Engagement Ring Shopping Guide

Ready to pop the question, but not sure what you're in for? Read on to get tips, tricks, and a basic idea of what to expect when shopping for the perfect engagement piece.

Set a budget 

Before you do anything, you need to determine what your budget is. Likely, this will help you decide whether you want to shop for a ready-to-wear ring, or explore custom design options to create a dream piece entirely from scratch. 

Keep in mind that the InBloom Jewelry team will always help you work within your budget and explore the options that are best for you while making sure you’re ready to propose with the ultimate engagement ring in-hand. 

Refine, refine, refine!

Never underestimate the power of the jewelry you already own—or the jewelry your family members may have lying around, too. Many clients bring pieces to refine and repurpose, putting the value of their precious metals towards the balance for their custom pieces. Many also reuse their diamonds and gemstones, too, and integrate them into engagement pieces to both save money and add personal meaning. 

Come on in and take a look around

The best way to kickstart the process of shopping for an engagement ring is to come into the InBloom Jewelry gallery and look at the pieces in our cases. We have displays for each of our design collections, and you can see if anything strikes your fancy. 

Want to look at our jewelry before coming in? Browse our online shop and design collection galleries to see a selection of our handcrafted jewelry designs. 

Don’t worry if you don’t quite see what you and your partner are looking for, though—our custom design process and talented design team can help you make your vision a reality, no matter the inspiration you have in mind.

To shop solo, or include your partner in the design process?

Along with budget, deciding whether or not you want to include your partner in the shopping and design process is important. For some, the surprise of the proposal is tantamount. For others, ensuring an engagement ring is something their sweetheart has had a part in designing is even more crucial. 

Some people bring their partner in for the first design appointment, or as walk-ins to look around the gallery and see which pieces they’re drawn to. Then, any design appointments after that can be attended solo, still preserving an element of surprise when the ring is ultimately revealed—while still including their partner in the selection of the initial design.

Whether or not you come in alone, with your partner, or even accompanied by a close friend or family member, our InBloom designers are prepared to help you create a design that will beautifully match your partner’s style and personality no matter what.

Doing a surprise proposal? Figure out your partner’s ring size. 

While we always offer resizing services—which are especially common for engagement pieces—it helps to do a little detective work. If your partner wears a ring on their ring finger, figure out its size, or bring it in for our designers to look at. Ask their friends and family if they’ve tried pieces on, or if you’ve gone shopping for engagement jewelry with them, determine what their size is while looking.

Have absolutely no idea what their ring size is, or don't have the opportunity to do some sleuthing? All good! The InBloom designers will help you create a piece using an average ring size, and we can go from there, resizing down the road if needed. 

Are you looking for a solitaire engagement ring?

When you picture an engagement ring, it's likely that you're thinking of a solitaire ring with a single 3/4 to 1-carat diamond at its center. Knowing whether you want the elegant simplicity of a classic solitaire ring (meaning one, solo diamond) is an important distinction for the shopping process, especially since more complex setting designs with multiple stones tend to be more expensive.

This will also likely determine whether you want to design something fully custom, or look at our available Bridal Collection models that can be made-to-order with the diamond of your choice.

Non-solitaire ring settings to consider

Other classic engagement ring settings include 3-stone and multi-stone with a center diamond with an eternity band. Don't feel limited to the tried-and-trues, though! The possibilities are endless!

When in doubt, pick a carat

We find that a lot of our clients come into their appointments with a specific carat size in mind for their ring’s centerpiece stone. This is a great way to kickstart the design process, as each size has different possibilities. 

We can help you source the perfect diamond no matter what you’re looking for—lab or natural, large or small—and have models to show you so that you have a realistic expectation of what the diamond will look like on a finger. 

• 1-carat 

  • The national average for diamond size in an engagement ring is 1.2 carats. Eye-catching, elegant, and budget-friendly. Fits a variety of design styles and you can go as elaborate or as simple as you like. Gives a classic look when in a solitaire setting, but also shines beautifully when accompanied by accent gems.

• 2-carat

  • Guaranteed to make a statement. Looks larger on the finger than one may think, but a delicate setting will offset the large stone and allow the diamond to catch more sparkle. Also makes the perfect centerpiece for a 3-stone engagement ring!

• 3-carat

  • Very large for a center stone, and impossible to miss—so you want to make sure the cut shape you choose will compliment the finger. Stunning, but keep in mind it will have a lot of lift off the finger, so may not be best for those needing a practical ring for daily wear.

Read our guide to selecting the perfect diamond here.

Consider the wedding band

Many clients are so focused on the engagement itself that they don’t always consider the other ring they may shop for in the future—a matching wedding band. Our designers always make sure to help clients consider the band during the engagement ring design process, since sometimes designs work against the use of a band, or won’t match or fit together with pre-existing bands they may already have in mind. 

You’ve booked a Design Consultation. Let’s get this party started!

Even if you have absolutely no idea what kind of ring you want, our design consultations begin with a conversation. Just bring an open mind, budget, and timeline, and our designers will help you ease into the process.

We begin by learning about you and your partner, and will walk you around the InBloom gallery. This casual start to the design process helps us get an idea of who you are as individuals and a couple, and which styles you’re drawn to. We will pull the pieces you like, and then the visualizing part of the process begins, all while keeping in mind what we’ve learned about you—not just personality, but also your budget, lifestyle, and timeline, too.

Learn more about what our co-creative design process entails here.