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Diamond Education
The Diamond’s 4Cs
Searching for a sparkling diamond? Selecting a diamond starts by understanding the unique characteristics of each stone. Diamonds are graded based on the 4Cs – cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. The 4Cs of diamonds impact the stone’s beauty and value. Learn more about each of the diamond 4Cs below.
Cut
Cut measures how well-proportioned a diamond’s dimensions are including the balance and brilliance of its facets.
Color
Clarity
Carat Weight
Carat measures a diamond’s weight. An objective measurement, carat weight is the most popular indicator for showing how large a diamond is.
Shape
Certification
Diamond reports and certifications can provide the full information on a diamond’s cut, color, clarity and carat weight. Unbiased diamond grading reports are offered with every Blue Nile diamond.
Learn More About Certification
Guide to Engagement Rings
You’ve arrived at the correct spot, we can confidently state as the leading online supplier of exquisite jewelry and certified diamonds. Our knowledge, quality, and variety are unparalleled. We’re here to assist you in creating an engagement ring that reflects your goals, your financial situation, and essentially anything and everything that is most important to you.
What Is an Engagement Ring Symbolizing?
Our Instagram feed is filled with these magical moments, and an engagement ring has long been a sign of a marriage proposal. You’re aware of them, right? The proposal is made while the proposer is knelt down and feels a little nervous. An engagement ring is a clear and tangible statement of someone’s love for you and their desire to make your relationship official. Its meaning is profound.
Although any ring can be used as an engagement ring, diamond engagement rings are by far the most common. Of course, there are no restrictions on where you may look for your ideal ring. There are no regulations, and this applies to where the engagement ring is placed on the finger. Similar to a wedding band, an engagement ring is traditionally worn on the third finger of the left hand and serves as a fairly obvious sign of a relationship in Western cultures. Some cultures, however, prefer to wear engagement rings on the right hand because they believe the left hand to be unlucky. What sounds proper to you? We’re here to make it happen no matter how you want to celebrate.
The Distinction Between a Wedding Ring And an Engagement Ring
A wedding ring is traditionally given to partners at the wedding ceremony, whereas an engagement ring is typically given during a marriage proposal. An engagement ring frequently has a more elaborate design than a wedding band. A round diamond solitaire engagement ring and a wedding band with a diamond pavé are two of our most popular sets. On the other hand, we have a lot of clients who like defying conventions. For example, some customers prefer matching bands instead of an engagement ring. Some couples stack their brilliance by placing additional rings at either end of the engagement ring.
You might be wondering where to wear your engagement band on your wedding day if you intend to exchange wedding rings. On the day of the wedding, many individuals temporarily move their engagement ring to their right hand for storage.
What Should You Expect To Pay For An Engagement Ring?
Nothing more than an old proverb that doesn’t necessarily correspond with your priorities, needs, or personal budget, the saying that you should spend three months’ worth of salary on your engagement ring. And while it may be useful to know that, according to a survey by The Knot, the average price of an engagement ring in the United States is $5,900, what really matters is that Neptunes Blvd offers incredible values and engagement ring prices that suit your comfort zone. Whether your ring costs $1,000 or $10,000, our specialists are dedicated to assisting you in getting the most out of every dollar.
We are aware, through dealing directly with millions of clients and performing our own research, that financing and saving for an engagement ring may cause a great deal of worry, particularly among Gen Z and Millennials. In light of this, we’ve teamed up with a knowledgeable financial expert to provide some advice that will help you save money and create a sensible budget.
Frequently Used Metals for Engagement Rings
Platinum (or white gold for those who prefer a platinum look at a reduced price) is unquestionably a favorite engagement ring metal among Neptunes Blvd clients. However, rose gold engagement rings have become a rapidly expanding fashion over the past few years. The late nineteenth century saw widespread usage of rose gold settings, which are now prized for their innately romantic appeal and suitability for rings with vintage-inspired designs. People who love how this metal’s lovely warm glow accentuates engagement ring settings with colored gemstones have recently become interested in yellow gold engagement rings.
Popular settings and designs for engagement rings
Setting and style have varied meanings in terms of terminology. When discussing the process of setting a diamond in place, a craftsperson working on a custom engagement ring in the Neptunes Blvd workshop is likely to use the term “setting.” A ring’s head setting options include bezel and prong-style settings, to name a couple. The method by that stones are put into the body of the ring is also described by settings, such as channel-set designs.
However, not everyone interprets the word “setting” in the same way. At Neptunes Blvd, we frequently refer to the general design of the ring in which your diamond(s) or gemstone(s) will be placed in a conversational rather than technically correct manner.
How to Choose the Best Diamond for You
When looking into diamond engagement rings, the 4Cs (cut, color, clarity, and carat) are probably the first thing you’ll come across. Trying to understand the subtleties of these concepts may even leave you feeling overly stressed. But do not fret. Based on your preferences and price range, our specialists with years of expertise can help you select the ideal diamond. However, if you enjoy getting down and dirty, we also have excellent resources that can help you cut through the nonsense and quickly grasp the fundamentals.
However, before you explore more of our fantastic education section, we’ll address two frequently asked questions. Which of the four Cs is the most crucial? Solution: Cut. What should the carat weight of an engagement ring be? The average carat weight of our best-selling pieces with a single center stone is a little under 1.0. Naturally, this does not imply that your diamond must weigh that much, but people have told us that having a reference point is useful. If you’re wondering why cut is so crucial, it’s because a perfect cut will make you dazzle the most. However, a diamond’s carat weight has no bearing on how well it reflects light.
Why Are Fancy-Shaped Diamonds So Popular?
Although there are many small details that go into making a stunning engagement ring, it should come as no surprise that the shape of the diamond center stone plays a significant role in determining the appearance of our most popular engagement ring designs. We provide nine fancy forms in addition to round diamonds, such as pear, oval, and emerald.
Fancy-shaped diamonds are popular because they are a beautiful method to make genuinely unique designs. Bonus: Compared to a round brilliant diamond of identical carat weight, many fancy-shaped diamonds can save you up to 25%. Additionally, a lot of the fancy-shaped diamonds work well in designs with a vintage feel. A fancy-shaped diamond may be a terrific option if you’re interested in modifying a ring to produce an heirloom-like vibe or if you just want a design that is specifically for you.
How to Customize a Neptunes Blvd Engagement Ring
Customers frequently remark on how much they appreciate our high standards of quality, choice, and service. However, the fact that we can design any type of ring imaginable is what really delights our customers. We can assist you in designing whatever you can imagine. In our Seattle workshop, each engagement ring is meticulously handcrafted by a talented group of artisans, who then check it four times before it leaves. Are you ready to locate the ideal ring?
Customers frequently remark on how much they appreciate our high standards of quality, choice, and service. However, the fact that we can design any type of ring imaginable is what really delights our customers. We can assist you in designing whatever you can imagine. In our Seattle workshop, each engagement ring is meticulously handcrafted by a talented group of artisans, who then check it four times before it leaves. Are you ready to locate the ideal ring?
A Size Chart for Rings
We have some great tips and tools to help you decide your ring size. Using a ring that you already own as a guide and our written instructions, the first method explains how to get your ring size. The second option is the most accurate, however getting our free ring sizer takes some time, so patience is required. (You may access both options by clicking on the links below.)
Guide to Wedding Rings
You’ve come to the perfect site if you’re wondering how to purchase a wedding band. Experts at Neptunes Blvd will respond to your most pressing inquiries, clarify the significance of a wedding ring, assist you in deciding which metal to use for your wedding band, and provide guidance on how to create your wedding set with complementary or unusual combinations.
What Is a Wedding Ring Meant to Mean?
A wedding ring serves as a dual-purpose symbol. It serves as a symbol of your love and faithfulness to one another as well as announcing your committed partnership to the outside world. Your lovely wedding band is a symbol of your desire to be with your spouse forever as well as the vows you exchanged on your wedding day. The wedding ring is what makes the marriage legally binding, even though your engagement ring only represents the promise of marriage.
Many of our clients enquire about the appropriateness of diamonds in wedding bands. Although we do have many wedding ring designs with diamonds embedded in the band, many of our most well-liked wedding rings for both men and women are plain metal bands.
The Distinction Between a Wedding Band and Ring
During their wedding ceremony, a couple exchanges wedding rings (or wedding bands). Both phrases have the same meaning and are interchangeable.
Female Wedding Rings
The choices for a woman’s wedding ring range from a relatively basic metal band to a significantly more ornate design, such as a diamond eternity ring. You can get a good idea of our most popular designs by looking at Neptune Blvd’s top ten women’s styles. These styles include traditional platinum bands, platinum bands with micropavé diamonds, French pavé diamond eternity rings in yellow 18kt gold and 14k rose gold, as well as vintage-inspired designs with milgrain and fancy-shaped diamonds.
Combining your wedding ring and engagement ring
On the left hand, the finger adjacent to the pinky is where the wedding ring is customarily placed. This is a result of the notion that the ring finger and the heart were linked by a vein of love in classical Greece. Many women will temporarily switch their engagement ring to their right hand on the day of their wedding ceremony. They will switch the engagement ring back to the left hand after being married and putting their wedding rings on, leaving the wedding band closest to the heart.
More and more couples are shopping for engagement rings together, and in many cases, they are considering how their choice of wedding bands and engagement rings synchronize, both aesthetically and symbolically. This is one of the most interesting trends we’ve seen over the past few years.
Perfect Couple
Many of the wedding bands for women available at Neptunes Blvd are made with the same metal, prong design, and diamond weight as our engagement ring settings. To find your ideal match, use our wedding ring matcher tool.
Complementary
With a wedding band that complements the design of your engagement ring with contrasting components, you may create a special and distinctive match.
Unexpected
These combinations are frequently daring and include unanticipated components like opposing textures, flashes of gemstone color, and combined metals.
Men’s Wedding Rings
Wedding ring options for men are rising and changing quickly. While traditional, plain men’s wedding bands made of platinum, white gold, and yellow gold are among our best-selling options, we’re also delighted to offer stunning designs in strong metals like cobalt, tantalum, titanium, and tungsten. These include wedding bands with channel-set diamonds, diamond pavé, and engravable designs.
How Does Wedding Ring Set Work?
An engagement ring and complementary rings for the bride and groom make up a wedding ring set. Jewelers often distinguish between a bridal set, which excludes the groom’s ring, and a wedding set. Most people refer to both sets as wedding sets outside of the jewelry industry.
Frequently Used Metals for Wedding Rings
We provide wedding bands for both men and women in classic plain-metal designs as well as more ornate varieties with diamonds or other precious stones. Numerous options are available in the most widely used wedding ring metals, including platinum, yellow gold, white gold, and rose gold.
Platinum is 95% pure and 30 times rarer than gold, which is one of the reasons why platinum wedding bands are so adored. Platinum is naturally hypoallergenic and feels precious and important due to its bulk and weight. Additionally, it lasts a long time. However, platinum wedding bands are among the priciest choices. Many people who like the appearance of white metal over yellow metal choose a wedding ring made of white gold since it has a platinum-like appearance and is less expensive. Because pure 24k gold is too soft to be used for making wedding rings, if you’re wondering what type of gold is best for them, you’ll see that our yellow gold, rose gold, and white gold wedding bands are all offered in 14k or 18k options.
What Price Range Should You Use For A Wedding Ring?
The average price of a wedding ring for a woman in 2019 is $1,100, and the average price of a wedding band for a man is $510. The good news is that Neptunes Blvd provides hundreds of wedding ring types for men and women with lovely selections for any budget. However, the amount of money that you should spend on a wedding band is as personal as the vows you exchange or the location you choose to say “I do.” Classic metal wedding rings may be found for under $150, while opulent diamond platinum eternity bands can cost upwards of $30,000. Whether you’re just engaged or getting ready to upgrade to commemorate a significant anniversary, there’s something for everyone.
A Guide to Ring Size
In order to determine your ring size, we have some excellent advice and resources. The first approach describes how to determine your ring size using a ring that you currently own as a reference point and our printed instructions. The second choice is the most precise, however it takes a little while to obtain our free ring sizer, which demands some patience. (The links below will take you to both selections.)
Education & Buying Advice for Earrings
Because they always fit correctly, earrings are the ideal gift. She may leave the house without a bracelet, but earrings are nearly always on. Earrings are the most basic item of jewelry in her jewelry collection.
The majority of earring designs complement any outfit and provide her appearance. Finding the ideal pair of earrings as a present is simply because of the large selection of earring kinds, sizes, and prices available. Every time she wears them, she’ll think of you.
Studs
Stud earrings are simple to wear since they are tiny. They pair with jeans just as effortlessly as they do with a cocktail dress. Cultured pearl earrings, diamond earrings, gemstone earrings, and our Build Your Own Earrings® feature all come in a variety of designs.
Hoops
Hoops made of platinum, gold, or silver add a feminine touch, and precious metals complement every outfit. Select a pair with diamonds for more sparkle. Silver hoops start at about $84, on average.
Drops
Drop earrings have a dangling portion below the setting. They may add elegance by swaying as they move. Drop earrings in a variety of settings are available with pearls, diamonds, and gemstones.
Gifting Earrings
Diamond studs are the ideal present for a significant event. Give her princess-cut diamond studs if she is more trend-conscious and wears the latest designs; if not, go with round diamond or cultured pearl earrings.
Even if she already owns many pairs of earrings, she would like to add a pair of stunning hoop earrings to her collection. Look at her other jewelry to discover what she prefers; most women have a preference for the hue of precious metals they wear.
If studs and hoops are too conventional, silver earrings come in a wide range of stylish designs. Other earring designs feature vibrant gemstones or vivacious dangling patterns.
To see a list of the earrings every woman needs, visit our Top Ten Earrings page. Or consider these earrings for a gift that won’t break the bank:
under $100 earrings
under $250 earrings
under $500 earrings
Bracelets: Information & Purchasing Advice
One piece of jewelry that she will wear frequently is a bracelet, which she can appreciate frequently. She also likes how it feels on her wrist since it makes her think of you.
There are various bracelet lengths available. So make sure to measure one of her other bracelets before you buy to make sure she doesn’t require a specific length.
Whenever she isn’t using her hands to create something, she typically wears bracelets. A bracelet must be extremely durable because it is constantly bumped and bashed due to its close closeness to the hands, even when it is not in use. This is taken into account by jewelry designers, so you can be confident that the bracelet you select will last.
Chain
This bracelet is a classic. There are other chain patterns available, including the classic round-link rolo or wheat chain, in metals like platinum, sterling silver, and 18-karat gold.
Pearl
A classic item of jewelry is a pearl bracelet. Anything she wears, from jeans to a cocktail dress, gets a dressier touch from it. She can also add a similar pearl necklace and pair of earrings to further up the outfit.
Bangle
A bracelet made of bangles can be worn alone for a minimalist look or layered with other bracelets. Metallic-looking bracelets catch the eye, and the sound of multiple bracelets clinking together is pleasing.
Type of Chains :
Jewelry As Gifts
Give her a pearl bracelet for a significant event like a promotion or graduation. This bracelet goes well with a dress and is ideal for one of these formal events.
Give her a bangle for her birthday, or many bangles to wear simultaneously. In the summer, bangles are fun to accessorize her outfit, and in the winter, she can wear them over a form-fitting sweater.
For a list of bracelets that every woman needs, see our Essential Bracelets. For a gift that will meet your budget, consider these bracelets:
Under $250 Bracelets
$500 to $250 for bracelets
$100 to $500 for bracelets
$1,000 to $2,500 for bracelets
Over $2,500 in Bracelets
Necklaces: Information & Purchasing Advice
Everything she wears will look stylish with the right necklace or pendant. Giving her a necklace allows you to execute the traditional romantic gesture of placing it around her neck for the first time, in addition to being a stylish gift.
A necklace can be any kind of chain, length of priceless metal, or collection of stones. They are also available in pendant designs, which typically include a single pearl, diamond, gemstone, or piece of fine metal strung on a chain. A length of closely spaced pearls is known as a pearl strand.
Metal Chains
Everything goes with chains. A fine, choker-length platinum chain will offer a hint of shine. To give her outfit some visual flair, think about giving her an 18-inch sterling silver or 18k gold chain.
Necklaces
There are many different types of necklaces, including braids, links, and stronger chains. While some necklaces have a fixed row of diamonds or gems, others have stones that extend the entire length of the piece. Diamonds, precious stones, or intricate motifs made of fine metal hang from chains as pendants.
