Your significant other will wear his or her engagement ring forever, which is why it's so important to research your purchase. One of the first steps is to determine ring size. Once that bit of information is known, you have to budget the purchase. The general rule is that the ring should cost two or three months of your salary--however, this is only a rule of thumb and is by no means a requirement. Next, it's time to choose a band. The two most popular engagement ring bands are gold and platinum. While platinum is the stronger of the two and better able to withstand day-to-day abuse, it's much rarer than gold. As a result, it's much pricier. However, platinum does scratch quite easily, while gold does not. If gold is more suited to your future fiancée's tastes, then you have to choose between yellow and white. Over time, white gold will revert back to its original yellow color, since white gold is man-made. Now it's time to choose a setting. Classic engagement rings are solitaries, which means a single stone (typically a diamond) is raised high above the band. Other options include a solitaire with complementary accent diamonds. There are so many styles to choose from, though, that it's best to see what's available and choose one based on your fiancée's tastes. Diamonds are the standard in terms of engagement ring stones, symbolizing strength, love, and prosperity matched with a circular band representing unity. But it's not necessary to purchase a diamond ring. Some choose their fiancées' birthstone with a series of accent diamonds. Finally, you shouldn't feel limited to what's available locally. The Internet is home to thousands of ring options, making the difficult and somewhat stressful decision a little bit easier. Ring size isn't much of an issue when you're buying a ring from a traditional jewelry store, as they easily size your finger for you. But as buying rings online increases in popularity, determining ring size becomes especially crucial. You could be setting yourself up for disappointment if you purchase a ring to discover later it's two or three sizes too large. Increasing a ring by more than two sizes requires inserting a chunk of extra metal into your ring's band. This is done by cutting the ring to insert a portion of new metal. Doing so may leave behind a visible seam, but jewelers will position the insertion out of sight. Such a procedure is common with gold or silver rings, but many jewelers choose not to resize platinum because the metal's strength makes working with it so difficult. Increasing the size of a ring by a size or two is less work for the jeweler. This is usually done by first positioning the ring on a sizing shaft. Then, the jeweler will hammer the ring, eventually stretching the band to your preferred size. Keep in mind that because no additional gold or silver is being added, the band will become thinner as it's hammered. When buying jewelry online, it's recommended you know your ring size ahead of time. This will save you headaches later on, since you may not need to have the ring sized. If you're shopping for vintage jewelry, finding the perfect size may be impossible. However, a ring within a size or two of your finger should be acceptable. Determine your ring size before shopping by visiting a jeweler and asking them to do it for you. This only takes a moment, and is usually free of charge. | 
