How to Propose in a Memorable Way this Valentine's Day

    LONDON, ENGLAND, February 10, 2012 /24-7PressRelease/ -- Engagements and Valentine's Day go together like peaches and cream. What more perfect time could there be to announce your undying love for the girl of your dreams? And what better way than to propose on Valentine's Day with a diamond engagement ring? Valentine's Day provides the ideal time; all you have to do is create the right setting and find the perfect ring.

The right setting is vital for establishing the ideal atmosphere for the occasion. With most girls, it's probably best to avoid a big, showy occasion like making your proposal on a message board at a football crowd. This puts unwelcome pressure on the girl to accept and could result in unhappiness later.

It's usually better to choose a more intimate and romantic setting, like a favourite spot in the country or somewhere overlooking a beautiful sunset. Your special restaurant after a nice meal, or your home during a romantic evening, is also a perfect choice for where you should make your proposal. Make her feel special. Make her feel comfortable. Then pop the question with love and sincerity and with the right engagement ring and she will just melt.

As the saying goes "Diamonds are a girl's best friend", but when it comes to engagement rings they are a guy's best friend too. There can hardly be a girl who is able to resist a stunning diamond engagement ring when the guy she loves goes down on one knee to ask for her hand in marriage. So what should you be looking for when you set out to choose the ring?

If you are going to choose the ring yourself, you need to make sure that it is compatible with your girl's personality. Big, flamboyant rings might be suitable for some, but others would prefer a ring that displays understated, timeless elegance that they can wear on all occasions.

Most important, perhaps, is to know what to look for in a diamond. Your jeweller will be happy help you but a little knowledge beforehand is always useful. The main thing to remember is the Four Cs that are used to grade diamonds. These are:

Carat - which refers to the weight of the diamond. The carat is divided into 100 points so a 50-point diamond is half a carat. Smaller sizes work out cheaper per carat so that two half-carat stones will cost less than a single one-carat stone.

Colour - diamonds come in a range of colours most commonly from white (clear) to bright yellow and are graded from D (truly colourless and the most valuable), to Z (the least valuable). J is the lowest grade you should be aiming for. Other colours are extremely rare and are highly prized.

Cut - how a diamond is cut dictates its sparkle and brilliance. The cut is determined by how large and brilliant the final stone is to be. Leaving the stone large will give it value from size but cutting away more to improve brilliance will increase its value because of its brilliance. It is probably better to go for a smaller brilliant diamond than one that is larger but less bright.

Clarity - almost all diamonds have some internal imperfections called inclusions. These affect its brilliance and most require a magnifying glass to see.

Armed with this information, you should be able to select the best diamond for you. But don't forget the setting and band. You will need to match these to the style of wedding ring you are planning. Yellow gold remains popular but, increasingly, white gold or platinum are becoming the metal of choice.

Whatever you choose, when you propose on Valentine's Day with a diamond engagement ring, you will make your girl the happiest girl in the world.

The Watch Guys have sold and repaired jewellery in London's Hatton Garden since 1983.

Website: http://www.goldsmiths.co.uk

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