By Cortney Vaughn

Not so long ago, choosing an engagement ring required just a few questions: round or emerald cut? White gold or yellow gold? These days, there's a lot more to consider when selecting how to buy an engagement ring or wedding band.  After all, your forever sparkler is both a serious monetary investment and a piece of jewelry you or your partner will wear for life.

An engagement ring should be a timeless, classic symbol of your love that will last forever, so the goal should be to find the stone that is the perfect match for your future fiancé. Look at their current jewelry to see what would best suit his or her style. Do they favor gold or platinum? Do they wear statement jewelry or instead opt for minimal pieces? Take cues from their current style to determine how you pick the piece they’ll cherish forever. Lucky for you it’s 2023 and most prospective brides have likely shared their dream rings with friends and family, or if anything like me, have not so nonchalantly dropped very specific clues for one to find. Thus helping you in the decision making process.

So whether you’re a soon-to-be bride or celebrating a lifetime of love and marriage, Elleard Heffern Fine Jewelers offers custom designs from start to finish. They carefully curate designers with the most exquisite levels of craftsmanship and only the most carefully-selected diamonds.

Classic Elegance

When it comes to popular opinion, Round brilliant-cut diamonds are still the quintessential choice due to their outstanding light performance and universal shape that works in an endless number of setting style. In second place, Emerald cut diamonds. Following the selection of the center stone(s), you will be tasked with the fun, yet intricate decision of the setting style as well as the ring itself. There are infinite possibilities but EH presents it in a way that is much less intimidating than you might think.

Think outside the box with Unique Color and Fancy Shapes

Today’s brides want everything they wear to feel special, and for a ring's vibe to match up with their own. It's becoming more common for women to eschew diamonds and traditional settings entirely and opt for something personal, unique and unexpected. People are yearning for something different. They want something that feels 'fashion' and relevant, but also timeless—not basic, boring, or predictable. They come to EH for a ring that’s unusual but still clean and sleek so it won’t go out of style.

Remember when Emily Ratajkowski chose a unique 2 stone ring for her engagement and the crowd went wild? It’s no surprise that the once popular trend is back and still very much in the forefront of minds when making the decision of a one, two, or even three stone ring. Personally, I love the idea of a double diamond but the option to do a pop of color is uniquely appealing to my eye as well.

 (Bridal) Stacks on Stacks

The decisions don’t stop with just the engagement ring.  You’ll also need the bling that pops out of the box on the day of the ceremony. From dainty eternity bands set perfectly with remarkably evenly-matched and high-clarity diamonds, to bold yet classic 18-karat or fun and fresh exotic materials designed just for him.

And when there’s room for more, there’s more!  Whether celebrating the birth of a child, a very special anniversary, or “just ‘cause,” EH is there to make your stack fun and fresh with a wide variety of new addition options. 

When reaching a milestone, you may want to fashion up your hand with an additional elegant band of bold, larger gemstones – be it of a classic or exotic shape – perfect for dinner attire and “daytime glamour” alike.  It’s not uncommon for a woman to really put some thought into how her stack fits together, not only in what bands to buy but in what order to wear them. It’s important to tell a story. A modern twist on the traditional charm bracelet, if you will.

Time for an upgrade?

Elleard Heffern Fine Jewelers is excited to offer a number of options for “upgrading” your treasured engagement ring.  There’s the classic upgrade to a larger diamond, then taking your existing diamond and fashioning it into a necklace for you or your daughter.  There’s also the option of color, replacing an existing diamond with a stunning Emerald, Kashmir sapphire or a rich, romantic Burma ruby. 

Repurposing settings is another popular choice for those seeking to upgrade their rings. By recycling a family heirloom or an old piece of jewelry, individuals can breathe new life into sentimental pieces. Jewelers with an in-house design team like Heffern can carefully remove the gemstones and reset them into a modern and contemporary design, making the ring more relevant and wearable for the present generation.

Cleaning and Maintenance

It goes without saying, but your engagement ring is an important piece of jewelry, which is why bridal ring care should be something you regularly prioritize. After all, you've spent months, perhaps even years, dreaming about your perfect ring; so now that it's a permanent fixture on your left hand, you'll want to ensure it sparkles as much as the day you received it for years and potential generations to come.

It is very important to schedule once yearly maintenance appointments to make sure the prongs are tight, the diamond isn't loose, and there are no hairline cracks in the shank.

EH offers free cleaning and polishing any time you want to come in, for any jewelry you choose, and they do it while you wait. Should you need any resizing or adjustments, their in-house and award-winning bench jeweler can help with any repairs you may need.

Protect your investment and don’t forget to insure your ring. It is also important to have your jewelry appraised every five years as the cost of diamonds and precious metals go up. If you were to lose something which was appraised 10 years ago, the insured value could be far less than the actual replacement cost.

Lifetimes in the Business

Kit (Elleard) Heffern is a third-generation fine jeweler and certified gemologist and they have collectively helped countless clients, often over multiple generations, with everything from their engagement and wedding processes to their anniversary celebrations, to their fun and fresh fashion jewelry (have you seen their collections?).  Kit himself has been in the business more than 50 years, and insists, “never” when it comes to retirement.  “It’s all about trust,” he says.  “We have a 110-year reputation to uphold and are always excited to do whatever it takes to make our nicest clients the happiest clients, too. We would love to meet you.”