Buying an engagement ring for your new soon-to-be fiance can be incredibly stressful because it’s something most people only do once. It's essential for you and your fiance that you choose the perfect gemstone, cut, and setting that will last them throughout their lifetime. Before purchasing your new engagement ring, keep these 5 things in mind at all times.

Beyond Diamonds: Emeralds, Rubies, or Sapphires?

You don’t have to choose a diamond ring as an engagement present. In fact, there are plenty of other gemstones that may suit your financial situation or your fiance’s personal preferences. For example, these emerald rings from Diamondere are perfect for men or women who prefer their ring to represent peace, longevity, and good luck specifically.

Use this guide to choose an engagement ring that conveys what you’re trying to say:

Sapphire: Fidelity and long marriage
Emerald: Good luck
Ruby: Love and passion
Amethyst: Good fortune
Peridot: Good health
Aquamarine: Courage
Pearl: Chastity and purity

There are still plenty of gemstones to choose from. Garnet, citrine, opal, zircon, topaz, and turquoise are all excellent choices for any engagement ring.

Don’t Focus Too Much on Perfection

Diamond experts use the “Four Cs” (color, cut, clarity, and carat) to determine a gemstone's quality. You won’t need a D Flawless stone to create a beautiful ring because the grading system works on a sliding scale. An E-grade diamond will look just as good as a D or F-grade diamond to the naked eye. Some gemstones don’t even need a higher grade to look expensive because they can hide perfection well or look better with a few fractals.

Emeralds are graded with the naked eye, so it will be difficult to hide imperfections, while sapphires are darker and less likely to look damaged or cheap on a lower grade.

Trends Aren’t Important, Your Fiancées Preferences Are

Trends come and go, but an engagement ring will stay on your fiancées hand for decades. It’s more important to find a ring that will match your fiancées preferences, skin tone, and dress style so her accessories will look timeless. Someone who wears more muted tones can get away with brighter stones, while colourful personalities may want a diamond or pearl ring.

The Setting Needs to Match the Stone

After falling in love with a stone, you may forget about the setting or leave it as an afterthought, but that’s a huge mistake. Think of the setting stone as a piece of artwork and the setting as the frame. Both complement each other, just like the both of you do in marriage.

Yellow Gold: The purest form of gold, it causes the fewest allergic reactions and looks great on darker or olive-colored skin tones.
White Gold: Mixed with pure gold and other alloy metals, white gold is less expensive, usually rhodium-plated, and looks great on lighter skin tones.
Rose Gold: The in-demand pinkish-colored frame is more durable and slightly cheaper than gold. Looks romantic and beautiful on most skin tones.
Platinum: Considered the most expensive frame, they consist of at least 95% platinum, are quite heavy, and require less care.

In general, most settings will look good with a diamond. Lighter-colorued settings look great with all stones, while gold brings out the beauty in darker-colorued gems.

It’s Not About the Price Tag or the Size

Go big or go home doesn’t have to be the mantra when choosing an engagement ring. Your fiancée won’t want you to go into debt over a ring, and it’s likely they’d prefer something that sits nicely on their hand. If your fiancée prefers a larger ring and you can afford it, there’s no shame in that, but don’t feel pressured to buy a rock so big they need a crane to pull up their hand!

Try not to worry about the price tag either, because many of the old engagement ring rules no longer apply. You don’t have to spend three months' salary on a ring; it’s just a marketing gimmick. Even buying a vintage ring can bring joy to your fiancée face!