Shopping For Engagement and Wedding Rings During The Pandemic

Engagement Essex

How To Select The Perfect Ring Virtually

Covid-19 can’t put a stop to romance, so follow these top tips to design your engagement ring or wedding band during the pandemic.

Whether you’ve become engaged during the pandemic or need to shop for wedding bands before your upcoming nuptials, the process of choosing the perfect jewellery is a little different to usual. From virtual design consultations to selecting rings that don’t get too gunky from hand sanitiser, here’s a guide to shopping for your wedding jewellery during the pandemic.

Digital Research

Jewellers are very much open again for business, but with an imminent second wave due, you may prefer designing your rings digitally rather than venturing into a physical shop. Begin by taking a look at Instagram and dedicated ring design sites for inspiration. This will give you plenty of time to browse through the types of rings you feel drawn to, all from the comfort of your own home. When you’ve created a collection of rings you like, it’s time to discuss these with a jeweller.

Virtual Ring Design Consultations

Although it may be possible to have a design consultation in person, there are plenty of jewellers who are offering virtual appointments too. This is a more Covid-secure approach to choosing your wedding jewellery and also gives you the benefit of being able to work with designers who are located at the opposite end of the country to you. During your consultation, you’ll be shown different products and can discuss your preferences for the stone and style of ring you’re looking for. Your designer will want to know the budget you’d like to work with and will proceed to develop sketches or 3D mock-ups for your approval. A designer worth their salt will go the extra mile to provide you with details – for example, showing you the ring or stone at different times of day to reflect the light. This will also give you a great idea of how it will look at your wedding venue location. Additionally, they should aim to provide scale by demonstrating what the ring would look like on their hands.

There are also Jewellery retailers that offer a free sample service.

The Latest Trends

The pandemic has affected people’s budgets in a big way. Whilst traditionally, an engagement ring would cost around three months salary, this isn’t the time for people to be blowing their savings. With furloughed employees and redundancies, the current trend is for couples to opt for understated rings. Where round diamonds are usually a top seller, oval and pear shapes are now creeping up in terms of popularity, perhaps because they tend to look bigger on the finger. Simple bands are also on trend, as they’re the most convenient to keep clean when you’re constantly using hand sanitiser throughout the day.

Sanitising Your Rings

In terms of your choice of metal, white gold will wear faster when exposed to the alcohol in your hand gel, so you might want to opt for platinum instead. However, be aware that any excessive sanitising could dull the appearance of your metal and gems, as well as loosen the prongs of your diamond setting over time. Removing your ring before cleaning is the best option here, as it will give you the freedom to choose precisely the design you want.

Choosing your wedding jewellery is still a deliciously exciting process, but be aware that there are some slight delays in production at the moment, as designers are finding it harder to source stones. With that in mind, there’s no better time to start planning your ring design than today!