Wedding & Engagement Rings

With so many wedding & engagement rings out there how do you even begin to figure out where to start? What style? Color? Type?

Ring style is a very personal choice and some couples choose to shop for the ring together.

But if you're planning on making the proposal a surprise or are more traditional, you'll be doing it all on your own.

Not to worry, there are some sure-fire ways to do some sneaky engagement ring reconnaissance and she'll be none the wiser.

Listen To Her

Listen to her: We know it sounds crazy but it works!

It's more than likely that your soon to be fiancé has dropped hints about her favorite ring or metal preferences.

Are there copies of fashion or bridal magazines around the house, with certain pages dog-eared? Do any of those pages contain engagement rings?

These are your signals, she is trying to talk to you, learn to decode them well, they speak volumes.

Open Your Eyes: What Kind of Jewelry?

Check out the jewelry she wears everyday. Are most of her rings or necklaces: gold, silver, platinum? Does she like intricate and ornate jewelry or is her jewelry mostly clean lines or modern looking?

Consider all her jewelry here and not just rings.

Does she have a favorite piece of jewelry? If so, make sure you ask her why it's her favorite piece.

You don't want to end up buying something that's in the same style as her favorite piece only to find out the reason was that her grandmother gave it to her and it has a lot of sentimental value even though she doesn't like the style or design.

Ask Her Friends & Family

It's very possible that she's talked about wedding & engagement rings with her best friend or family members.

So you could strike gold (or platinum) by doing a little friendly digging. You talk to your buddies about cars and sports teams, for girls engagement rings are no different.

 

Yep, Her Engagement Ring Size!

Don't forget you're going to need her ring size and that every finger on her hand has a different ring size.

We assume that you already know which finger a wedding & engagement rings go on but.... just in case you don't, engagement rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand.

Now to figure out her ring size...You may have to be a little sneaky with this one so put on some dark shades and get your detective groove on. 

If she already wears a ring on that finger (which is unlikely) you scored big time! If not, there are a few things you can do.

When she leaves her rings lying around, secretly grab them and trace the inside of the ring on paper and take that to a jeweler letting them know which finger she normally wears that particular ring on. They'll be pretty good at approximating her ring finger size based on what you brought them.

Another great and accurate way is to have one of her friends help you out by having her try on their rings to see which fits on what finger. It's likely that you'll end up with one that's a pretty good (if not perfect) fit!

More Engagement Ring Tips For Him

Check out this 3 part interview we had with a Chicago Tribune reporter.

We cover what kind of engagement ring you should get for her?

What you need to know about diamonds and the 4Cs going into the process and how much you should spend.

And finally, in the last part we cover the more common ring-buying traps and engagement ring insurance.

Hey, have you checked out our fun engagement ring quiz that helps you figure out what kind of girl she is?

Don't get stressed out about it, if you put some thought into it and really make an effort to try and figure things out, you'll have a pretty good idea of your girl's taste in wedding & engagement rings. And the fact that you picked it out and surprised her with it will make it so much more special.