Knowing and weighing all your options will help you find the most beautiful diamond for your engagement ring. You can make yourself crazy trying to read all the information about diamonds and how to find the one you want. But sometimes you may not have the time to go through it all or you need a way to quickly remind yourself of everything you’ve learned. When you’re looking for the most beautiful diamond for your engagement ring, keep these five things in mind. 1. Cut Experts agree, the diamond’s cut and polish are the most important considerations when it comes to its...

Wedding Band Basics: What’s Out There, What to Look For From the style to the shape of wedding bands, from the choices of metals to greener options, we’ve got “Wedding Band 101” covered. Are you planning on tattooing your wedding bands on your ring fingers? It’s an option sometimes seen on celebs and “regular” folks as well. But there are definitely beautiful — and far less painful — wedding band options worth your consideration. In case you haven’t made it to the engagement ring portion of the process yet, you can buy matching engagement rings and wedding bands, called “bridal sets.” You’ll have a perfectly matched...

Buying a Diamond: Does Size Really Matter? Hung up on size? Get the scoop on how to buy a diamond that expresses how big your love is. How big? It’s often the foremost question in the minds of nervous diamond engagement ring shoppers, yet you’ll notice jewelry store salespeople have a hard time answering this question. It depends, they tell you. You have to work within your budget. That’s technically the right answer. The “it depends” approach actually gives you a lot of flexibility when buying a center stone diamond for an engagement ring. The 4Cs of diamond buying — carat weight, cut,...

There are engagement ring options to fit any budget. It’s just a matter of figuring out what’s right for you and your bride-to-be. “Spend two months’ salary on an engagement ring.” You’ve heard it, everyone has — and sometimes you’ll even hear it bumped up to three months. Some people think it’s an etiquette rule, and some may even believe it’s a law or something. It’s not. It was a guideline developed on the heels of World War II by diamond giant De Beers’ advertising agency. It’s marketing — really impressive marketing. But it’s not a hard and fast rule....

Engagement Ring: The Guide to Getting It Right Engagement Ring Shopping With Your Fiancée-to-Be. You want to choose the perfect engagement ring. Here’s how to enlist your bride-to-be to make sure she gets the engagement ring of her dreams. Getting engaged is a time-honored tradition practiced by couples since … well, forever. These days, some guys take the elaborate proposal route: choosing an eye-popping location and an over-the-top-will-you-marry-me speech complete with balloons, flowers and an engagement ring they chose all by themselves. Even if the two of you have discussed getting engaged before, asking for her opinion will likely strike...

Plan the perfect proposal — and avoid disaster. Asking your beloved to marry you is momentous. With the trend toward elaborate proposals growing, the pressure is on to make it memorable, shareable and unique. But we’ve all seen the viral evidence of when proposals with perfect intentions go horribly wrong. Don’t go empty-handed Even if you don’t have the perfect engagement ring picked out, have something! Nothing says, “I really didn’t think about this” like popping the question with nothing to show for it. In a survey by The Knot, proposing without a ring was ranked as the No. 1...

A gift for your groom celebrates your love on an intimate level. It’s a long-standing tradition for the bride and groom to exchange gifts shortly before their wedding day. These gifts are meant to symbolize your love and commitment to each other in a cozier, more private way than the wedding vows you’ll exchange and party you’ll dance at in front of family and friends. First, like any tradition, just because it exists doesn’t mean you need to follow it. Talk with your fiancé first to make sure you’re both on the same page about a gift exchange. If you...

Show her your love and commitment. In traditional weddings, it’s customary for the bride and groom to give each other gifts. Of course, this practice can be adjusted to fit the taste and style of any couple, whether you’re planning an elaborate celebration, eloping in Vegas or having a quiet ceremony with immediate family. The idea behind bridal gifts isn’t to make a big deal or spend a lot of money on your betrothed — although you can certainly do that. Rather, this gift exchange is intended as a token of love and affection, a private moment in the midst...

Having a Winter Holiday Wedding While most people think about popping the question during the holidays, have you thought about a wedding? It’s a little unconventional, but there are a lot of reasons to consider throwing a wedding into the holiday mix. The whole world seems like it’s already decorated and beautifully lit, families are together and people are in the mood to celebrate. You’ll also set yourself apart — did you know, according to The Knot, June and September are the most popular months to get married? While December sees the most engagements, winter weddings are barely a blip...

Men’s jewelry choices are expanding. Once upon a time, the jewelry men wore was pretty limited — a class or wedding ring, a watch or two, sometimes cuff links if a shirt or occasion called for it. Tie bars come and go in fashion (they’re trending up right now, as suits and ties are cut slimmer these days). Sometimes a neck chain got worn on a night out. That time is over. Men want jewelry. Men wear jewelry. And there are designs out there to fit any taste, any mood and any occasion. Contrary to once-popular opinions, studies show men...