Rings

With the number of proposals increasing over the festive season, it’s apparent that the holidays remain notorious for love and romance. However, with the changing nature of proposals every year, are Brits sticking to tradition or breaking the norm when it comes to celebrating this pinnacle moment?  
  
A new study from Buckley London, a high street costume and fashion jewellery manufacturer, revealed the UK’s thoughts on the engagement process, after surveying 2000 UK based adults who are in a relationship.   
 

As we enter into a new leap year, 2020 is expected to see many proposals. Whether its the woman proposing to the man, man to the woman, or same-sex partners popping the big question, this is a special occasion for many couples. 

As couples get engaged, millions will flock to Instagram to share their new shiny rock with the world. If you are looking to pop the question, jewellers William May have undertaken research to reveal the 5 most instagram worthy engagement ring trends right now! 

Arabel Lebrusan of The Vintage Ring Company gives couples three top tips on how to choose a vintage engagement ring.

Each vintage ring has a beautiful history attached to it, boasting mystery and meaning within them. There are design quirks and flourishes that immediately identify a ring as belonging to a specific period of time, but it will bring you a unique pleasure to find the one that is right for you. Almost like you were meant to find it…

You are about to commit yourself to a person who is beautiful inside and out, which is exactly how we feel about creating the engagement ring that is to adorn his or her finger, says jewellery designer Arabel Lebrusan of Lebrusan Studio.…

When you can choose from 100% recycled metal, fairtrade gold, fairmined ecological gold and responsibly sourced diamonds, there really is no excuse not to! You can be assured that your engagement ring will be a uniquely personal piece to be proud of for years to come.

Are you planning on getting down on one knee for your loved one, or just planning on picking your own ring? Whatever the reason, it’s important that you are familiar with all the terminology that you might come across when buying an engagement ring. 

If you’re not an experience jewellery buyer, choosing an engagement ring can be intimidating. You ideally want a piece that shows how well you know them and represents your feelings for them. Lastly, you want it to fit (although size can always be amended later) and ideally fall within your budget. Angelic Diamonds, retailers of engagement rings, decode some of the common terms: 

The Virtue collection by Veale Fine Jewellery showcases gems united by a magnificent force that keeps them forever connected, a truly special selection exuding elegance. These sparklers are the perfect pieces for any bride-to-be, to those looking to indulge in diamonds or surprise someone they love with a carat creation – the Virtue collection is luxury without the label.

We caught up with designer James Veale to find out the hottest trends in wedding jewellery for 2019…

What are the emerging trends for 2019?

Almost a quarter of men have proposed to their partner without getting them an engagement ring.

According to a poll by national jewellers, Beaverbrooks, 24 percent of modern men are asking the most important question of their lives without a traditional diamond ring.

And when it comes to delivering the ‘perfect proposal’, it seems many men are missing the mark on the style, size and stone of their partner’s ring.

A third of women polled (29 percent) said it was crucial that their partner knew exactly what ring they wanted for their proposal. Getting the ring size right first time also featured high on the list, with 28 percent stating it was an essential factor.

After finishing wedding season, which typically covers the whole summer, we are heading towards Christmas- the most popular time of the year to get engaged. With this in mind, new research, conducted by jewellery retailer Diamond Heaven, reveals today how the modern UK are actually sticking to engagement traditions.

Considering that it is a long standing tradition for a man to spend one month's wage on an engagement ring, which is around £1,990 a month*, the average cost we expect to be spent on an engagement ring is £1,650.

Interestingly women stated on average £445 more than men did when asked what was spent or will be spent on the engagement ring.

If you are crazy about personalisation, you’ll need these wedding bands! With a growing demand for their bespoke services and following the success of their first collection designed in house, Confluence, LILA’s Jewels enters the personalisation market with the most exclusive wedding bands. Specialised in engraving and enamelling the pieces, they offer you the opportunity to add an image of your choice to the design and keep your happiest memories close to you.

Cata Rosca, Founder of LILA’s, explains: ‘The lighthouse is the place where the proposal took place so we based the engraving on a photo taken by the customer to make the bands completely unique for the happy couple’.

Vintage Jewellery shop LILA’s launches its first collection ‘Confluence’. Designed in house and born from the brand’s desire to promote ethical practices, all the pieces have been casted in their workshop in Lordship Lane, Dulwich, from 18ct Fairtrade gold and using only recycled stones. 

64Facets combines delicate creativity with multigenerational craft to perfectly encapsulate the wants and needs of today’s modern woman. They do so by transforming beautiful, sustainably sourced rough diamonds into versatile, honestly priced pieces of jewellery, and their unique, personalised Engagement Ring Design Serviceis the perfect addition to any proposal. 
“The same way every relationship is unique, so is every diamond. What works for one couple may not be ideal for another -- which is why by working together with our clients we can make sure their engagement ring is customised to their preferences”.Founder Gourav Soni comments. 

Celebrating the precious moments that life gives us, ASTRA embraces every memory and makes sure it lasts a lifetime. Designing a world that allows you to tell your story through jewellery, with ASTRA, everyone has a story. 

LOVE 

Whether it’s first love or love at first sight, ASTRA celebrates romance with key pieces themed around the feeling of never wanting to let someone go. The collection features designs such as the beautiful Infinity Heart, a symbol for love everlasting, a Double Heart, symbolising how two hearts intertwine and the Be Mine cupid and his arrow, to visualize how quickly one can be struck by the emotion. Ensure a piece of your partner is constantly with you with these timeless and emotive pendants, earrings and rings. 

Following the success of its first luxury line, online tech jewellery brand Jewlr introduces a classic collection to their One and Only engagement ring range.

The brands original ‘One and Only Signature Collection’ which launched in November 2017 consists of six customizable engagement ring styles. With the brands first venture into luxury jewellery receiving a positive reaction from its customers Jewlr announces its plans to expand its range of luxury goods to offer customers a higher quality of diamond in classic styles.

Celebrate your love story by composing your own Compose by Clogau engagement ring that is as unique as you are. Discover your bridal style as you effortlessly fall in love with their beautiful rings, all of which contain arguably one of the most sought-after golds in the world— rare Welsh gold, as favoured by some royal brides since 1923. A completely new collection of stunning designs, you won’t be able to resist the latest styles of completely customizable styles!

Let us guide you through the simple but important steps to designing yours! 

Step 1 

Decide on your ring style 

For Lila’s, wedding season kicks off in July, with the most orders of engagement rings and wedding bands coming through in during this hazy summer month. So to keep up with all you heat-wave love birds, here is the newest drop of pre-loved pieces from our favourite vintage jeweller and some tips on how to buy vintage! 

• The Seller: Trusting the seller is essential, as this means you can be assured you're getting what you're paying for. Make sure you choose someone who is reputable, as the description of the piece is more likely to be accurate