Engagement Rings: Buying Tips for the Budget-Conscious Male
Sydney is the capital city of New South Wales and is best known for its superb beaches and iconic landmarks such as the Opera House and Harbour Bridge. These two landmarks are often set as backgrounds for outdoor wedding ceremonies held within the city limits.
Speaking of wedding ceremonies, if you plan to propose to your special other, you may find it very challenging to afford an engagement ring because of the different financial problems that the world’s economies face today. Fortunately, there are ways for the budget-conscious groom to save on luxury jewellery in Sydney when purchasing engagement rings.
Set and Stick to Your Budget
Before beginning your ring hunt, you must know how much you can and are willing to spend. An old saying states that a guy must spend as much as his two month’s salary on an engagement ring. While this saying is being followed by most, a budget-conscious guy must know that this saying is just propaganda by diamond trading corporations to generate more income. The truth is, you should only buy an engagement ring that is within your budget, whether this is lesser or greater than two months’ worth of your salary. Remember, once you have set a figure that you will be comfortable spending for a ring, you have to stick to it.
Involve the Would-Be-Bride
Although you would want to give your would-be-bride the best and most beautiful ring, there is, you are strained because of your limited budget. The best way to solve this is to involve your loved one in choosing the ring that will still satisfy both her engagement ring desires and your budget limitation. Since you will be a married couple and share a lifetime, you should share this decision.
Use Alternate Metals
White platinum has replaced yellow gold as the main metal for engagement rings. However, platinum comes with a very expensive price tag. Luckily, other metals in the market can act as an alternative to using the more costly platinum. If you are a traditionalist, using yellow gold or silver for your ring’s band will cost significantly less. Another alternative to platinum is white gold, which will give you savings of up to 45%. However, the most budget-friendly alternative metal to white platinum is the Palladium. Very similar to platinum, a palladium ring band would cost about 75 per cent less, which will give you additional savings, which you can use to buy a larger and more beautiful stone for your ring.
Use Simple Settings
The most cost-efficient option in the ring setting is to use the simple and traditional prong setting. The lesser the embellishment options of an engagement ring, the lesser is its cost. Remember that solitaire engagement rings cost significantly lesser than three-stone rings or the channel set band. Consult with your favourite store selling luxury jewellery in Sydney for the different settings options for your engagement ring.
Combine Rings
One trend gaining popularity during this time of economic crisis is to combine the engagement ring with the wedding band. Purchasing a combined engagement-wedding ring will be more costly than buying a ring, but it will prove to be more cost-effective because you don’t need to buy a wedding band for the marriage. Another advantage of choosing a combined ring is to have a wider ring band with more rows of diamonds.
Don’t Complete the Carat
Another way of obtaining a budget-friendly ring is by making sure that the diamond does not reach a whole carat weight. A diamond with a full carat weight will be significantly more expensive than a similar diamond with only .90 carat. A .90 carat diamond and a 1.0-carat diamond will look so much alike compared by the naked eye.
Remember, by having your loved one help you choose; you will eventually get the perfect ring that you two will cherish forever.
Author: Kelly
No comments