Gold is an iconic choice for jewelry of all kinds, but especially wedding and engagement rings. Its lustrous quality and resistance to tarnishing have made it a beloved metal since ancient times.
For example, gold has a harder tensile strength than silver, meaning it will scratch less and is much harder to bend out of shape. The added strength of gold makes it an exceptional choice for wedding rings and other pieces that you will wear every day.
Silver as a precious metal is relatively soft and highly malleable. While pure silver is even softer, it is unsuitable to craft into a durable engagement ring. Instead, 925 sterling silver should be considered as today it is the most popular choice for silver engagement and wedding rings.
Which gold colours are the most commonly used for engagement rings? Yellow, white and pink gold are most commonly used for jewelry, and for engagement rings in particular.
Most Common Ring Metal: Gold. Yellow gold is the most common metal used for engagement rings. Its warm, yellowish hue complements diamonds, as well as a number of other colored gemstones.
General Rule: You should spend at least 2 months salary on the engagement ring. If, for example, you are making $60,000 per year, you should spend $10,000 on the engagement ring.
Solitaire Engagement Rings
By far the most popular engagement ring style is the classic and elegant solitaire, notably the round diamond solitaire ring.
Compared to other precious metals such as gold, platinum, and palladium, silver is relatively inexpensive. This makes it an ideal choice for those who are on a tight budget but still want to offer their partner a beautiful and meaningful engagement ring.
A rose gold band, for instance, can cast a warmer glow within the center stone than, say, a platinum band. But according to our study, one metal reigns supreme: white gold. With 45% of respondents saying they have a white gold band, it's the most popular engagement ring metal.
Gold is an iconic choice for jewelry of all kinds, but especially wedding and engagement rings. Its lustrous quality and resistance to tarnishing have made it a beloved metal since ancient times.
Silver is a great choice for an engagement ring because it's more durable than gold and less likely to tarnish over time.
Like gold, pure silver is too soft to be used in jewelry. It's combined with other metals such as copper to boost its strength. Sterling silver must contain at least 92.5% pure silver, which is why it's stamped as .
Don't be afraid to add some diamond sparkle to your sterling silver jewelry collection! Once considered entirely unconventional, many jewelers are finding that diamonds add the perfect touch to their silver lines. We talked to a few experts to get their opinions on the best way to add diamonds to silver.
Average Engagement Ring Cost
While $6,000 is the national average cost of a ring, the spend per couple varies. Our study found that roughly one-third of all respondents are spending between $1,000 to $4,000 on their engagement ring. In fact, 8% of ring shoppers are spending under $1,000.
One thing to keep in mind when choosing jewellery is that gold is much more expensive than silver because gold is a more valuable precious metal.
That's still a substantial sum: A one carat engagement ring typically costs around $5,500. But most couples have no idea what diamonds cost: they set out to spend between $1,000 and $5,000, yet the average cost of an engagement ring ends up being over $6,000.
According to recent surveys, most American couples expect to spend between $1,000 and $5,000 on an engagement ring. The actual average cost for an engagement ring is over $6,000. With all that said, most women are reasonable and just.
Yes, $3,000 is definitely enough for an engagement ring. You can get a beautiful, high-quality diamond and a setting with this budget.
According to tradition, the amount you choose to spend on an engagement ring should approximate the amount of your monthly salary times two. By this measure, anyone who earns $2,000 a month should be looking at models in the $4,000 range. For someone earning $10,000 a month, a $20,000 ring would be about right.
Is $5,000 Enough for an Engagement Ring? Yes. A budget of $5,000 is absolutely enough to buy a beautiful engagement ring that your fiancé-to-be will love. For example, this stunning 1.2 carat, K color, VVS1 round diamond set in a beautiful 18K yellow gold solitaire ring from James Allen is $4,860.
Avoid harsh cleaners or cleaning methods.
Cleaning your silver jewelry with materials such as steel wool or other abrasive items could scratch the piece. It's also best to avoid abrasive cleaners such as baking powder. Harsh scrubbing, even with a gentler cloth, can also cause damage to your jewelry.
Usually, engagement rings with a larger center diamond won't be set in sterling silver because it's too soft. And if you see a stamp that says "CZ," you're looking at a cubic zirconia stone, rather than a real diamond. There are sterling silver rings with diamonds, but those likely will be tiny melee diamonds.
This means that diamond jewelry is often imitated and sold as a real diamond. If you have been sold a fake diamond it is most likely to be CZ (Cubic Zirconia), an imitation created in a lab. While some choose to knowingly buy and sell CZ gems, others attempt to exploit the industry and sell them as real diamonds.
Lotion and beauty products easily build up and can dull the stones in your rings. We highly recommend putting on any lotion before you wear jewellery to avoid this. Hairspray is another product that can be harsh on your jewellery. Hairspray will cause a noticeable film to build up on your jewellery over time.