WeddingBase

Rings · Engagement

Choosing an engagement ring

What each part of the price actually buys, and which parts anyone will ever notice.

The four Cs

How carat really works

Carat is weight, not size, and the price rises in steps rather than smoothly. A stone just under a round number costs noticeably less and looks the same on a hand.

Coming soon
The four Cs

Cut, colour and clarity

Cut is the one that decides whether a stone sparkles. Colour and clarity are where people overspend on differences invisible without a loupe.

Coming soon
Money

Lab-grown against mined

Chemically identical, typically a fraction of the price, and now a large share of the market. What that means for resale and for how you feel about it.

Coming soon
Money

What people actually spend

The three months\u2019 salary rule came from an advertising campaign, not from anywhere sensible. Here is what UK couples really spend.

Coming soon
Style

Settings and shapes

Solitaire, halo, trilogy, bezel. Which suit an active hand, which catch on everything, and which make a stone look larger than it is.

Coming soon
Practical

Sizing without spoiling it

How to find the size discreetly, how much resizing each setting allows, and which shapes cannot be resized at all.

Coming soon