality. The rings below dare to be different and to see them all click on this link Alternative Stone Engagement Ring Collection.

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5. She is a nurse and can’t wear anything big but wants something beautiful and unique?

We actually get variations of this question a lot, and here are the things you need to look for...a smooth more dome like setting where the stones are bezel set or inset prongs. These features won't snag on anything and prevent the stones from getting knocked around. See the two silhouettes below, the first is setting sits up high leaving several angles that can catch and get caught. While the second setting is smooth and flat without any surfaces to catch on something.

Band style rings are actually becoming more and more popular (you can see all the wedding jewelry trends here...2019 Trending - Wedding Jewelry) and they are a perfect solution to this issue, here are a few of our favorites.

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6. They love love love Art Deco...what is Art Deco?

Oh, we love Art Deco too! Art Deco is officially an era from the 1920s when the rich lived really rich and everything was over the top. It is also one of jewelry makers golden eras. The quality and craftsmanship of Art Deco era jewelry is beyond compare. The styles are elegant and classic with mixed gold and sparkling gemstones. Here are some of our favorites but we have a lot to offer and you can see it all here...Art Deco Jewelry Collection. 

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We really hope this information answers some of your questions but we are here to help, if you have any questions we are always happy to help you can contact us here.