3 Engagement ring shopping mistakes to avoid

Buying an engagement ring should be an enjoyable and celebratory purchase but for many the process is fraught with anxiety. The internet is full of horror stories of people who have bought faulty or fake products and been unable to remedy their mistake.

But we’re here to help. We’ve prepared a list of watch outs and ways to protect yourself so you can put your worries to one side and focus on the positives of buying an engagement ring.

Fake Quality Grading of Diamonds and Gemstones

Our first watch out is directed at jewellers who, whether knowingly or unknowingly, fraudulently sell pieces that have a misrepresented or incorrect quality grading to increase the price. This is far more common with diamonds than with gemstone, mainly because diamonds have a more clearly defined quality grading system. There are multiple contemporary reports of customers who, having purchased a diamond only to have it re-graded and find that it has a lower colour and clarity rating than they were told at purchase.

When it comes to coloured gemstones there is no official grading system so it can be even harder to understand what represents real value or not. Some dealers will refer to coloured gemstones as A, AA, AAA or AAAA+, however this term is not standardised across the industry and therefore can confuse, rather than clarify a conversation. It’s also key to understand which treatments have been applied to your gemstone as some can destabilise your gemstone and make it more likely to become damaged over time so make sure you only purchase gemstones which have had stable treatments applied to them.

We’ve put together a comprehensive guide to understanding coloured gemstone quality which you can read here. The best way to protect yourself here is to go to a reputable jeweller and read their reviews carefully before buying.

Unstable settings

Another pitfall to watch out for is the poorly manufactured setting. Some unlucky customers have been known to lose their centre stone entirely, this is almost always a result of a setting that was incorrectly paired with the centre stone so they were never the perfect fit or one that is manufactured to low quality standards. The gem would have rattled in it’s setting or pushed too hard at a prong that was stretched to fit around it, eventually wearing them down until one snapped off and the centre stone fell out.

It is also worth considering the grade of metal you choose, in order to minimise the chance of losing your centre stone we would always recommend platinum or 18kt yellow gold for your setting and double claws for certain centre stones.

Bad warranty, repair and refund policies

This is a very simple one to guard yourself against! Make sure you check your jewellers policies for warranties, repairs and refunds before you check out. In case something does go wrong you have no legal recourse unless your jeweller has a clear and transparent policy that takes care of you. It can also be a red flag about other issues if your jeweller does not offer friendly policies or clear plans for each of these scenarios. A ring is for life if cared for properly so you don’t want to be stuck having invested in a faulty piece with no recourse.

Having said all of the above, don’t panic! It’s important to be well informed, so now you’ve read this, relax and proceed armed with all the facts!