Engagement Rings

Where To Start

If you're looking to purchase an engagement ring it's highly likely you've heard the guidelines regarding spending a month's salary on this precious piece of jewellery. This however isn't strictly true, but the result of a 1930's advertising campaign by the world's largest diamond producer De Beers. 

At W.Bruford, we believe that there shouldn't be any rules or guidelines when it comes to your engagement ring budget, but most importantly it should be an amount that you are comfortable to spend. With a vast choice or rings available both in-store and made to order, our experienced team are here to guide you through every step of the way as you search for the perfect engagement ring that's right for you and your budget.

Your Perfect Diamond

When it comes to choosing your perfect diamond, you should take into consideration 'The Four C's'. Determining Cut, Carat, Colour and Clarity, these specifications all contribute to the overall value of a diamond, and will ensure you a purchasing the best diamond for your budget.

Cut

Diamonds are available in a variety of different shapes or 'cuts'. From the classic round brilliant to the modern marquise cut, each cut of stone includes a number of facets to allow light to pass from one to another, maximising the brilliance or overall 'sparkle' of the stone.

The cut quality of a diamond is the factor that fuels a diamonds sparkle, fire and brilliance. The beauty of a diamond depends more on cut quality than any of the other 4 C’s.

The GIA Diamond Cut Grading System for standard brilliant cut diamonds in the D-Z colour range is based on the assessment of seven components:

• Brightness: The total light reflected from a diamond
• Fire: The dispersion of light into the colours of the spectrum
• Scintillation: The pattern of light and dark areas and the flashes of light, or sparkle, when a diamond is moved
• Weight ratio
• Durability
• Polish
• Symmetry

Each of these components is assessed individually, taking into account the relative importance of that component in the overall cut quality of the diamond, and the diamond is given a cut grade on a relative scale from Excellent to Poor, which represents a range of proportion sets and face-up appearances.

Diamond proportion refers to the relationship between the size, shape and angle of each facet and ultimately determines the diamonds interaction with light. When light strikes a diamond, approximately 20% is immediately reflected from the surface with the remaining 80% being reflected internally and then back out through the top of the stone.

A well-proportioned diamond will have each facet placed and angled so it maximises the amount of light reflected and is perceived as the sparkle. If the diamond is cut too shallow or too deep, light will escape through the stone before it is reflected back through the top, causing the diamond to appear dull with less sparkle.

Carat

Referring to the weight of a diamond, and not the size, the term carat comes from the Mediterranean carob. The seeds of the tree were observed to be uniform in size and weight and used to balance scales when weighing precious gemstones for traders.

Just as £1 is divided into 100p, one carat is divided into 100 points. For example, a 50 point diamond weighs 0.50cts. But two diamonds of equal weight can have very different values depending on the other members of the 4C’s: clarity, colour and cut.

Precision is crucial when it comes to a diamonds weight as even a fraction of a carat can make a considerable difference in the cost. In the diamond industry, weight is often measured to the hundred thousandths of a carat, and rounded to a hundredth of a carat. Diamond weights which are greater than 1 carat are expressed in carats and decimals – for example, a 1.08ct stone would be described as ‘one point zero eight carats’.

Colour

Diamond colour is all about what you can’t see. Valued by how closely they approach colourlessness – the less colour a diamond has, the higher its value – with most commercial diamonds being from colourless to near-colourless, with slight hints of yellow or brown. The exception to this, is fancy coloured diamonds, such as pinks and blues, which lie outside this colour range.

The GIA colour-grading scale for diamonds is the industry standard, with the scale beginning with the letter D (colourless) and continues with the increasing presence of colour to the letter Z (light yellow or brown). Each letter grade has a clearly defined range of colour appearance and are graded by comparing them to stones of known colour under controlled lights and precise viewing conditions. Many of these colour distinctions are so subtle that they are invisible to the untrained eye, but these minute differences make a very big difference in terms of quality and price.

Clarity

Formed deep within the earth under extreme pressure and heat, diamonds often contain unique birthmarks - either internal (inclusions) or external (blemishes) – that can usually only be seen under professional magnification.

A diamond’s clarity refers to the absence of these inclusions and blemishes, with diamonds without these birthmarks being extremely rare and therefore the most valuable.

Using the GIA (Gemmological Institute of America) International Diamond Grading System™, diamonds are assigned a clarity grade that ranges from FL (flawless) to I3 (a diamond with obvious inclusions.

The GIA Clarity scale contains 11 grades, with most diamonds being graded as category VS (very slightly included) or SI (slightly included). The system takes into consideration the size, nature, position, colour and quantity of these clarity characteristics that are visible under 10 x magnification, to determine the grade of a diamond.

Show Your Style

When you're looking to choose an engagement ring, whether it's traditional and classic or modern and contemporary, at W.Bruford we hold in stock a wide selection of styles to suit your personality and your price point, so you can be sure you'll find the perfect engagement ring for you or your partner. 

	Name	Description
	Solitaire	A timeless design that will never age, the Solitaire style of engagement ring is the most traditional style and focuses purely on the single centered diamond.
	Solitaire with Set Shoulders	An updated design of the classic Solitaire, this style of engagement ring features a single centered diamond, with the addition of smaller diamonds set into the band.
	Halo	A modern and contemporary look, the Halo style of engagement ring features a centre stone with a halo surround of smaller diamonds.
	Illusion	With white gold or platinum surrounding the diamond, this style of engagement ring is ideal for those with a smaller budget, who still wish to have the appearance of a larger stone.
	Three Stone	Featuring three stones that symbolise your past, present and future love for one another, the Three Stone style of engagement ring can feature purely diamonds or a combination of diamonds with a coloured centre stone.
	Coloured Stone	For something more unusual, this style of engagement rings featured a coloured precious stone at its centre in replacement of the traditional diamond.

Precious Metal Options

When it comes to choosing the precious metal your engagement ring will be crafted from, you need to take into consideration various factors. Does your partner have a preference in metal colour? Do they have a career which requires them to be 'hands-on' and so they will need a more robust ring? Or maybe you are driven by the size of your budget? The table below provides information relating to our more popular precious metals: 18ct Yellow Gold, 18ct White Gold, 18ct Rose Gold and Platinum and their appearance, durability and price range, but please use the contact form below to get in touch with one of our team, who will be happy to answer any questions you may have.

Request Your Complimentary Ring Sizer

If you are unsure of your ring size, and unable to get to us to have your finger measured, please fill out the form below and we will be happy to send you a complimentary plastic ring sizer. *Sizers will arrive within 3-5 working days to UK addresses.

Alternatively, if you already know the size, but it's an international size, use our Ring Size Chart to easily convert the size to a UK finger size.