Valentine's day is arguably the most romantic day of the year and a a day that sees a significant surge of marriage proposals. At The Party Set, we have helped plan many a proposal and we know what a momentous occasion it can be.

With Valentine's fast approaching and in case you are one of those considering proposing, we thought we should share our top 12 tips for choosing an engagement ring with the hope it will help you make the right decision.

The engagement ring is one of the few pieces of jewellery your future partner will wear every day for the rest of their life, therefore getting this decision right is most important.

As one of London's leading wedding planners here are some The Party Set tips that will help ensure you wow your husband or wife to be:

As one of London's leading wedding planners here are some The Party Set tips that will help ensure you wow your husband or wife to be:

1-When  in doubt go for the classics: 

An engagement ring will be worn by your husband or wife to be for the rest of their life. The ring will outlast fashions trends and life situations and classics are so for a reason. Timeless designs will look good the years and can potentially become a family heirloom.

2-Look at their other jewellery to understand what they like. 

White gold/yellow gold, modern/traditional, wide/narrow... when in doubt, pay close attention to what your partner usually wears and many of your main questions can be clarified that way. 

Consider asking their best friend for advice and ask if they have a Pinterest page with possible choices. Pay attention when window shopping for jewellery in case they make any remarks that will give you a clue. 

3-It must work well with the wedding band: 

Traditionally engagement rings and wedding bands are worn together. Ask the jewellery adviser at a reputable store such as Tiffany's or Cartier to show you how your preferred engagement ring looks next to several potential wedding bands. 

4-Make it personal

There are countless reputable places that offer bespoke design services. To make your love's ring truly one of a kind, consider adding something truly personal such a stone from a family heirloom to include in your beloved's ring, combining the gold of two pieces of jewellery into one or getting involved in the design. 

5-Keep in mind the all important 4Cs 

At The Party Set, we go by the four Cs (Colour, Cut, Clarity and Carat Weight) which refer to the  international recognised way of assessing the quality of a diamond.

-Colour: Dimond colour grades rate the diamond's lack of colour. The less colour the more rare a diamond is. 

-Cut: The cut of a diamond is determined by the shape of the original piece. An expert will assess how many pieces can be obtained from a brute stone and which are the best shapes for those pieces. The best cuts will maximise the light reflection of the final cut diamond. Some of the most popular cuts are: Round, Emerald, Princess, Radiant, Asscher and Cushion. 

-Clarity: It relates to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects, called blemishes.

Carat Weight: this point relates to the diamond's apparent size.

6-Choose the setting: 

The setting's aim is to protect the diamond but importantly also to highlight the cut of the stone and maximise the light passing through. Some of the most commonly known cuts are: Pong, Bezel, Halo. Choose one that maximises the brightness of your chosen stone.

7-Side Stones

It's common for the main stone of a ring to be accompanied by side stones, these enhance the main stone by complimenting it and framing it. If the side stones are also diamonds, make sure these are of similar quality and clarity. Any size stone must be chosen to compliment the main one by careful selection of size and colour. 

8-Look at the ring under different light conditions

Engagement rings are displayed under very specific light conditions designed to make the stone look their best but these conditions are not usually the same conditions the ring will be regularly seen after it leaves the shop.

Ask the expert to show you the ring under different light conditions like daylight. Hold it close to the shop's window and away from focused display light, walk around the shop with the ring.

9-When possible go for an "Excellent" grade cut

An "Excellent" grade cut will ensure that the chosen diamond gives as much light as the quality of that particular diamond allows. There is a remarkable difference between different stones of similar grade and colour depending on the cut. 

10-Think of the wearer

Proceed any decision by "what would he/she like" rather than "What do I like" , they will be wearing the ring after all.

11-Know the size

It is important to know what size ring you want so as to avoid an awkward moment after you have just proposed.

Remember that the jeweller most likely wont know your beloved's ring size so the more information you can provide the better.

Check what other rings your partner has and draw the inner circle in a piece of paper. You can also make an imprint of one of their rings or try it yourself and making a note. Use as a reference a ring she has used before as she might be storing other rings but does not use as the their size is not right. 

12-Decide on a budget

The choices are endless and prices vary greatly so make up your mind about how much you want to spend before going to your preferred seller and shop around. Decide on a budget and try to stick close to it as you can.  It's easy to get carried away when confronted with so many beautiful gems. 

Don't lose site of the fact that the engagement ring is a physical representation of your intentions for someone that you want to spend the rest of your life with. With a ring, you are making  a life time commitment to that person. 

To us at The Party Set, the ultimate value of the ring lies in Its meaning and anything else is an added joy.

Engagement rings by Tiffany