Everyone has his or her idea on what a marriage proposal should be like; just bending the knee and presenting the small box containing the engagement ring is so vanilla. Eight-five percent of women polled were disappointed in the way they received their proposal.  Everyone agrees, however, that the proposal should be romantic and cleverly put together. It should also contain the three major elements, those being the setting, the question and needless to say, the ring.

The young man in Virginia, Corey Newman, had a somewhat unusual idea on how to get his message across to his sweetheart.  The lady of his heart loved spending a part of her afternoons crossword puzzling. This is what prompted him to come up with the original idea and perfect way to ask for her hand.  The 28 year old decided to contact the local newspaper, the Washington Post, and managed to persuade his idea to the newspaper.  The editors took note and got him in touch with their crossword writer.  Together they came up with a cool and original crossword puzzle.
Continue reading »

Proposals are meant to be unexpected, but when people lose their engagement rings in exotic locales they have to call in the cavalry. That’s what happened to Trey Turner as he stood on the Brooklyn Bridge getting ready to propose to his sweetheart, Kelsey Kramer. He took out the ring and before he could utter the words, his trembling fingers lost their grip on the ring and down it went beneath the walkway where they stood. In disbelief, but soldiering on, Trey proposed and Kelsey accepted, except that there was still a little matter of a lost engagement ring.
Continue reading »

In terms of popular social perception, there is a certain discrepancy between a working woman and a working mother or wife. This discrepancy exists regardless of which country is being analyzed. The source of this discrepancy lies at the bottom of the questions, ‘what is the natural role for a woman’ and ‘what kind of impacts does engagement rings and baby bumps have on women’s career prospects?’

These two questions have come to the limelight especially due to the recent survey done by Forbes Woman in collaboration with TheKnot.com and WeddingChannel.com. The purpose behind the survey was to determine the effects of the clash between a professional woman who has to deal with work related things such as deadlines, conferences, clients etc and the old school woman who worries about her wedding, her children and her husband.
Continue reading »

Proposing to the woman you love can be a momentous occasion in both of your lives. As you begin to grow closer, you will start to feel the need to spend the rest of your life with the person you love and give her that diamond engagement ring she wants. Although not all couples end up getting married, the ones who become so ingrained in each other’s lives often do. The process of discovering that you want to be together forever is one that is exciting and can bring you to the realization that love does exist and that you cannot imagine yourself living without her. This time in your life, you want to impress your future wife by making her feel as though she is the most important person in your life. To propose in a special way may not be for everyone, but many feel that this exciting day should be outstanding and leave a strong and lasting impression on her, one that she will always remember and truly appreciate.
Continue reading »

When two people come together in holy matrimony there is a certain harmony, a certain completion to life, and time seems to stand still, at least for the couple. Marriage, which is considered to be an act of biblical proportions, is preceded by the act of proposal. Now, if marriage is supposed to be the final act of completion and satisfaction, then the proposal is a preparation for it. This is why a man who truly loves his woman is almost always extremely jittery about proposing to his beloved. From the point of taking the decision to pop the question, through the browsing of multiple engagement rings, till the actual bending on one knee, the man has his heart in his throat because a simple two letter word i.e. ‘no’ can be disastrous for him.
Continue reading »

You don’t have to present your loved one with a hearts and arrows diamond engagement ring at the top of a pyramid to pull off a magical proposal. If you or a buddy have a bit of magical skills, you can create an atmosphere of fun and surprise, just like one man did at a street magic fair. By enlisting the help of a street magic performer, he set up the proposal so that it at first appeared to be nothing more than a casual ball in a cup trick. After a few tries at spotting whether the ball was in the cup or the magician’s pocket, it seemed the sleight of hand was easier to follow by getting on the knees to spot the trickery. In actuality, it was just the staging for the proposal and once the ring was revealed the proposal took place in public, and the woman accepted.
Continue reading »

Advancement in technology has resulted in a lot of things such as better communication techniques, improved governmental efficiency and, basically, betterment of humanity at large. However, debatably, one aspect of the human condition that has received only minimal attention from the advancement of technology is romance. In all the years of technological improvement, there have only been a few instances of such things improving in the way people romance their loved ones. However, there has been a recent advancement that is going to wow a lot of women in this technological day and age.

This new wondrous item can be coined the ‘talking engagement rings”. Engagement rings that can talk can improve the lot of many men out there. The ring that has been invented by Mr. Luke Jerram of the UK is an ideal way to propose to a woman as it would speak its own story. As per reports, Jerram invented the talking ring in order to propose to his beloved, Ms. Shelina Nanji. Nanji received the proposal high in the sky in a hot air balloon with the engagement ring giving out Jerram’s declarations of love.
Continue reading »

If you have been nervously contemplating getting down on one knee to propose to your proposed life partner then you will also need a matching engagement ring in one hand. In these ridiculously fast times you need not run around in jewellery stores or even sit on your computer to browse through a wide choice of engagement rings. Science has now enabled you to shop online for your engagement ring through your mobile phone itself.

Even if you are constantly on the move and do not have time to visit any jewellery store or do not have time to even sit on your PC then you can still enter virtual jewellery stores to check on their latest collection of engagement rings. If you cannot currently afford an engagement ring made from a genuine diamond then you can still gift your girlfriend a ring embedded with a cubic zirconia diamond. However, if you truly want the best in real diamonds and have an iPhone then you are surely in luck since Tiffany & Company have now designed an iPhone application to help you locate the best possible engagement ring for the girl of your dreams.

Continue reading »

If you’re a modern type of gal that wants to get his and her engagement rings, then you should know how to select one he’ll like. There are a variety of differences from a woman’s engagement, from the style and the look to men’s jewelry settings. While there are now sets available for his and her engagement rings, often the man’s taste and style is significantly different than the brides-to-be. Also, if you’re looking to surprise him and do the proposal, then it’s only fitting you select it for him. Here’s what to keep in mind when selecting a man’s engagement ring.

Male Jewelry Settings

The jewelry settings for men’s engagement rings are different than the woman’s engagement rings. For one, none of them have prongs like in the classic princess-style diamond solitaire. Many don’t even have diamonds, or the diamonds are of a different color than white. The metal choices can vary greatly too, with even tungsten and titanium being popular metal choices. Some even like several different metals in one ring. Remember that most of the cost of the man’s engagement ring will be from the weight of the metal and not the carat of the stone.

Gem Stones

The choice of gemstones is often very subtle. You can have a single small diamond in a man’s engagement ring, but it’s much less overstated than a woman’s ring. Many men prefer black diamonds on their ring, as they’re seen as more masculine and also elegant in appearance. Or, a different colored gemstone than a white diamond is their preference. You won’t see a center diamond surrounded by other stones in a man’s engagement ring. The only time multiple stones are added, they are put around the band in a subtle way that keeps them away from potential harm, so that the man can wear it during strenuous activity.

Style

The style of a man’s engagement ring is created through engravings or artwork on the band, or the construction of the band, more than the gemstones in it. You will see some multi-toned bands and some that are heavily engraved, but few are littered with gemstones, even if the matching woman’s ring is. A great way to add a little style that is hidden is to have the inner band engraved with something of meaning to them. This way they can wear it but not have to show it to anyone.

Get His Opinion

Just like today’s modern woman wants to be included in the design of her engagement ring, men should be consulted in the design and purchase of a ring. Odds are they won’t wear it if you just gave it them without finding out if they wanted a man’s engagement ring. Or, they have strong feelings about the jewelry they will or will not wear. Since the cost of men’s engagement rings can rival that of women’s engagement rings, it’s a good idea to find out ahead of time if they want one or not.

About 90% of the fun of a proposal is the surprise. However, when you buy diamonds, it can be expensive, especially if she doesn’t like the ring. There’s not much of a return policy and some rings may be hard to resize. There’s no reason you have to sacrifice the element of surprise, however, just to get a ring she’ll love. You just have to take a few things into account that’s all.

What’s Her Style?

If she is more modern, she’ll want a modern setting. Maybe she leads an active lifestyle and will want a setting that can wear more than a gold setting. You have to understand that this ring is likely to be on her finger the rest of her life, and for sure, she’ll want it to match the style in her everyday wardrobe. If she wears very feminine clothing, she may want a vintage, romantic, style ring. If she wears more sporty clothing, she’s likely to want something with a modern flair. If you just can’t tell, you can always opt for the princess-cut solitaire diamond as it is the most popular cut chosen and can look modern or vintage, depending on what you wear it with.

Her Ring Size

Next to style, the ring size is going to determine your choice of ring. If you don’t know her ring size, obviously asking about it is a big tip-off that you’re planning to buy a ring. There’s several ways around this. You can “borrow” one of her rings so that you can get it sized to find out the proper size. You can have friends or relatives ask about her ring size that are in on the big surprise later. You risk sort of ruining it though as the more that know; the easier it is to leak that information. You can get a ring for a different occasion like Valentine’s day, and see how it fits, whether you need to go larger or smaller, depending on what finger she puts it on. Finally, you’re really not sure, be sure to get a metal for a setting that can be resized, like gold. Platinum is very difficult to resize so you need to be careful when choosing platinum settings.

Her Social Conscience

Some people just don’t want a diamond ring unless they’re assured it’s conflict-free. If that’s your girlfriend, it’s easy to find out from the jewelry retailer whether they certify it as conflict-free. Others may want to make some sort of environmental statement by avoiding mined materials, in which case you need to really be sure that what you give her isn’t going to offend her sense of ethics. There is alternative jewelry for people who desire something different. Or, you can opt to give her something that has been handed down from family member to family members, thus more of an heirloom piece than some statement on mass commercialism. Try to match the ring you get to the bride-to-be, but always leave room for changes, if she needs them. In the end, the happier she is with the ring you’ve chosen, the more likely she will wear it everywhere she goes.