Mar 17, 2021

How and Where to Buy an Engagement Ring in 2021?

How and where to buy the perfect engagement ring can seem overwhelming. After all, it’s one of the biggest purchases you’ll ever make, so you want to make sure you’re doing it right.

Here’s everything you need to know to get the perfect ring your love will treasure forever.

Pick Your Shape

The type of diamond you choose should speak to your individual style (plus it will kick off your ring stack options). Here’s a brief overview of the most popular shapes:

Round:

It’s the most sought-after shape and best highlights a diamond’s brilliance.

Oval:

This shape complements long, lean fingers.

Emerald:

Its large facets showcase excellent clarity. (See: Beyoncé and Amal Clooney.)

Asscher:

A square emerald that has an art deco feel.

Cushion:

Created in the 1800s, this vintage style is predominantly square with rounded corners.

Princess:

The broad, flat-top, and pyramidal shape make a stone look larger than it is.

Marquise:

This long, tapered style maximizes carat size.

Pear:

A round-marquise hybrid looks extra delicate on a light, thin band.

Decide Where to Buy an Engagement Ring

Blue Nile

They literally built the market. They were the first company to develop the concept of removing all middle-men and virtually listing diamonds direct from the manufacturers.

To date, Blue Nile has far better relationships with diamond and jewelry vendors than anyone else and are able to offer the largest selection of diamonds and settings.

While they allowed James Allen to take the lead in technology the last five years, they have taken great strides in closing that gap. They have recently introduced their own video technology to rival James Allen. They have also taken an almost maniacal approach to fulfillment that has vastly improved their quality control and speed of delivery.

Their place as the industry leader has allowed them to cultivate relationships with some great designers as well. Most prevalent is their relationship with Monique Lhuilier. I adore this take on the classic baguette engagement ring.

Couple that with their strong relationships with vendors and a streamlined business model (which means they are often better priced than their competitors) and they have earned our seal of approval for our readers.

Brian Gavin Diamonds

Brian Gavin’s Signature and Black lines have been quite popular for a certain segment of our readers. For those readers who are hyper-focused on cut and looking to find a truly spectacular diamond in terms of brilliance, Brian Gavin Diamonds is the way to go.

Brian Gavin is one of the industry leaders when it comes to diamond cutting. Speaking honestly, his knowledge of cut is far superior to mine. Their Signature and Black diamonds will be more brilliant than anything else you can find.

BGD’s customer service and jewelry craftsmanship matches the quality of their product. There is a premium for such high quality craftsmanship and in Brian Gavin’s case, its 100% justified. That doesn’t mean its for everyone. Most of our readers prefer to go for the bigger diamond and sacrifice a bit on cut. But for those who want to make brilliance their target, Brian Gavin is the way to go.

Abe Mor

Our next top recommended vendor is Abe Mor. This is an interesting option for people with a budget of $50,000 or more.

We began working with Abe Mor in March 2016. We started out working with them when we discovered that they were offering our readers the best prices (by far) for their diamonds they wanted to sell.

Recently, though, we have expanded our relationship with them to include readers of ours who are looking for a more customized bespoke shopping experience buying a high-end diamond and/or expensive piece of fine jewelry.

Abe Mor is one of the most well respected “upstairs” diamond wholesalers in New York’s famous Diamond District. By “upstairs,” of course, I mean that they are not just a retail shop on the street level masquerading as a wholesale operation. They are the real thing. Everybody we have sent to Abe Mor has been blown away by the personal attention they have received from the entire team at Abe Mor, including CEO Eric Mor – both on the phone and in person

Maral Kunst

Our go to company for fancy color diamonds is Maral Kunst. They have a stunning array of fancy color diamonds in all budget ranges.

They also have an amazing selection of diamonds, and they are also the masters of building the jewelry piece around the diamond to bring out the color in the best way possible.

There are other options for fancy colors. But we have found Maral Kunst to be head and shoulders above the competition.

Now you know what places we think have the best service and quality and you can start browsing their sites. And if you need some guidance on how to choose a perfect ring, you can contact us directly and one of our diamond experts will be happy to answer your questions.