How to Choose Engagement and Wedding Ring Designs That Match Your Style
Photo: Courtesy of Catbird
You’ve found your big love and now you want to take the big leap. So, just how exactly do you go about finding the right engagement ring? We all have a vague idea that the four C’s need to be considered (cut, color, clarity, and carat), but outside of the basics how do you choose an engagement and wedding ring design that reflects you or your partner’s personal style?
In our experience, it’s best to take these questions straight to the experts who know just what to do. Go-to jewelry designer Anna Sheffield says, “there are two ways for the modern couple to approach this sort of interesting scenario.” You can, of course, keep a total surprise and spend your time leading up to the engagement and wedding ring purchase and proposal scoping your partner’s style; paying close attention to the jewelry your partner already wears along with speaking to their inner circle of besties for tips and pointers. The other option, says Sheffield, is “to include your partner in the selection and design process (but keep the budget talk to just you and the sales person). I think the tradition being that the ring is a complete surprise is less important nowadays than it used to be- just based on what we see, which is a lot of couples coming in together.”
Sheffield loves to design with personal style in mind, so when couples seek her advice on engagement ideas, she’s ready to help them find something as unique as their love story. “I design in a way that takes these nuances of personal style into consideration, and I also make rings which can be modified, which we call the Bespoke design, so you can really make the ring just right.”
Photo: Anna Sheffield
Being able to customize your selection is key to walking away with an engagement or wedding ring design that feels truly personal. “Being able to choose metal color, stone colors and even add more diamonds, if you want more! For example, the Hazeline Solitaire is our most classic style, but she can be made in a 1 carat white diamond with just teeny black diamond details on the ring shank, or a small champagne diamond in yellow gold or a black diamond center over 2 carats in rose gold. Totally different but with the same nod to a traditional silhouette,” says Sheffield.
If fresh takes on tradition are your thing, Brooklyn-based (but globally coveted) Catbird should definitely be on your list of jewelry boutiques to check out as they’re known for their sweet twists on engagement ring ideas. Jessica Miller, Catbird’s retail manager, chimes in with some sentiments from her team sharing some of their favorites, “We love the romantic feel of our in-house collection of engagement rings, The Swans. The rose cut center diamonds evoke the beauty of days past, and we also offer a brilliant cut center in Juno the Swan, for those seeking something with a contemporary touch.”
In the end, the engagement and wedding ring designs you select will be a forever statement, so it’s really all about you, your sweetheart and your one-of-a-kind love story. According to Sheffield, “there are no rules that can't be broken, it's what makes you happy!”