As the title suggests, buying an engagement ring is one thing, investing in a piece of jewellery that is symbolic to your relationship and that will stand the test of time is another. Having trained as a goldsmith in the jewellery repair business many years ago it pains me to see the standard of rings for sale in many shops and online. The money saved on buying something cheap at home or abroad will not be worth it when you end up paying for costly repairs or in many cases the making of a new ring because what you now have is not salvageable.
Technology is a wonderful thing, if used correctly and in the jewellery industry, as in other industries the use of technologies such as CAD and 3D printing bring possibilities of design detail that were very difficult to achieve before. However it also brings an ability to produce low quality, mass manufactured products that are not suitable for long term wear…. in particular for engagement and wedding rings.
Some things to look at when choosing / investing in an engagement ring.
*Weight – Precious metal jewellery is bought and sold based on weight .. if its very cheap, its also most likely not very heavy or well made. 
*Gemstones – quality of stones.. are the bigger diamonds certified with a proper lab report (GIA,IGI, HRD) that has been verified by a reputable diamond merchant?
Small diamonds of high quality offer more bling than large low standard material. Wether you choose to have a Diamond, Sapphire, Ruby etc as the centrepiece of your ring you should buy the best within your budget. We try to advise our Clients and source the stones to suit each individuals preferences without compromising the quality we want to put our name to. We Source our Diamonds and Coloured Gemstones from the most ethical and knowledgable suppliers available. 
*Setting styles – Avoid rings with invisible set diamonds (multiple stones that are held together to look like one larger stone).. they are nothing but trouble. Small Diamonds that are set by hand by experienced diamond setters are less likely to fall out than mass produced equivalents. 
*The metal – As we all know, water, ice and steam are all forms of the same thing. Metal too has various states of hardness depending on the way it has been processed which is why handworked jewellery tends to be superior to mass produced products. Avoid Nickel based white golds as they can be quite troublesome for various reasons.
Alchemy Jewellery is an appointment only based Bespoke Jewellery service.. We have all the expert advise you need. You can make an appointment by calling Brian on (353) 0 879363769 or by emailing bjeiffe@alchemyjewellery.ie
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