Engagement Ring Styles January 5, 2006
Posted by in : Buying Engagement Rings, Engagement Rings, Jewelry, Wedding Jewelry , add a commentChoosing the style of your engagement ring can be a daunting decision. Read about the different styles that are available.
Solitaire – Refers to a ring with one diamond or other gemstone. It will often be extended to mean a piece of jewelry with one important diamond or gemstone in the center and accent stones on each side. Solitaires are made by two distinct manufacturing processes.
Rings with Side Stones – Most of the popular diamond cuts are used as side stones on bridal rings. Included in this group are baguettes, tapered baguette, round, trillion and oval. These are used to enhance the center stone and not detract from it.
Cathedral Mounting – Ring setting that arches when seen from the side. Cathedral rings have projections on each side of the stone and these design elements are what gives this ring it’s name. They are inspired by the arches that supported the walls of early cathedrals. Just as these arches were a distinctive and important design element in architecture, the graceful projections on our cathedral rings add support and protection to the setting. They also give the ring its classic and unique look.
Bypass – A ring design in which the two sides of the band do not meet in a straight line, but “bypass” one another.
Three Stone – Three stone rings are popular for both engagement rings and anniversaries. A general rule is that the side diamonds must be at least 25% as large as the center.
To view all the styles of engagement rings as well as a variety of diamond and cuts, please visit .
Guessing Your Girlfriend’s Ring Size December 16, 2005
Posted by Jill Renee in : Buying Engagement Rings, Jewelry , 2commentsSo, you’re ready to propose and it’s time to buy the engagement ring! More than likely, you will want to surprise your girlfriend with a ring, so you may not want to ask her in advance what her ring size is. You may need to guess her finger size if you want it to be a complete surprise. Here are some great ideas collected from danforthdiamond.com that will help you make a pretty good guess.
1. Ask her friends or relatives. If your girlfriend has any inkling that you may be proposing in the near future, she may have told them her ring size.
2. Does she wear other rings? Does she occasionally remove them for showering, etc? Does she keep them in a jewelry box?
Option 1 – When she’s not around, temporarily “borrow” a ring that she wears on her ring finger and trace the inner part of the ring on a piece of paper. Be sure to return the ring immediately and then match your tracing to one of the ring sizes on the printable ring size chart. Or, match it to the FREE ring sizer.
Option 2 – Carry around a small bar of soap in your pocket. A hotel soap is the perfect size. When she’s not around, press the ring into the soap to make an imprint. Be sure to wipe the soap residue off the ring and return it to its proper place. When you’re alone, use the FREE ring sizer to match the imprinted circle. Just lay the ring sizer over the imprint and find the ring size that best fits the imprint.
Option 3 – Take her ring and place it on one of your fingers. Draw a line around your finger where the ring falls. Use the FREE ring sizer to measure the marked area on your finger.
Option 4 – Take the ring and slide it down a tapered candle. Mark the candle where it falls, then use the FREE ring sizer to measure the marked candle.
3. If you don’t plan on proposing for quite some time, present her with a lovely, but inexpensive fashion ring on her birthday or some romantic holiday. Giving her this ring can be “practice” for the real thing. And although you may not buy the right size initially, you will more than likely find out her correct finger size afterwards.
4. Find an accomplice! Get her mom or one of her friends, whoever would be appropriate (and trustworthy of your secret) to go shopping with her and get her to try on rings at any jewelry store. Everyone can get their fingers sized! They can excuse this as speculative fun, and your girlfriend may not suspect a thing.
5. Go shopping with her. Is there anyone else you could potentially say you’re picking out a ring for (a mother, grandmother, etc.)? That way, you could go ring shopping with her and get her to model different rings so you can see what they look like. You could discuss ring sizes, and then take this opportunity to get her finger sized at the store “just for kicks”. You will also be able to get a good sense of the styles of rings she prefers.
6. If she is a heavy sleeper, use the FREE ring sizer on her finger while she is sleeping.
7. Buy a fake ring…some $10 thing from a department store as a “surprise”. Then tell her you want to go shopping together for the real thing at DanforthDiamond.com. This way, she can pick the ring of her dreams, and in the correct size.
8. As a last resort, you could simply go with a size 6, which is the average finger size for the average-size woman in the U.S.
But just WHAT is the average size woman you ask? According to statistics, the average American woman is 5’4″ tall and weighs 140 pounds. Using this statistic, you may be able to make a good guess on your girlfriend’s finger size. Does she have a small, average or large frame? How much does she weigh? (Don’t ask her weight if you don’t know it…this could be dangerous if asked at the wrong time!). But do take notice of her frame, her weight and her hands. Also notice if she has large knuckles as well. Her fingers may be slender, but if her knuckles are large, she may need a larger ring to fit over the knuckle.
More than likely, if she is small-framed with slender fingers and weighs under 120 pounds, her finger size could range from a 4 to a 5. If she is larger-framed with thicker fingers and weighs over 150, a good guess may be in the 7-9 range. You will have to use your own judgement, but using these guidelines could be helpful to you in making an educated guess.
The average ring size for a man, by the way, is a 10, so if you are an average-size man (average medium frame being 5’10” with a weight of 180 pounds) with average-size hands, you may be able to use your own hand for comparison. If her hands are a lot smaller than yours, she may very well wear a size 4-5 on her ring finger.
We’d like to point out however, that EVERY woman is different, and there are no guarantees that figuring out her body type will correctly determine your girlfriend’s ring size. So, we don’t strongly advise going with this option. Ladies ring sizes can be as small as 4 and go up to a 10, so there’s lots of room for error using this method.
To play it safe, you can order the ring at its in-stock size, usually a 6 or a 7, and present it to your girlfriend. She can then determine the correct size she needs, and the ring may only need to be re-sized once, if at all.
Learn the Different Ring Sizes for All Her Fingers
If you regularly buy jewelry for another person such as your girlfriend, wife, daughter, etc. we’ve created a nifty Hand Chart that will help you keep track of her different ring sizes. This way, you will never have to ask her in the future, what ring size she wears!
Download a PDF of our Hand Chart for All Ring Sizes. If you are not able to download and printout this chart, you can easily create one yourself.
Have her trace the outline of both of her hands on a piece of paper. On each finger outline, have her write-in her correct finger size. You can use the FREE ring sizer from Danforth Diamond to size each finger. Because fingers are not always the same size on each hand, be sure to do BOTH hands.
Label them Left and Right and put her name at the top, along with the date. (Finger sizes can change over time due to age, weight gain or loss, and climate. So you may want to re-examine or update this hand chart every five years. File it away in special place, and you’ll be ready for every special occasion!
Create a hand chart for all the important women in your life!
Buying a Diamond: 4 Cs: Cut November 23, 2005
Posted by Jill Renee in : Buying Diamonds, Buying Engagement Rings, Buying Jewelry, Jewelry , add a commentDiamond Cut
Cut does not mean shape. It refers to the angles and proportions a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond. The cut of a diamond is especially important because it has the most effect on the fire, or brilliance. A poor cut will make the diamond look dull even with excellent color and clarity. We only carry the higher cut qualities so that you don’t have to worry about picking a poorly cut diamond.
Cut – Why it’s Important
Nature dictates the characteristics of color, clarity and carat, while humans directly influence the cut. Cut refers to the angles and proportions (not diamond shape) a skilled craftsman creates in transforming a rough diamond into a polished diamond. The cutter must polish tiny surfaces known as facets onto the rough diamond. This process also creates the diamond parts known as the crown, culet, table, girdle and pavilion. A well cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror-like facet to another, dispersing and reflecting it through the top of the stone. This results in a display of fire or brilliance in the diamond.
Ideal Cut Diamond – Nearly all light that enters the stone is reflected out of the top, designed to maximize brilliance.
Shallow Cut Diamond – Light will be lost out of the bottom or sides causing the diamond to lose its fire or brilliance.
Deep Cut Diamond – Light will travel out of the bottom or sides making the stone look dark and dull.
Of the “4 C’s,” the cut of a diamond is the most important factor in its overall appearance. In addition, because it’s the only one of the 4 C’s that relies on the precision of human hands, it also is the one to which the value of your diamond will be most closely tied.
Once you’ve identified your budget, start by choosing the proper cut – and don’t look back. By choosing the most brilliant cut possible, you will have the most flexibility in tailoring the grades of the other 4 C’s to fit your budget without compromising the beauty of the stone.
Also, note that cut and shape are not the same thing. Shape refers to the outward appearance of the diamond; round, emerald, heart, marquise, princess, oval or pear. A round diamond is the most brilliant of diamond shapes. Its symmetrical outline allows it to reflect nearly all of the light that enters the diamond.
visit DanforthDiamond.com to learn more about buying your diamond.
Best Value Purchasing A Diamond Engagement Ring November 16, 2005
Posted by Jill Renee in : Buying Diamonds, Buying Engagement Rings, Buying Jewelry, Jewelry , add a commentTips on Getting the Best Value for your Diamond Engagement Ring
Excerpted from DanforthDiamond.com
Purchasing your diamond engagement ring from Danforth Diamond insures that you have gotten a high quality product at a very competitive price. We are able to offer you settings that are crafted by tradesmen who have decades of jewelry manufacturing experience. Our settings are built to last a lifetime. We only use precious metals and good or better diamonds. We will not sell anything that does not meet our high standards. We back this up with our no hassle return policy so just by buying your ring from us you can rest assured that you will be getting an exceptional value. Here are some other factors to consider when making your selection:
In selecting your diamond, compare the price with diamonds of the same shape, size, color, cut, and clarity. This is critical when comparison shopping. Remember all other factors being equal; a poorly cut diamond may cost 50% less than a diamond with a good or ideal cut. This is because a poorly cut diamond will lack fire and sparkle.
Make sure your diamond is securely set. If your diamond is not properly set the chance of loss greatly increases. All of our diamonds are set by experienced jewelers and are inspected before leaving our shop. We use 18K white gold or platinum settings. These choices stand up to wear and tear and prevent prong failure.
Is your setting comfortable and smooth when you are wearing it? Well made settings will be polished resulting in a smooth finish and comfortable fit. All of our settings are polished to a high luster and have a comfort fit for the wearer.
In selecting your engagement ring setting be sure to compare the cost of settings made from the same precious metal. Platinum settings will cost more than gold and 18K gold will cost more than 14K gold. Pay close attention to the gold or platinum content. A setting with a higher weight (precious metal content) will cost more than a setting with a lighter weight.
Have your ring appraised and insured. Most of our rings come with a certificate and appraisal. We strongly recommend insuring your ring and taking a photo of it to be stored in a secure location. This will help in case of accidental loss or theft.
Please visit Danforth Diamond for all your diamond and jewelry store needs.
