The Hunt For An Engagement Ring Of My Dreams

It’s been a while since I last blogged and I apologise for my long absence. I’ve been quite busy the past few months. Planning for a wedding will do that to you.

Yeap! You read it right. Wedding bells are ringing soon. My wedding. Finally! The SIA Brat’s getting hitched! The date hasn’t been set in stone yet but it’ll take place sometime at the end of next year. Needless to say, I’ve been spending my after work hours researching for the wedding instead of blogging.

Truth be told my boyfriend hasn’t proposed. And honestly, I doubt he’d go down on bended knee to ask for my hand in marriage. As with most Singaporean couples, buying a house together is a form of proposal. But at the very least, I have insisted that he gives an engagement ring.

But! Not just any ring. You see, I am not a fan of diamonds. I don’t want any diamonds on my engagement ring. To me a coloured gemstone is much more precious than a diamond which is EVERYWHERE! If it were so precious, why is it so common?

So which is my favourite gemstone? That’s an excellent question.

The truth is, before I went on a hunt for the engagement ring of my dreams, I didn’t have a favourite gemstone. All I had to go on was the fact that I love the colour blue. And since the most commonly associated blue gemstones are sapphires, I set my heart on securing a sapphire engagement ring.

Now that I have a gem in mind, what about the design of the ring. Clueless again. I started by eliminating what I didn’t like. I Googled ‘sapphire engagement rings’ and started analysing what I liked and didn’t like about all the various designs and settings.

And now, the process of elimination.

Kate Middleton’s engagement ring is an example of a halo setting. The style is classic but it’s not something I like.

Photo Source: http://www.brilliance.com

And I didn’t like three stone engagement rings as well.

Photo Source: http://www.leehwajewellery.com

Those who know me know that I’m not the dainty sort of girl. So the airy fairy cutesy type of rings also do not sit well with me.

Photo Source: http://www.fairysinc.com

And while I like fashion jewellery that are chunky and unique, I know I wanted a ring that was comfortable, not too big or heavy because I want to wear it every day! Well, almost every day.

Photo Source: http://herengagementrings.com

After scouring the internet, I realised I should see these rings in person to make a better judgement. So I went around to all the commercial shops and tried to hunt down an engagement ring that I love.

Alas, nothing really captured my heart. Although, I did see a few rings that made my head turn.

Photo Source: http://www.leehwajewellery.com

Destinée In Glass is quite a unique ring design and while I didn’t like diamonds, I discovered that I love looking at the whole gem. I found myself admiring the shape of the diamond even though I wasn’t a fan of diamonds. However, the ring looks a little too chunky. Plus I’m afraid I’d hit it and the glass globe will fly off the ring.

Photo Source: http://www.leehwajewellery.com

I also took a shine to the Destinée Niessing Heaven Ring. However, I felt that the band was too thick and I set off to look for a tension setting ring with a thinner band and a sapphire gemstone.

After much research, I realised that tension setting rings have a thicker band to ensure that the stone is secure. So if I wanted a tension setting, I’d have to accept the thick band as well. Also, I realised I’d be so worried that I’ll hit something and the precious AND pricy stone would just fly off as well.

So I went back on the hunt.

And finally, after two months, I found a winner. It was a simple solitaire setting.

Photo Source: http://www.goldheart.com

This is the ring design I really like – The Arctica Bloom. I love the unique claw setting in which the gem is being held in place by leaf-shaped prongs. It makes the whole ring look like a flower and it’s leaves.

Falling in love with this design also made me realised that unlike most people, I enjoy looking at the culet (which is the sharp tip of the ring) more than I like looking at the ring from the top. And because of the leaf-shaped prongs, I can easily admire the gem’s culet. I suppose that’s also why the Destinée Niessing Heaven Ring and Destinée In Glass caught my eye.

Now that I’ve found a design I love, the next problem to “fix” was the gemstone. I was adamant about having a sapphire engagement ring, not a diamond engagement ring. Plus, even at it’s cheapest during the GSS sale, an Arctica Bloom would set my boyfriend back at least $5000++!

So off I went in search for a jeweller who would be willing and able to help me create the ring of my dreams without breaking the bank.

But that’s a different adventure in itself. Find out which jeweller I picked and what I learnt along the way about sapphires and gemstones in my next post.

Till then, I’ll continue doing my wedding research.

What do you think?

What type of ring design speaks to you? Are diamonds your best friend? Or do you, like me, prefer coloured gems to diamonds? How was your experience like, searching for the perfect engagement ring?