Tips An Expert Swears By For Wedding Ring Shopping
By Rudy Joon
“Putting a ring on it” is easier said than done! Your wedding ring is something you’ll wear for the rest of your life so choosing the one can be a complicated and stressful experience. At Wed Mayhem, we’re all about shopping smarter, not harder. Knowing what you’ll be going through ahead of time and how to avoid commonly made mistakes, will help you wedding ring shop with ease! Wedding Wingman Jamie Hollier, owner of Balefire Goods is here to break down everything you need to know before purchasing an engagement ring.
What does a Wedding Ring entail?
People are doing whatever they want these days, but historically an engagement ring is a stone-based ring that someone proposes with. Traditionally, the ring will be then worn by one spouse, but at Balefire Goods they’ve found they’ve found more engagement rings are being made for both fiancés. Then during the wedding ceremony the couple will exchange wedding bands. A wedding band can be more stylized but it often has less gemstones or none at all.
Most commonly, wedding bands and engagement rings are worn together. However, Jamie added that a simple wedding band is great to wear alone for situations like traveling when a flashy engagement ring can make you a target for thieves. As for the debate on which hand you wear your wedding band or whether you should wear the engagement ring on the inside or outside, Jamie finds it’s all about your cultural background and location!
Research is key!
Do some research on your preferences! Look at specific elements of rings and find references for your jeweler. Ask yourself “What materials, metals, stones, shapes and colors do I like?” Remember to think about the engagement ring and the wedding band as a complete set, as that’s how you’ll wear them the vast majority of the time and they should go together. Jamie warns don’t make the mistake of choosing a ring that’s cool now just for it to go out of style. Instead, think long and hard about what style you want to have forever.
Get sized!
We understand that it may be more fun to make it a total surprise, but Jamie recommends going ring shopping with your fiancé. You can bring in other rings to a jeweler to match sizing, but chances are it’s probably worn on a different finger. It’s helpful, but it’s never exact. Getting ring sized is really the best option as it helps you also have much-needed conversations about preferences.
Don’t dodge the budget conversation!
Your ring budget should also be one of the first things you think about before purchasing an engagement ring. Jamie says “Getting engaged can be a very stressful process, you’re signing up for a big commitment, so I think adding financial stress to that is never great. I would say start with what you’re comfortable with. You can always upgrade to your dream ring later.”
Shop in person vs online!
While you may have a wider price selection online, Jamie says to beware of any deals that are too good to be true. Jewelry, engagement rings, especially can be tricky to shop for online as they can look very different in a photo than in person.
Wedding Wingman Wisdom
“We’ve done a lot of rings for people who thought they were getting a great deal online and they get it and they end up spending a lot more because it wasn’t what they imagined and they have to get a brand new ring from someone like us.”
Go custom!
Couples that want rings that are more unique and more representative of them and their life story often choose custom rings. At the beginning of your wedding planning process, it is a nice bonding experience that’s very different from picking it out of a case. At Balefire Goods, Jamie has found a lot of people go the custom engagement route so that they can bring in their own stones or family heirloom pieces to incorporate. “You’re integrating your family and your past into your future through leveraging these pieces.” In addition to bringing a new life to family pieces, you are also saving money!
10 Celebrity Wedding Rings & Their Inspiring Proposals
By Rudy Joon
We went straight to the stars for engagement ring inspiration, and they did not disappoint. While these ten celebrities may have enormous budgets and a team behind them to help, their A-list status adds to the pressure of the whole world’s criticism. We first took to Instagram to share how these couples chose to break the news and then did a deep dive to get the engagement story and all of the ring details. From unconventional to jaw-dropping, these rings are certainly going down in history.
There’s one less lonely girl after Justin Bieber proposed to Hailey Baldwin on a trip to the Bahamas. We’re sure the estimated $500,000 custom made from Solow & Co made her one happy girl. With life in the spotlight, Justin decided to pop the question in private as Hailey recounts to Vogue: “We were alone in the house, just the two of us. It was very special.” Bieber took to Instagram a few days later after the news broke on TMZ to confirm, but fans had to wait for Hailey’s post for ring details.
The infamous ring has a solitaire layout and features a classical colorless oval-cut diamond estimated around 6 to 8-carats set on a 18-karat gold band. We love that even though Hailey is the queen of following (and pioneering) the trends, the 21-year-old bride opted for a classic ring that will withstand the test of time. On her wedding day, she added Tiffany & Co. Soleste band ring and a Tiffany & Co Soleste V ring both in 18-karat gold and bordered with sparkling diamonds.
Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom budding relationship rumors started after being spotted together at the Golden Globes afterparty in January of 2016. Since then, the couple announced an amicable breakup, before eventually getting back together. Orlando got down one knee on Valentine’s day in 2019. We love that this couple, both on their second marriage, took the time to make sure marriage was the right choice for them.
Katy took to Instagram to share the news with a cropped-in selfie of the couple with the ever-so-fitting caption “Full Bloom.” The star of the show is a flower-shaped engagement ring perfect for the playful “Teenage Dream” singer. The ring is truly one-of-a-kind as no one can be quite sure if it features a ruby center stone or a vivid pink oval shaped diamond. Adding to the estimated $5 million value, are the eight diamond baguettes that assemble the petals in a yellow gold setting. In engagement photos shared by Katy’s mom, the bride-to-be embraced the theme in a fitted hot pink dress with a bejeweled heart and pink nails to match.
We couldn’t include Katy Perry’s ring without mentioning Kate Middleton’s notorious rock. The rings share a similar classic floral halo design, as seen above in this copycat ring. The style long predates Kate and Katy however, as it’s a royal family heirloom. The inspiration for the ring dates back to the mid-19th century made by jeweler Garrard and worn by Queen Victoria as brooch on her wedding day as her “something blue.” Queen Victoria wore it so often that when she died in 1901 she declared it a heirloom of the crown and has been worn by every queen since.
Prince Charles, inspired by the brooch he had seen his grandmother and mother wear, included a ring with a similar bold sapphire among the selection of rings Diana was presented in preparation for their proposal. It is reported Diana chose the ring to match her blue eyes. We love that Prince William was able to propose to the Duchess of Cambridge with a ring that honors his late mother. The 12-carat oval sapphire is surrounded by 14 diamonds and set in 18-Karat white gold. The ring once valued at $37,500 in 1981 is now considered priceless as it is a part of history.
Emma Stone and her husband Dave Mccary of Saturday Night Live may be known for their big personalities, but decided to keep their relationship private. After more than two years of dating, Dave proposed at NBC’s Manhattan Headquarters, 30 Rock, where they met on the set of SNL. An insider shared they had the place to themselves and it was very romantic.
Upon a closer look, we were able to find out the ring was designed by Toyoko designer Kataoka and features a 8mm untreated saltwater pearl. We love the attention to detail as the pearl is bordered by a snowflake shape made up of .37- carats of diamonds. The sparkle doesn’t stop there, as the 18-karat gold band is encrusted with diamonds. This ring can be purchased online for $5,380.
Dear Julia Stiles, here are 10 things we love about you (and your ring)
She got engaged to a camera assistant, Preston J. Cook.
The couple met for the first time on a movie set.
She said “yes” during a romantic vacation in Ilha Grande, off of Colombia.
She hard launched the engagement via Instagram.
The caption said “Best Christmas Ever”… how effortlessly cool.
The gorgeous round diamond is perfectly framed in a bezel rose-gold setting.
Her husband chose a matching rose-gold band for himself.
She lost her engagement ring camping at the Royal Gorge.
In a panic looking for her ring, she met one of her favorite bands “Nathaniel Radcliffe & The Night Sweats” and they saved the day by helping her find the ring.
The following summer she was reunited with the band at the Nice Jazz Festival and her husband lost his wedding ring in the Mediterranean!
Ariana Grande said thank u, next after calling off her engagement with Pete Davidson and it led her to her husband Dalton Gomez. The real-estate agent worked with jeweler Jack Solow of Solow and Co. to design Ariana’s ring. The dazzling ring is a Toi et Moi ring which translates to “you and me” in French and features a large oval diamond estimated around 5 to 7- carats alongside a delicate pearl. The two stones are set on a yellow gold band.
Fans have speculated that the pearl looks similar to a ring Ariana tweeted in 2014. The ring made by her grandma, was a pearl made from her late grandfather’s tie pin and she shared that in a dream her grandfather told her it would protect her. Additionally, the pearl has even more sentimental meaning as it is her birthstone. Ariana shocked the world with her engagement news in an Instagram post captioned “Forever n then some.”
When you marry a producer, your engagement story will feel straight out of a movie. After only a few weeks of knowing each other, Sebastian Bear-Mcclard proposed to Emily Ratajakowski at the Minetta Tavern, a bar in New York. Emily joked on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon saying, “He didn’t have a ring, so I said, hmmmm nah.” But Sebastian romantically took the paperclip the bill was paid with and fashioned a make-shift ring. The couple had to wait 24 hours before they could be officially married at the New York mayoral office, so they went to make their own wedding bands.
Lady Gaga met her ex-fiancé Taylor Kinney when he was cast as her love interest for “You and I,” and it was love at first steamy-music video shoot. The couple dated for four years before getting engaged on Valentine’s Day in 2015. Taylor gave her his heart, literally, with a 6-carat heart-shaped diamond designed by the infamous celebrity jeweler Lorraine Shwartz. Online chatter estimates the ring to be around $500,000, but a designer with Instyle said “The stone is big and quite beautiful, and actually more expensive than some of the estimates I have read. It’s a challenge to get an excellent heart shape with perfection – the shoulders of the gem have to be totally symmetrical; Lady Gaga’s is all that.”
The singer took to Instagram to share more details about the ring: “My favorite part of my engagement ring, Taylor and Lorraine designed “T ❤ S” in white diamonds on the band. He always called me by my birth name. (Stefani Germanotta) Since our very first date. I’m such a happy bride-to-be! I can’t stop smiling!!” While the engagement was called off a year later, the unique ring will be remembered forever.
Hillary Duff met her singer-songwriter husband Matthew Koma while they were collaborating on her 2015 album “Breathe In. Breathe Out.” The pair first were friends and first romantically linked in 2017. They dated off and on, and in 2019 Matthew talked her into going on a walk in the park. Clearly not expecting anything, Hilary was in sweatpants (which we love btw.) He surprised her with a custom-made, illustrated book of their love story to share with their kids. When she got to the end of the book, there was a ring hidden in a secret compartment. Although it was perfectly planned out, Matthew’s mind went completely blank when it came down to it as Duff shared, he said “I forgot everything I’m supposed to say, but you’re my best friend.”
We’re guessing Matthew could have said anything and she would have said yes. Especially when he pulled out the ring with approximately a 4-carat diamond. The colorless diamond is set in a split-shank solitaire of either white gold or platinum. A classic 4-prong setting is perfect for the cushion cut shaped diamond as it allows light to pass through stone creating that eye-catching sparkle.
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