9 Tips to Choose an Engagement Ring

In this article, you'll learn the most important things to consider when choosing an engagement ring for your beloved. With the right amount of knowledge about what to look for in a ring, coupled with your excitement about asking the girl of your dreams to marry you, this can be an enjoyable exercise matching your newly discovered ring expertise with the money you've got available to spend

1. Be familiar with the terms that you'll be confronted with when shopping for a ring. Giving the impression that you know what you're looking for will increase your confidence and help you to ward off any disreputable ring sellers.

2. Choose a good jeweler. The main thing to remember here is that expensive doesn't necessarily equate with being the ideal jeweler. Look for a store that makes you feel comfortable, where the staff are pleasant and helpful, and where the advice they provide gels with you. As well, be sure to look somewhere that fits within your budget range; this avoids the inevitable disappointment at finding something that would be "just perfect if it didn't cost so much". If you can, check that the jeweler is registered with a society, association, or organization that regulates, certifies, etc., jewelers, such as the National Association of Goldsmiths in the UK

3. Find out her tastes. If you're purchasing the ring without her, choosing one will be will more difficult where the ring is a surprise because obviously you won't be able to ask her. Do keep in mind that nowadays, many women prefer to be part of a joint decision to purchase a ring, so if you find it really difficult to know her style and taste, provide a temporary ring and tell her that you'll choose the real one together.

4. Fix your budget. There is a tradition that holds that a man should spend two months of his salary on the engagement ring. Whether or not you do this will depend on your wish to conform to tradition. What does matter is that you select a ring according to what you can afford, so have a good idea of this amount before searching.

5. Check the practicality of the ring.
If your girlfriend is a real outdoorsy type, consider a ring that is able to cope with the wear and tear of constant activities. The higher the positioning of the gemstone on the ring, the easier it is for it to get caught on clothes, gear, hair, etc. and the greater likelihood that it'll get knocked about. Look for a lower gemstone setting for an active girl, and a higher setting for a fashionista or glamor girl.

6. Check durability. The durability of the band is important, as constant rubbing and knocking from daily activities will eventually wear down the band. And office work is a killer, with paper acting as a mild abrasive on gold bands. If you can afford it, platinum is the preferred choice for wedding bands as it is more durable than gold, Titanium and steel are also fairly resistant, while the purer the gold, the softer it is and more prone to wearing.

7. Know your diamonds. Diamonds tend to be the traditional engagement ring choice, because they are enduring, and match everything. Only deviate from a diamond if you know that your girlfriend loves another stone much, much more, or has voiced her intense dislike of diamonds.

8. Decide by how it looks.
Once you've covered the cost, the durability and the practicality of the ring, it's down to how the ring looks.

9. Purchase the ring. Collect it just before the proposal. That way you can avoid worrying about keeping it safely.(wikihow.com)

Angelina Jolie Wears Engagement Ring to First Public Event!

Angelina Jolie Wears Engagement Ring to First Public Event!
It was a long way away from any Hollywood red carpet at Saturday's Sarajevo Film Festival in Sarajevo, Bosnia -- making it the perfect event for Angelina Jolie to publicly "debut" her gigantic engagement ring from Brad Pitt.

The Maleficent actress, 37, was first seen wearing the $500,000, tablet-shaped rock (co-designed by jeweler Robert Procop and Pitt, 48) in early April during a private viewing at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art's Chinese Galleries. When an intrepid photographer snapped the bauble, Pitt's manager confirmed the long-awaited engagement to the world.

Since then, Jolie hasn't attended any red carpet events in Hollywood or elsewhere, with Pitt attending the Cannes Film Festival solo for the first time in years.

Clad in a silky, draped beige top, skinny black pants and black, peep-toe pumps, the Oscar-winning actress, skinny as ever, quietly flashed her news-making ring as she chatted with filmmakers at Saturday's event.

Named an Honorary Citizen of Sarajev, Jolie spoke with young actors, directors, screenwriters, producers and film critics from the region about her own writing and directorial debut, the dark Bosnian War romance In the Land of Blood and Honey.

The students, one attendee tells Us, were "impressed." When asked about her humanitarian work -- Jolie is now a Special Envoy for the UNHCR -- she explained that she "wants to give something back to underpriviledged people," the attendee added.

On Saturday afternoon, Jolie was spotted arriving at her hotel with daughter Shiloh, 6; the star and Pitt and their brood of six have been staying in London while she shoots Maleficent at Pinewood Studios.

As for that wedding?

"We actually, really and truly, have no date," Pitt, 48, said at Cannes in May.

"It's just something that makes sense to us, and certainly date-wise, it's just a rumor," he continued. "We're still hoping that we can figure out marriage equality in the states before that date."[usmagazine.com]

Miley Cyrus Flaunts Engagement Ring, Wears Short-Shorts

Not yet for engagement party in the U.S.A.?!  -- but bride-to-be Miley Cyrus clearly has no qualms about pairing her 3.5 carat vintage Neil Lane ring with a pair of Daisy Dukes.

At a photo shoot in Malibu Wednesday, the newly engaged Cyrus, 19, rocked her bauble -- picked out by her boyfriend of three years, Liam Hemsworth -- with short denim cutoffs and a white crochet crop-top.

An insider close to the LOL star tells Us Weekly that, despite her age, Cyrus is ready to wed Hemsworth, whom she met on the set of The Last Song in 2009.

"She's very mature! She's 19 going on 40, so she is ready for [marriage]," the insider explains of her decision to tie the knot with the Hunger Games star, 22. "Liam likes her wild side, but Miley's also mature and supportive. They're both ready for this."[usmagazine.com]

Halle Berry Shows Off Huge Engagement Ring!

Halle Berry Shows Off Huge Engagement Ring!
How's this for confirmation?

Though Us Weekly first broke the big news in January, Halle Berry has so far kept mum about her engagement to French actor Olivier Martinez. Even so, the Catwoman star, 45, doesn't seem shy about showing off her gorgeous ring.

Dressed down in flats and an off-the-shoulder striped tee, Berry, 45, flashed her giant emerald sparkler for photographers when she headed out to visit a friend in Studio City Friday.

Martinez, 46, finally spoke out about his engagement to Berry earlier this month, hoping to address rumors about the actress' custom-designed rock. "Yes, of course we're engaged!" the actor-turned-restauranteur told Miami.com. "There is a jeweler taking credit for doing the ring, and it's a lie!"

Hoping to set the story straight, Martinez told the paper the ring was actually designed by Parisian jeweler Robert Mazlo, "a real artist" whose family has designed jewelry for European royalty for hundreds of years.

Once Berry and Martinez tie the knot, they may be looking to settle down in Paris. The couple was spotted in Martinez's hometown March 19, visiting possible kindergartens for Berry's 3-year-old daughter Nahla, her only child with ex Gabriel Aubry.[usmagazine.com]