Shopping online for an engagement ring is a convenient way to purchase a ring and can save you a decent amount in the process. However, for all its ease, online shopping can still be a very daunting experience: rings start to look exactly the same but the prices vary wildly and you’re second-guessing the quality of the ring—and your budget.
To put your mind at ease, here are our best tips to shop online for an engagement ring, ensuring you get the exact ring you imagined and at the price you wanted.
1. Set Your Budget.
Whether you’re shopping online or in the store, your absolute first step in engagement ring shopping should be to set a budget. (To learn more about how to determine your engagement ring budget, check out this blog post.)
Once you have a figure in mind, determine what are the absolute musts for your ring (like it must include an oval-cut diamond and pavé band) and the points where you’re more flexible (like, the diamond doesn’t need to flawless). Finding the perfect and wallet-friendly engagement ring is about prioritizing what you want to invest in and then scaling back on the less-important features. Rest assured: you can find an engagement that checks all your style boxes and is within your budget.
2. Visit a Jeweler.
We know this is counter-intuitive but hear us out: a quick trip to your local jewelry store will help you understand the engagement ring styles you like most. Browse the different diamond cuts and center stone settings.
If you and your partner are shopping together, encourage them to try on different carat weights, diamond shapes, and settings. Take note of the diamond-cut and carat weight that looks best on them; even if your S.O. as their heart set on big diamond or a specific cut, they may be pleasantly surprised by something they hadn’t previously considered because rings can look so different on every hand.
If you’re shopping in secret, learn your partner’s ring size before hitting the stores. (Here are some subtle ways to determine their ring size.) Most jewelry stores will carry a variety of sizes for couples to try on so you can get a clearer visualization of how the ring will look on the hand of your soon-to-be fiancé. Again, note the diamond cut and carat weight you love most as this will greatly help you while browsing online.
3. Familiarize Yourself with the 4Cs.
Once you’re back at your computer, start narrowing your search with the general engagement ring style, usually diamond cut and metal type. You’ll likely see prices vary wildly for what looks like the exact same ring. What gives??
The difference in prices is usually attributed to the diamond size and quality which makes understanding the 4Cs (or the universal scale diamonds are graded upon) so important. This is also where the must-haves vs. nice-to-haves you weighed with your budget come in to play.
GIA Clarity Grading Scale
If you want a big diamond but don’t want to spend beaucoup bucks, you can save a lot by shopping for a Very Slightly Included (VS) or Slightly Included (SI) diamond instead of a Flawless (FL) diamond. Flawless diamonds have no inclusions (lines, clouds, and other imperfections), even under 10X magnification. VS or SI-rated diamonds’ inclusions are only visible under 10x magnification but, to the naked eye, look virtually flawless and are comparatively much more affordable.
Alternatively, if you want a Flawless diamond, you can cut costs in other ways, like by picking a different metal type for the setting. We break down the differences (in both cost and care) of the most common engagement ring metal types—silver, platinum, and white gold—here.
4. Pick a Metal Type and Purity.
An engagement ring’s metal type and purity can influence the cost—but can look nearly identical when you’re browsing online.
Before we delve into how this affects your online shopping, here’s a quick refresher on gold and the different purities: pure gold is a very soft metal (prone to scratches and nicks), so it’s often combined with an alloying metal like zinc, nickel, and copper to make it more resilient and durable. The ratio of pure gold to alloying metal is called the metal’s purity, reflected as 18K, 20K, 24K, etc. The higher the karat number, the purer the gold and therefore the expensive the ring will be.
Image via Laings
That said, the difference in appearance between an 18K and 20K yellow gold ring can be nearly indistinguishable online. Knowing in advance the metal type and purity you want for your ring can help you focus your search and ensure you’re putting your budget towards the design features that are most important to you.
5. Check the Website’s Return Policy.
Before you click purchase, review the online retailer’s return policy. Some rings can take several weeks to ship so, in the event that you need to exchange it before you propose or it doesn’t fit immediately after you pop the question, make sure the delivery and return window coincide with your proposal timeline.
And cross-check the website to see if any kind of customization, like having the ring engraved, nullifies the return policy. If it does, consider having the ring engraved after you present it to your new fiancé.