Engagement Ring Shopping Tips

Shop Smart and Save Money Buying An Engagement Ring

Sales
Look for sales to get a diamond engagement ring at a discount price. However, be sure that these sales are legitimate sales and not ones that are continuously being run all through the year. Many stores have holiday sales to get rid of discontinued or last years engagement rings to make room for new products. Especially look for sales after holidays such as Valentine’s Day and Christmas. The number of items may be limited but the inventory probably changes frequently, so if you leave yourself enough time to shop, you are sure to find an engagement ring that suits your taste and budget.


Wholesale
There is no such thing as wholesale prices to the general public and anyone who tells you they are selling you an engagement ring or a diamond at wholesale prices is not being 100% honest.

A true and reputation wholesaler will only sell to a retailer with a jewelry store, a federal tax number and references.

If someone offers to sell you one diamond or one engagement ring at wholesale prices without seeing your federal tax number or some business documentation, he is probably a retailer claiming to be a wholesaler.

But if you know someone in the jewelry business, you may be able to get an engagement ring for what that jeweler paid for the ring. Short of that, your best bet is the find a jeweler that has minimized their operating costs considerably and can pass those savings on to you.

Small Local Jewelry Stores
Consider buying from a small local jewelry store that is owned by run an individual owner who would be more inclined to make you a happy and repeat customer. You are probably in a better position to negotiate the best price with the owner of the store.

Outlet stores
Outlet stores of large retail jewelers are great locations for discount engagement rings, including wedding and engagement rings. The styles are often identical to those found in mainstream stores, but with significantly reduced prices. Many outlet stores carry last season’s designs, discontinued and overstocked items as well as displayed items and slightly damaged items that can usually be fixed cheaply.

Pawn Shops
Check out you local pawn shops for your engagement ring. Most pawn shops today are not the cramp, dark and dreary shops overstuffed with dusty musical instruments, old cameras and watches and rings that you may see in movies. Many of the shops are designed like retail stores, with glittering jewelry cases as the store’s centerpiece. And more and more “regular” shoppers are customers. The shops usually clean, polish and refurbish what they sell before putting them out on the sales floor. You’ll find brand name, high-end jewelry at reduced prices. You may also find vintage and antique engagement rings at great prices.

Online Stores
Online only jewelry and engagement ring stores are able to offer qualified engagement rings for less than traditional brick and mortar stores because they don’t have expenses associated with a physical store or pay as many employees, and are willing to pass on some of the cost savings to you.

Purchasing an engagement ring online is risky because you cannot physically inspect the ring before you pay for it. So before buying any expensive item from an online jeweler that you do not know, check the online jeweler’s reputation; check to see if the store’s website is secure; and make sure the store has a return policy and that you understand the policy.

eBay
Another online place to look for a cheap engagement ring is eBay and other auction sites. If you have the time and the patient, auctions are the best way to buy a quality engagement ring at the best possible price.

Shop Around
Perhaps one of the best buying tips to keep in mind is to give yourself plenty of time to shop around. The Internet makes it easy for anyone shopping for an engagement ring to window shop without leaving home. Buying an engagement ring or any other expensive item on a whim or spur of the moment will most likely result in you paying more than you should.

Other Tips to Save Money Buying Engagement Ring: Engagement Ring On The Cheap,   Engagement Ring For Less,  Save Money When Buying The Diamond,  Drop The Diamond For Another Gemstone

Palladium

Palladium as a Ring Metal

Palladium is an extremely rare silvery white metal. It is considered to be a precious metal. It is one of the softer metals in the platinum group. Palladium is becoming a popular alternative to platinum and white gold for engagement rings because its price is between that of gold and platinum. While palladium costs less than platinum, it has many of the visual and strength attributes that make platinum popular. Palladium does not react with oxygen and therefore will not tarnish. Palladium alloys are generally 95% pure, making it hypoallergenic.


Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings: Gold, Platinum, Titanium, Silver

Gold

Gold, the most Popular Ring Metal

Gold, a precious metal, in its purest form is a shiny yellow metal and is relatively inactive chemically. It resists tarnish and other changes that would dull the shine of other metals. It also means that gold is hypoallergenic, meaning it will not react with your skin and cause an allergic reaction. Gold is the most malleable and ductile of all the metals, meaning that it can be easily worked without breaking.

Because it is extremely soft, pure gold is unsuitable for use as an engagement ring that will be worn everyday. For that reason, other metals, usually silver and copper alloy, are mixed with gold to make gold alloy that is harder and more durable to use for every-day-wear jewelry.


Depending on the amount of the other metals added to the gold, you get 10k, 14k, 18k or 24k gold.

Karat – not to be confused with carat – is a grading system used to indicate the amount of gold in a gold alloy or the quality of a gold alloy:

10 karat (10k) – 10 parts gold and 14 parts other metals or 41.67% purity of gold.
14 karat (14k) – 14 parts gold and 10 parts other metals or 58.33% purity of gold.
18 karat (18k) – 18 parts gold and 6 parts other metals or 75.00% purity of gold.
24 karat (24k) – 24 parts gold and o part other metals or 100% purity of gold.

The higher the gold content, the higher the price, and the softer the gold alloy, the richer gold color. Most engagement rings and wedding rings on the market today are either 14k or 18k gold.

All jewelry is required by law to have a karat grade stamped on it in addition to the trademark of its maker and the country of origin.

Gold is a naturally yellow metal. By mixing yellow gold with some white metals such as silver, palladium, platinum, and zinc alloys creates white gold’s neutral color appearance and shine. This combination makes white gold a tougher metal than yellow gold.

Traditionally nickel was used in white gold. While gold is hypoallergenic, nickel can cause allergic reactions in a sizable portion of the population and is no longer used in most white gold made today.

Other Popular Metals Used For Engagement Rings:  Platinum, Palladium, Titanium, Silver