Oh, diamonds! Those little shiny rocks that have managed to captivate our hearts and empty our wallets for centuries! When it comes to choosing a diamond that mirrors your partner’s unique flair and spirit, the pressure can be, well, shall we say, crystallizing?
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Let’s wade through the glimmering waters of diamond selection together, ensuring you pick a sparkler that’s as rare and special as your significant other, without needing to be a geologist or a mind reader.

The 4 Cs - Carat, Cut, Clarity, and Color are the notorious captains steering the ship of diamond selection. But let’s remember: while size (Carat) does matter, it’s the Cut that unlocks a diamond’s charismatic sparkle. Clarity refers to the tiny imperfections (or lack thereof) in the stone, while Color is graded from colorless (D) to light yellow (Z).
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If your partner is a vibrant, bold character, you might lean toward a larger carat with a vivacious sparkle (thanks, Cut!). For the minimalist, pure souls, a diamond with a high clarity and color grade will beautifully whisper their name.

Diamond shapes can articulate volumes about personality. A classic Round diamond might convey timeless elegance, while a Princess cut signals modern, edgy vibes. Perhaps an Oval or Pear shape for someone who adores a vintage aesthetic?
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Envision their style: Are they traditional or modern? Subtle or flamboyant? The shape of the diamond should echo these sentiments.

Oh, the setting! A Cathedral setting, with its arch-like support for the diamond, could be ideal for someone who adores a mix of classic and dramatic. A Bezel setting, enveloping the diamond in a cozy metal hug, screams modern and practical, while a Vintage setting tells tales of romance and nostalgia.
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Akin to choosing the season finale outfit for your partner's favorite drama series, opt for a setting that would make them swoon and say, “This is SO me!”

White gold, yellow gold, rose gold, or platinum? The choice of metal is akin to selecting the backdrop against which your diamond will dazzle.
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White gold for the cool and contemporary, yellow gold for the warm and traditional, rose gold for the romantic and trendy, and platinum for the strong and durable. If your partner’s jewelry box were a film genre, what would it be? Romantic comedy or a modern drama? The answer lies within!

In today’s world, ethical sourcing is not just a fancy term – it's a commitment. If your partner is someone who holds values close to their heart, ensure that the sparkle comes guilt-free. Look for retailers who guarantee conflict-free diamonds, or consider lab-grown alternatives which are both ethical and slightly more budget-friendly.
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Ah, we see you, conscientious consumer! A round of applause for choosing love that doesn’t come at a cost to our beautiful world.

Engage your inner Sherlock to decipher their ring size without blowing your cover. Borrow one of their rings or partner with their best friend in this undercover mission.
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And while you’re at it, take note of the jewelry they already wear. Is it minimalistic and delicate or bold and statement-making? Your diamond selection should be a natural star in their existing collection.

Selecting a diamond can be akin to navigating through a glittering labyrinth. Despite your best efforts, there’s a chance you might miss the mark. (Sorry, we're all human here!)

Look for retailers who understand this by offering a friendly return and exchange policy. 

Choosing a diamond is more than just a purchase; it’s crafting a symbol of love, commitment, and understanding of your partner’s essence. Your chosen diamond should be a reflection, a shimmering echo of who they are, embodying their unique personality and style in every facet and sparkle.

Whether it’s gleaming modestly or shouting boldly from their finger, it should whisper sweet nothings of their spirit and, above all, be a constant reminder of the love that chose it.
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Here’s to choosing a diamond that not only sparkles but also speaks, illuminates, and forever echoes the soul of your beloved. May your diamond shopping be as delightful and enchanting as the love story it will symbolize!

To understand the bling-route better, let’s take a little detour down history lane, shall we? The concept of engagement rings isn’t uniquely British. Oh no, dear reader! Our ancestors, the Romans, kindled this tradition, where a ring was given as a public pledge that a contract of marriage would be honoured. Fast forward to 1477, and the first diamond engagement ring was commissioned by the Archduke Maximillian of Austria for his betrothed, Mary of Burgundy. Talk about setting high standards, eh?
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Back in Blighty, the British Royals haven’t been strangers to flaunting some serious ice. The engagement ring is often a sparkling centrepiece before marriage, illustrating promises, and, let’s be candid – offering some fabulous finger candy! One cannot easily forget Lady Diana’s sapphire stunner, can they? Or more recently, the beautiful, minimalist design chosen by Meghan Markle (More Royal Bling Here).

Let’s shimmy from engagement to the wedding avenue. The wedding ring, unlike its flashier cousin, is often more subtle and traditionally forged in a precious metal without a diamond taking centre stage. The continuous circle symbolises unending love and commitment. Aww, sweet, right? But hang on to your fascinators, folks, because in the UK, it's not only the brides who are slipping on a wedding band. Yes, the British Grooms are also in on the ring-wearing action!
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Now, while the tradition of brides wearing wedding rings has been traced back to Ancient Egypt, the practice of both partners wearing a wedding band in the UK became widely popular post-WW2. So, the male population in the matrimonial journey also started showcasing visible signs of their off-the-market status!

The real sparkle unfolds when the engagement ring is accompanied by its subtle mate, the wedding ring. In the UK, it is customary for both to be worn together post-wedding, with the wedding band traditionally worn “closest to the heart”, i.e., below the engagement ring.

It's also common in the UK to have your wedding band and engagement ring soldered together. Not only does this keep them neatly aligned, but it’s also a poignant metaphor for the permanent union you’ve entered into. If you're prone to seeing romance and symbolism in every glittering facet of life, you might find this tradition rings (pun very much intended!) particularly true for you.

So, is it customary to have both an engagement ring and a wedding ring in the UK? A resounding yes! Whether it’s to embrace tradition, make a fashion statement, or simply to bask in the joyful glimmer that these rings bring, the practice of adorning both is well embedded in the UK’s matrimonial scene.

As we wrap up our glittery excursion through the land of love, engagements, and weddings in the UK, remember: whether it’s choosing the perfect engagement rock or selecting those timeless wedding bands, the journey is as delightful and exciting as the milestones they symbolise.
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Do share with us your thoughts, sparkling stories, or if you fancy, your favourite British ring-wearing icon! Let's continue to traverse through these enchanting tales of love, commitment, and splendid jewellery together.

Ah, the ever-romantic journey of engagements! The suspense, the excitement, and, of course, that dazzling engagement ring that’s to die for. But today, dear readers, we’re tapping into the quintessentially British: is it still customary in the UK to ask for the father’s permission before bending the knee?
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The picture has been painted in countless romantic comedies: a nervous suitor, palms sweaty, voice shaky, asking for a beloved’s hand in marriage from the traditional guardian of that hand, the prospective father-in-law. But is this picture still painted across the scenic UK landscapes from bustling London to the serene Scottish Highlands?

In the sparkling world of engagements and nuptials, traditions often intertwine with personal touches to create memories that last a lifetime. Whether you opt for the classical route or carve your own path, remember that every proposal, every question popped, and every “Yes” whispered amidst joyous tears, is perfect in its own right.
Remember to keep visiting our blog for more dazzling insights into the world of love, engagements, and the splendid journey towards “I Do”.

Ah, lovebirds of the digital age, lend me your ears and veiled screens as we embark upon a secretive quest! The mission (should you choose to accept it): to clandestinely uncover the correct engagement ring size of your unsuspecting partner.
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Strap in, dear comrades, for this journey is fraught with peril, or, at the very least, awkward explanations should you be discovered! Fret not, for our guide is stealth itself, designed to navigate through this treacherous territory with a sly wink and covert nod.

Engage your partner in a conversation about heirloom jewellery. Express a sudden interest in knowing whether grandma’s ring would fit them, concealing your true motive beneath a veneer of nostalgia and sentimentality.
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Embarking on a path where secrecy and accuracy merge, your pursuit of the perfect engagement ring size can be a thrilling adventure, conjuring a story that will be recounted with glee in years to come. Remember, fellow romantics, the key is to intertwine casualness with astuteness, ensuring your secret mission remains undetected until the grand reveal.

In the glorious moment when you unveil that glittering diamond, perfectly snuggling their finger, your partner will be left awestruck, not just by the beauty of the jewel but by the meticulous, stealthy love that went into choosing it. So, here’s to love, secret missions, and a lifetime of adventures together!

Selecting the perfect diamond shape for your engagement ring is a beautiful journey that intertwines your personal style, history, and the depth of your love story. Each shape brings with it a unique personality and flair, offering something special for every kind of love.

Most of the price comparisons we've done on this site (1 carat, 2 carat etc) have been comparing solitaire diamond engagement rings, simply because it's one of the most popular settings.

Pretty much every jeweller will offer at least one solitaire setting, so it's ideal for doing a fair comparison.

​My general advice is that if you are looking for a 'classic' style of diamond ring and don't want to take any risks then solitaire is likely to do the job. 

However, it's worth noting that there are loads of other options for diamond ring shoppers looking for something a bit different.

Here's an infographic by a US-based jewellers called Casting House which covers the most popular settings and styles:

As a keen car booter I was amused to see the recent story of the £10 diamond which sold for £657,000 at auction.

My finest car boot moments were not quite so lucrative but mostly involved buying Atari, Commodore and vintage Nintendo consoles which at one time were going for a few pounds as people emptied their attics.

The £657,000 diamond was 26 carat - the word whopping doesn't quite go far enough when it is also used to describe a burger. Our guides go as far as 2 carat diamond rings, but a 'normal sized' engagement ring is certainly less than 1 carat (mine was 0.35 carat or thereabout). 

As you've probably gathered, one 26 carat ring is worth a whole lot more than 26 x 1 carat rings. The cheapest new 1 carat ring on our guide is about £1000 (I won't patronise you by doing the maths for you). A decent one is usually much more expensive.

Rather obviously, larger diamonds are rarer than smaller ones and you can't exactly stick two diamonds together or melt them down, as you could with two chunks of gold.

Which brings me to my main point - be very wary of the letters TDW if you see it on a diamond engagement ring which appears to be a bargain. It stands for total diamond weight, which means that they have added together the weight of all the tiny diamonds on a ring to come up with one impressive total. Usually such rings are called cluster diamond rings, but it isn't always made clear. 

A cluster diamond ring with a TDW of 1 carat is worth significantly less than an engagement ring with a single 1 carat diamond.

Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with cluster diamond engagement rings. In many cases they look rather nice and give a fantastic sparkle. They're also a good budget option which can look worth much more than its price tag.

You'll find big name jewellers will label very clearly but be vary if there's a very limited description or if it's secondhand and hasn't been well photographed.

For advice on buying second hand, see our guide.

I've recently been doing a bit of digging (not literally) for conflict free diamonds.

Like lots of other people I was embarrassingly unaware of the issue until it became the subject of a film in 2006. In my defence, I wasn't looking to get married at the time so I had no real need to buy a diamond (I'm sure I would have looked handsome with a diamond stud in my nose, but it was beyond my means).

11 years after the film, it still appears to be a problem, at least according to Amnesty International who say the industry still helps 'fund devastating civil wars in Africa'. 

​Three years prior to the film coming out was the development of the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme which you may well have heard about. 

However, according to Amnesty International (again):

Despite its pledge to support the Kimberley Process and Clean Diamond Trade Act, the Diamond Industry has fallen short of implementing the necessary policies for self-regulation. The retail sector in particular fails to provide sufficient assurance to consumers that the diamonds they sell are conflict-free.

Their plea is to help them survey retailers to find out what is happening on the ground.

My own research was more positive than I was expecting. 

I looked at five of the UK's high street jewellers and found all of them offer a guarantee on their website that they don't sell 'blood diamonds' (I looked at H Samuel, Beaverbrooks, Ernest Jones, Goldsmiths, F Hinds.

I then looked at Amazon, which has a vast choice of diamonds. 

It's important to understand that Amazon sells items direct and it also allows others to sell through its third party 'Marketplace'. Amazon's big diamond brands like Miore or Naava both guarantee to be conflict free, so if you want to be sure I would buy direct from Amazon.

There was an article 10 years ago which suggested that it is harder to offer such guarantees with third party sellers, but that's about all I could find. Most items on Amazon have clear descriptions, and you can always contact the seller if you find a bargain which you aren't sure about.

Other big online diamond sellers which offered conflict free guarantees included Diamonds Factory, Diamond Heaven and Purely Diamonds.

I'm certainly not saying that the issue of blood diamonds has gone away but I was pleased to see how easy it is for UK shoppers to find a diamond engagement ring which is guaranteed to be conflict-free.

There are some corners you can cut when wedding planning without anyone really noticing all that much. For example, you could save yourself a few hundred pounds by choosing 9 carat rather than 18 carat wedding bands. 

However, I personally think that there is a big difference between professional and amateur wedding photographs. Sure, your friend has a camera which looks half decent and they've uploaded a few nice photos to Facebook of their holiday to South America. But many photos did they take before they got one which looked half decent?

The problem with digital photography is that a monkey with a decent SLR camera could produce a few decent photos out of a several hundred bad ones.

At a wedding there are a few moments you need to get right as a photographer or you will miss them. And it's also much more complicated than discreetly hanging around taking natural photos of the sides of people's faces. At most weddings it requires creative ideas, a general willingness to shout at people and an understanding that there is a tight timetable because the parnsip soup starter is getting cold.

So, I'd say you've got three options from wedding photography:

1. Rely on friends taking photos and accept that you will mostly end up with blurry iPhone photos of the back of your head
2. Take a gamble on a hobbyist, who works in Tesco during the week but has a good quality camera and does half a dozen weddings a year. Some of these people are very good, but others are not. You can take a look at their website, but a handful of good photos doesn't mean a lot - see if you can see a whole album from a wedding instead. Of course, they tend to be cheap as it isn't their main income. Expect to pay a few hundred pounds.
3. Cough up for someone who makes their livelihood from wedding photography. Again, try to look at a whole album from a wedding rather than a couple of nice photos on their home page. Expect to pay a thousand pounds or more.

If you go for the third option, there are still ways you can save yourself some money. 

Firstly, take a look at the package on offer from the photographer. Often they include lots of extras which they will cut out if you are on a budget. 

For our wedding, the quoted package included a hefty photo album. I asked for a quote for just a disc of photos and they cut it down to nearly half the price. I then made a photo album myself, which took me hours but was a big saving.

Second, decide which part of the wedding you want to have photographed. The high cost of wedding photography is often because you are asking them to attend from 9am for the bride's makeup, through to midnight when Uncle Ken is throwing up in the car park. 

You may feel that photos of the wedding ceremony are all that you won't done professionally, so ask for a quote just for that. During the busy summer season you might find a busy photographer is reluctant to take a three hour job, but on a quieter day they will do you a reduced rate.

Thirdly, create a shared location for guests to give their photos. Images on Facebook are heavily compressed so they aren't great for printing off, so try to get the higher resolution versions. Most of your friend's photo will be blurry rubbish, but you'll find a few gems.

Good luck!

Check out our guide to the best places to buy cheap engagement rings

I'm not sure how my wife would have reacted if I'd revealed that her engagement ring cost £50. Perhaps in the first few weeks of marriage I'd have got away with it, as long as I hadn't pretended it was much more expensive on a previous occasion.

If I confessed now after many years of marriage, I suspect it would not go down so well.

For the record, my engagement ring did not cost £50 but I'm sure there are those working to such a budget either through principle or necessity.

We recently did a bit of digging around to see if you can buy an engagement ring for the price of a tank of petrol for our new guide to rings under £50.

If you are rigidly stuck to the idea of buying a diamond ring, and you are superstitious enough to believe that you shouldn't buy used jewellery then your options are - to say the least - limited.

I found two rings on Amazon which ticked the right boxes with a couple of caveats. Firstly, the £45 ring contained a diamond which was either 0.04 or 0.05 carat. That's the tiniest of tiny diamonds and around one fifth of the weight that I personally considered when buying my ring (and I wasn't looking at a BIG ring by any means).

Secondly, as is often the case with Amazon jewellery, the price varies depending on which size you buy. This always strikes me as odd, but is presumably due to an algorithm deciding prices rather than a jeweller called Terrence with a magnifying glass and a waistcoat. Only one of four or five sizes available was within the budget with  other sizes costing more like £75. 

Still, you are still getting a diamond ring for less than £50, so it shouldn't be dismissed as an option.

The next option is buying second hand. Used jewellery plummets in price at an alarming rate so you could expect to pay £50 for a ring costing two or three hundred pounds. Prices are at their lowest for unbranded jewellery which lacks certification and decent descriptions. The very cheapest rings I found on eBay didn't even have a guess at the carat of the ring.

If you fancy taking a bit of a guess and a bit of a risk then you can pick up something reasonable looking and in budget.

The final option is to avoid diamonds altogether, which either means buying an alternative gemstone (Blue sapphire, Green emerald or Red ruby) or buying something which looks like a diamond but which costs a lot less. 

Personally, I'd make it very clear from the start that I had bought a faux diamond...but that's completely up to you.

Good luck, I hope they say yes...