Are you planning your engagement proposal and trying to figure out the last step of getting that perfect engagement ring for your beloved? We are here to guide you through the entire process, from the design of your ring to its price. How much would be an ideal amount to spend on an engagement ring? Are there any myths that stand in your way, when it comes to engagement ring prices? Or are there any easy hacks that you could use while shopping for your special engagement ring? Read through to get all your answers to these seemingly complicated questions!

1. The myths around engagement rings and how much you should spend on them!

As per a 2019 survey from The Knot, the average cost of an engagement ring is near $5,900, and a significant number of respondents in the survey (~10%) spent less than $1,000. While, in a much recent (2020) Brides’ American Wedding Study, couples revealed spending an average of $3,756 on their respective engagement rings. This was more than $2,000, but still less than the average 2019 spending on engagement rings.

There is this old saying that you should spend a quarter of your annual income as your engagement ring’s worth. But is sticking to such rules a necessity? Definitely not! It’s good if you want to spend this much, and it’s great if you can. But remember not to be pressured into paying a quarter of your annual income, just to fit into this expenditure myth. Do it only if you have the means to meet this cost, moreover if you really want to. What matters is your love for your soon-to-be life partner, and no rings can match the value of that love. So stressing over the cost of the ring and compromising on the joy of your union is not worth it! Get a ring that is affordable for you and enjoy this new journey of life in more comfort.

2. Know your ring’s design:

The cost of your rings is determined by two factors: a) The cost of the diamond(s)/stone(s) and the metal used & b) The cost of the design of the ring - the setting of the centre stone/diamond and the ones around. To cut costs on the first front, you can ditch the diamond entirely. What would this mean for your engagement ring? This is a question you need to ask yourself while making this decision. Would you and your partner be fine with a centre stone that is not a diamond and instead a gemstone? That is a gemstone which is as brilliant or even better, adding a hue to the message of love that your engagement ring is to carry. If you wish to consider this path then ruby, white sapphire, emerald, blue sapphire and tanzanite gemstones would be a great replacement. While ruby, blue sapphire, emerald and tanzanite are coloured options, white sapphire is a close cousin to the diamond in terms of being transparent and nearly as brilliant. If you wish to ditch diamond and not its aesthetics, selecting a white sapphire centre stone would be the smartest way to cut the cost of your engagement ring. If you desire to go for a diamond ring on a pocket-friendly budget, you can always go for smaller-sized solitaires on your diamond engagement ring.

When it comes to the band of the ring, your options will be in yellow, rose white gold or platinum. Platinum is usually found at the most expensive end of a diamond engagement ring, and rightfully, so it is suggested to make one of the most enduring holds for solitaire diamonds on an engagement ring. But if you wish to manage costs, white gold would be a smarter replacement. If you wish to have an aesthetic appeal to your ring that fits a platinum diamond engagement ring, but on a budget - a white sapphire solitaire gemstone engagement ring on a white gold band should do the magic! Like this, you may try all the other gemstones that are available with metal bands that are more comfortable on your budget to cut down the cost of your perfect engagement ring.

Finally, in your ring’s design, it is the setting of the stones and diamonds that could heavily affect the cost on either side of your budget. Stone settings like a three-stone engagement ring set can prove to be expensive since a three-stone set would also mean a larger centre stone, which would increase the cost of the engagement ring, especially if the centre stone is a diamond. We would highly recommend not going for a cluster setting either unless you are looking for a cluster of tiny-sized gemstones. What is ideal for a ring on a budget is always a classic solitaire diamond!

3. Play with the Four C’s

There is always a way to accomplish any look on any budget. When the look you want is diamond, the ways are hidden in playing around with the four C’s of the diamond on your diamond engagement ring. The four C’s stand for Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat of the diamond used to make your solitaire. But remember the C that you should play the least with should be the cut of the diamond unless it is the only C of the four C’s that you are playing with. Persuading the cute too much can affect the brilliance of the diamond used. While the colour and clarity are the two C’s that you can play around with to persuade a diamond engagement ring into your budget. While experimenting with the carat of a diamond, remember that as the higher the carat is, the costlier the engagement ring becomes. Smartly exploring ways to deal with the costs of the diamond by using the four C’s to your advantage you can definitely bag a diamond engagement ring of your liking any day any time!

While buying an engagement ring on a budget, remember that the ring you buy would be worn for a lifetime, so there should be enough of an investment to make the stone and the band last in the long run. At the same time, you don’t need to go overboard and go on spending so much that it would bring in debt unreasonably.

Make sure to keep our tips in mind and do share them with friends who are to be brides and grooms soon!

Asking for the hand of your beloved for a lifetime could make you feel nervous and intimidated, and all for the right reasons! When? Where? How? Which engagement ring? There must be so many questions on your mind, and it’s wise to do your research. But while doing your research to make your perfect proposal happen, it is necessary to be mindful that it covers the place, timing, and ring you choose.

Since we know how much she means to you, we bring you some helpful tips to ease your way through the three choices in your proposal planning:

1. Place -The first place that comes to your mind might be a fancy restaurant or somewhere that you think would make her feel more special than she already is! But we suggest you pause and think for a while about the places where you have had special moments up until today! It could be the place where you both confessed your love for each other, or where you met her for the first time! It could also be as simple as your festively decorated living room on New Year’s Eve when you are among friends and family!

2. Time - When you propose is just as important as how you do it! It should not be a time of the day when she is occupied with work meetings or any other commitments. She would definitely want to call her loved ones and her besties to share the good news once it happens! Keep your proposal short and sweet, so that she is taken by surprise and you should do it when she least expects it. Trust us on this one! She will be flaunting this story along with her engagement ring at the parties to come!

3. Ring - Put the best ring on it! The centre of all attention (after her, of course!) will be the engagement ring you put on her finger. The engagement ring will be the symbol of your love for her, so a good deal of time and research should go into finding the perfect ring! This means you have to find her ring size and choose the diamond and the design of the ring! Selecting the ring can be a confusing task in itself, considering the variety and range of available engagement rings! If you find the task of finding the perfect ring to be intimidating, remember we are here at Liali. All you need to do is reach out to us! We will ease out the complications to help you find the perfect engagement ring for your to-be fiancé.

(Pro tip: Make sure to read our articles on cluster diamond engagement rings and diamond shapes that would make your engagement ring completely unique!)

Once you have decided upon the best place, apt timing, and your precious engagement ring for your proposal, you are good to go. Remember to not hesitate to ask for help whenever and wherever needed! Be it from her friends, family, or Liali, all of us want to give you the best support for making this proposal a grand and memorable one!

In the world of elegant solitaire diamond rings, going for the serenity in a cluster engagement ring is what we call a bold choice! The artistic tastes encompassed in cluster engagement rings are not only boundless but also endlessly diverse. The variations in a cluster engagement ring allow you to find comfort anywhere on this spectate-rich spectrum! Just as much of a rich experience as this sounds, finding the perfect cluster engagement ring of your choice could turn into a tedious nightmare if a few rules are not at your fingertips. So, before you begin your cluster engagement ring quest, make sure you are considering our suggestions on the design of the stones in a cluster that would throne pride and love on your engagement ring!

1. Try And Test The Diamond Shapes:

Diamonds come in shapes and sizes that can make your engagement ring completely unique! Styling your diamond engagement rings with differently shaped diamonds or diamonds of the same shape is the first consideration that you need to make. Would you like to create a balanced cluster of same-sized and same-shaped diamonds? Or would your rather go with the adventure of same-shaped but different-sized diamonds? And if even there you don’t find contentment in the style of your engagement ring. Would you set in on the creative edge of setting up a cluster engagement ring with different-shaped and different-sized diamonds?

These experiments with the size and shape of the embedded diamonds in your cluster engagement ring would ambient the splendid couture that you desire!

2. Colouring Your Desired Cluster:

When it comes to adding colours to your cluster engagement rings, you have two opportunities to make your engagement ring into a colourful set just as colourful as you wish your life together to be. This can be made real by selecting gemstones that you believe would add life to the cluster in your engagement ring. Another possibility to blend around with colours into your cluster diamond engagement ring is to choose an appropriate metal on which the cluster of diamonds and gemstones would sit upon. These choices would include yellow gold, rose gold and white gold for metal options. You can always make the mature choice of using multiple coloured gold metals - rose and white gold combination for instance. Always be assured that pairing gemstones that compliment the metal and the diamond(s) in the cluster are always the right choice, just like you chose the right one to be your partner!

3. Arrange and Rearrange:

All this while our focus was on the shapes, sizes and hues of the cluster, what makes a cluster engagement ring stand out in the crowd of its unclustered counterparts is the arrangement of the cluster. Just as drop-by-drop water unites into an ocean, revealing the same majestic splendour different arrangements in a cluster engagement ring brings in royalty. This could be using the cluster in a diamond engagement ring to the advantage of creating an illusion of solitaire when equal-sized and same-shaped diamonds are arranged symmetrically to mimic the solitaire. The brilliance emitted out of such a cluster would be manifolds than what you would expect from a conventional diamond solitaire! Moreover, playing around with symmetry in the arrangement of the stones in a cluster can set in a modern vibe or an antique feel to your cluster diamond engagement ring. Cluster engagement rings following a symmetry would emulate an antique aura throughout their design. Cluster engagement diamond gemstone rings with an asymmetric arrangement of the gemstones around the diamond generate a modern touch in their design.

Clusters as we believe are endless options in creativity and grandeur. It’s innovative and palatable to make an effort-intense choice when it comes to the uniqueness that a cluster engagement ring has to offer. Keeping the guiding rules in mind, explore, experiment and have fun while picking your favourite cluster engagement ring!

As you make your choices through our engagement ring collections make sure to share your Liali engagement ring shopping experience on our socials!