Another book I unearthed from my Kindle this week has a pretty good explanation of how to choose an engagement ring and get it exactly right.
You can find the book here on Amazon.com or here on Amazon.co.uk. and it is well worth getting if you’re not sure what is involved in making your selection. The book provides all the facts and things to take into consideration without killing you with an overload of information.
I did think there was something missing though – because I think the one thing you must know before you buy the ring is that you are ready to make a 100% total and forever commitment to the person you are buying the ring for.
So I thought I’d have a go at putting together 21 things that are nothing to do with diamonds and ring sizes but everything to do with things you must know before buying an engagement ring!
- Are you ready to settle down and commit to one person for the rest of your life?
- Are you sure you are choosing the right life-partner?
- Have you got over the first flush of love/infatuation stage enough to know whether your have a lifetime connection ahead (Science says this can take anything from 18months to 3 years)?
- Do you have the same values?
- Do you share some of the same interests?
- Do you smile when you think of him/her?
- Do you like each other (not just love)?
- Are you ignoring any red flags?
- Are you eager to be together forever not just eager to have a wedding?
- Would you be willing to get married if no wedding was involved?
- Have you talked about the important things in terms of how your life together will pan out – where you will live, whether you will have kids, whose job will take priority over the other if it comes to the crunch?
- Can you put up with each other’s annoying little habits forever or will they get more and more annoying over the years?
- Can you imagine sleeping only with this person until you are 80 and beyond?
- Do you like each other’s friends and family? If not how are you going to deal with that?
- Do you share religious beliefs? If not, how will that affect your relationship and how you bring up your kids if you have any?
- If either of you have been in long-term relationships before, have you learned the lessons from them and know this time will be different? How have you changed?
- Would you still want to get engaged, if you could only afford a plain brass ring?
- Are you getting engaged because it’s about time you did and everyone is hinting?
- Do you put your partner first before friends, family, kids?
- Are you getting engaged because you are frightened of losing him/her even though you’re not sure?
- Are you secretly thinking, oh well if it doesn’t work out I can just break it off?
Over to you: Have you been engaged? How did the ring selection go? Please share in the comments below.
Thanks for sharing. These are also things to consider before one accepts the engagement ring!
Waiwai recently posted…Trick Eye Museum Singapore
Yes, good point. Thanks for your comment Waiwai
Ana recently posted…How To Know If He Loves You
This took a completely different turn than I thought it would LOL (When I read the title I thought it was going to be more about the piece of jewelry than about the relationship, but this works, too!)
Kristen from The Road to Domestication recently posted…New Product Tryouts: Kitchen Cabinet Mount
The book is about choosing the ring but I thought the rest needed saying LOL Thanks for your comment Kristen
Ana recently posted…Third Step To A Great Relationship
Hmm, yes. As always you offer really good advice!
Some women just get engaged because they want a pretty rock on their finger!
Sophie Bowns recently posted…Teddy- Chapter 49
There’s probably a bit more to it than that but I agree it is a big factor for some – showing off the ring rather than thinking about the relationship. No wonder so many get divorced. Thanks for your comment Sophie.
Ana recently posted…Divorce In America
This is a great list, Ana. I’ve been engaged more than once (and never did marry the person) so these are great questions to ask before taking the plunge in marriage and accepting an engagement ring!
Bonnie Gean recently posted…Three Tasks I Removed From My To-Do List
Thanks for sharing Bonnie. I think engagement can really make you think what you are getting yourself into, but like you say, it would be better to do it without actually getting engaged 🙂
Ana recently posted…Top Ten Terrible Reasons to Get Married
We’ve been together for 10 years now and we both would rather have a quiet wedding or just get a judge to do it. I did the bigger wedding and ignored the red flags the first time. This time, I know he annoys the crap out of me sometimes, but overall, he’s a good guy. I also know that I’ve grown up a lot since my first marriage – and I’ve learned a lot of valuable tools for communicating my needs and wants and the ability to hear my partner.
#1 way to find the right diamond – buy what she said she liked!
Jenn Alex Brockman recently posted…Autism, Schedule Changes, A Bakery, and Diabetes
I like your #1 way Jenn because I would have hated to have the ring chosen for me that I had to wear every day. And thanks for sharing too. I think we learn something from every relationship we are in.
Ana recently posted…How To Lose A Good Man Without Cheating