When Is the Best Time to Buy an Engagement Ring?

Last updated on September 1, 2024

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You have been seeing someone for a while, things are going great and progressing between you. You start to imagine a world in which they are not part of your life and the thought is terrifying. You love them with your entire heart and you think, or at least hope, they feel the same.

Eventually thoughts are going to turn potentially to marriage and making that lifelong commitment to another person. It may have been tentatively mentioned in the past and you know they are not averse to the concept so you feel the time may be right. You start to plan to become engaged.

Tradition says that we do this with a proposal and a symbol of the commitment usually in the form of an engagement ring. There is a lot to plan like how you will do it, when you will ask. And of course you will need that ring so when should you buy that?

In this article we are going to try and help you decide when best to get the all important symbol of engagement, the ring. This is not always the simplest question to answer so bear with us as we run through your options.

When Is the Best Time to Buy an Engagement Ring?

The answer to this is different for everyone and the choices people make may surprise you in some cases. I for example know of someone who bought an engagement ring years ago but has yet to find the right person to give it to.

They know they want to marry one day but have yet to find the right person. Their thinking is that when they do they want to be ready. I know what you're thinking that sounds a little crazy and well I can’t say I completely disagree.

Something you need to remember if you are buying an engagement ring for someone else to wear is that you really need to understand something about their tastes and personality. This to me makes the pre-purchase of a ring just in case they meet someone a risky venture. Their beloved may hate the ring they chose long ago because it is very much against their taste.

The same issue exists with using a family heirloom such as a grandparent's engagement ring. In this case however there is an element of tradition and sentimentality which can make things better. That said the person receiving the ring has every right to not want the family heirloom as their engagement ring.

I know some people may balk at this as being disrespectful but hear me out. I know it seems so romantic and a way of honoring tradition but just because the ring means a lot to your family does not mean it has to mean the same to your partner.

You are expecting them to wear the ring but if they hate the way it looks on their hand you are being unfair to them. The moral here is that an engagement ring is a personal thing and should reflect the tastes and personality of the person wearing it.

So the perfect time to buy an engagement ring from an emotional standpoint is when you know you will need it and when you have a decent idea of what your partner will likely want in their engagement ring.

Is There a Best Time to Buy Financially?

In some cultures there is a belief that getting engaged around the holidays is unlucky. With all due respect to those beliefs I am not a subscriber to that line of thinking. It may be a sticking point in your personal situation so take the following advice at your own discretion.

The holidays are usually the best time of year to make big purchases such as this because retailers will tend to drop prices. This happens in pretty much all facets of retail around the holidays and jewelry is no exception.

So you may get some better deals by buying the ring around the holidays when you have sales events like black Friday or cyber Monday. Just because you buy the ring then does not mean you have to use it if there are cultural traditions to consider.

Do Diamonds Ever Go on Sale?

The biggest cost in most engagement rings is the diamond. These beautiful diamonds became part of general tradition back in the 1940s although they had been used in engagement rings for centuries prior but mainly by the upper classes and royalty.

Since the 1940s however the concept of diamonds has forever made this sparkling gemstone the traditional centerpiece to an engagement ring. So with the diamond comprising the bulk of the cost of most rings do they ever discount diamonds?

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but you will seldom find diamonds being discounted in price. This isn’t like last year's television that has been replaced on the market by a shiny new model. Diamonds are diamonds and they are timeless.

There is no expiration date on a diamond and strict controls by the diamond industry ensures that the price of diamonds rarely changes. When demand increases the industry processes more rough diamonds into finished pieces. If demand drops they slow down production to keep the gems just the right side of being rare and valuable.

Basically put if you see huge discounts on diamonds run in the opposite direction because it is likely some kind of scam which will leave you with a fake gem or one that is nowhere near the quality advertised.

Diamonds are going to cost what they cost so it is up to you to find the right diamond which will match your needs and budget. Any savings you will get are going to come from the engagement ring setting. These can be prone to special offers especially as precious metals may fluctuate in price.

Where to Shop for an Engagement Ring

Traditionally a jewelry store is where we would go to find the perfect engagement ring. They often have a collection of pre-set rings to choose from or you can sometimes choose a diamond and setting and they will build the ring for you.

This is a time consuming method of purchasing your ring and may take visiting a number of locations as on site inventory is generally limited. It is the more traditional and most romantic way of doing it but if you are doing it alone so you can surprise your partner then maybe the romance aspect does not matter as much.

Years ago the idea of shopping for an engagement ring online was considered ridiculous and stupid but things have come a long way in this regard. Buying a diamond engagement ring online today in some ways is a better option than visiting a brick-and-mortar store and I do mean things beyond the convenience.

Websites like James Allen, Brilliant Earth, Blue Nile and Whiteflash all off fantastic quality diamonds at lower prices than in store. These gems come with independent grading reports as performed by third party gemology experts to attest to each diamond's quality.

They are very user friendly websites which allow you to search in some cases through hundreds of thousands of available diamonds to find the perfect stone to adorn the perfect engagement ring setting.

How you choose to shop for your engagement ring is up to you be it in store or online. Follow the golden rule of researching the vendor. Checkout the reputation of jewelry stores and make sure any websites you use are legitimate and have great reviews.

As a piece of online advice do not buy diamond rings from untrusted sites or websites like Amazon or eBay where the vendors are harder to verify.

Plan to Have the Ring Ready for the Proposal

The most important aspect for knowing when to get your engagement ring is to make sure you have it in time to propose. If you for example plan to propose on an anniversary or a specific poignant date you best make sure you make your purchase in time for the ring to be available for you.

If you buy online and build a ring by choosing a diamond and a setting this may take time to get to you so be prepared for that. In the case of a time crunch when you need the ring as soon as possible you may well have to go to a physical jewelry store and make do with what you can find in their pre-made engagement ring inventory.

Final Thoughts

There are no fast and hard rules as to when you should buy an engagement ring as each case will be unique. We can only offer some common sense tips to help guide you. For instance don’t buy a ring for someone you haven’t even met yet.

You can find sales and discounts on jewelry around the holidays but diamonds rarely go on sale so your savings will be on the settings. Make sure you leave yourself enough time to get the ring in your hands before you propose. If it must happen on a certain date then plan accordingly.

Hopefully we have helped you today with this article and let us be the first to preemptively congratulate you on what will be a very happy future together with your partner.

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