Engagement Rings

So, you’ve found somebody that you actually like enough to put a ring on it! Congratulations! That is a huge milestone. Like you, I found myself in this situation late last Spring, and, being fresh to a new city, I didn’t particularly know where to start when finding a ring.

My fiancé and I had discussed rings and even looked on occasion but I had no idea what I was going to get him. Most couples try to keep the ring a surprise but with such a big purchase, it is hard to leave that up to chance.

So, how do you go about picking the perfect ring? Whether you’re a same-sex couple or a straight couple, the journey can actually be relatively easy. Luckily for you, your Denver Personal Stylist already has this experience and I can help you with the entire process. The biggest advice I can offer from the get is to communicate!

We took the time to look individually and together all over the internet. We created folders on our phone, Instagram, and Pinterest pages that contained everything we liked. When we came together, we discussed stone vs no stone, colors, metals, and talked about what designs spoke to us and moved us! We did not take cost into consideration at this stage—think of it as the discovery phase. You are just trying to determine what designs make you smile.

Once we each had a general idea of what the other likes we began our own research. I cannot speak for Braden, but for me, this was eye-opening. I met with 3 different “custom” jewelers because I had an intended idea for Braden that I wanted executed. However, I found that many of the jewelers weren’t as custom as I had previously thought. I imagined walking into a jeweler, describing what I wanted, and seeing a custom 3D computer-generated model but the truth is, that didn’t happen. However, I was opened up to a different world. I had no idea there were so many metals—natural, manmade, stone, antler, marble, diamonds, rubies, etc.

I also found that many of these custom jewelers actually use larger fulfillment centers and, to my amazement, I was directed to their websites to find a style that I liked and could have modified. I finally settled on the designer Jon Atencio. He seemed pretty popular in the Denver area, his pieces seemed unique, his pricing was in my budget range, and they worked to customize the ring that I had envisioned.

During the customization process, do not hesitate to ask questions and then more follow-up questions. A lot of this process is conceptual and unless you want to pay a design fee, you have to utilize your imagination. There were many times that I had trouble conceptualizing the design so I asked questions, asked for images, and the designer even hand drew images so I could get a better understanding.

Luckily, Braden had shown me a ring he found on Etsy that he adored. I was able to show the image to the designer who implemented the basic design + tweaked it to make it completely custom to Braden. I was happy to add an inscription on the inside of the ring and 3 very long weeks later, it arrived; perfect as could be.

Lucky for you, you don’t have to go through this process alone. Utilizing a personal stylist can give you a leg up in the ring department. Not only can I help you pick out the perfect ring, I can help you find the ring that will match your fiancé.

Mine (Left) and Braden’s (Right)