alternative engagement

The biggest question (the all-important ‘Will you marry me?’) is necessarily preceded by many smaller questions because, if you’re thinking of proposing to your partner, or want to drop some hints if they’ll be doing the proposing, you need to find the perfect engagement ring. A ring that encapsulates someone’s style, while at the same time reflecting how well you know them, and how much you love them. What style should the engagement ring? What cut and carat of diamond, if a diamond at all? What colour metal, what ring size? And what about alternative engagement rings, and bespoke rings?

So many questions; so many possibilities. Luckily, the brands designing today’s most covetable engagement rings know their stuff, with centuries of experience helping happy couples seal the deal between them. They understand; it’s so much more than a ring.

For Valerie Messika, solitaires and wedding bands are “loaded with meaning and modernity, symbolising forever lasting love”. For the Graff team, engagement rings symbolise the “love story between a jewel and its wearer”. Chupi Sweetman finds it magical when her jewellery becomes part of one of the most important, exciting and love-filled days of people’s lives and Kiki McDonough is still, after 35 years, amazed and inspired by how varied people’s ideas can be. Whatever your style and preferences, read on for our guide to choosing the perfect engagement ring.

How to choose the perfect engagement ring style

There are so many options it can be overwhelming but, when it comes to choosing the perfect engagement ring for your partner, the answer is often right in front of you. Chupi Sweetman, who founded Chupi in 2011, asks you to remember, from the start of your search, that “money doesn’t make magic.”

“It’s easy to get caught up in