How should you really think when buying your very first ring? In this article I give you my tips for how to get to know yourself, your taste and your style. By doing the preparatory work, you can then strike when the right ring ends up in front of you - and know that you have chosen exactly the right ring for you! To best help you, I've created a step-by-step guide for how to think when you've decided to buy your first ring and start building your jewelry collection! Written by: Cecilia Kores
We're starting!
Why? Because it will simply help you narrow down the selection! Often you want to wear slightly different rings depending on which finger it is - e.g. on the little finger, you might want to wear small, thin rings (I love it) or you might want a classic heel ring. On the ring finger it is common to want to build a stack, on the middle finger perhaps a large stone (why not in a large one-of-a-kind ring?) and on the index finger you may want to take the opportunity to wear a large and special ring that hugs a larger part of the finger (e.g. our Lace Ring, I always wear it on the index finger myself), but which does not have a handle that sticks up! You can also leave the ring finger blank and save it for that special future ring that symbolizes your love. Of course, this is just advice, but it can be good to think about which finger you want to wear your ring on as it will help you choose.
3. Get to know your taste!
This is an exciting step! How are you supposed to know what you like, if you haven't worn real jewelery before - and especially haven't bought anything yourself? My best tip for finding your style is to start surrounding yourself with jewelry. The first step to getting to know your taste is to see as many pieces of jewelry as possible! To going directly to a jewelry store (or making an appointment in the showroom as in our case) can often feel overwhelming in this situation. What you want instead is to gather inspiration to understand more about your own taste! This is how I do: Take an evening, sink into your favorite armchair and get online! Your goal is to see as many different types of jewelry as possible. Save every picture of a piece of jewelry that you like in some way. So where can you start looking? You may be used to using Pinterest for recipes and interior design inspiration, and Instagram for fitness and swimwear. Of course, you should use your "regular" platforms that you usually use to look for cute pictures of puppies, recipes, and interior design inspiration (in my case pinterest and instagram) - you can for example try entering "simple diamond ring" in the search field on pinterest - but you can also think more jewelry-specific! Where do you best find jewellery?
Here come two insider tips:
- The first thing is to go to auction sites - e.g. Bukowskis often has jewelry on their online auction and scrolling past and upcoming auctions can be super inspiring and give you lots of great input. You may not like the jewelry itself, but you can get ideas about which stones and stone colors you are drawn to or if you are drawn to a certain type of ring (eg three-stone ring or solitaire with a halo around).
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My second tip is to enter the name of a person whose usual style you like in the google search bar! For example, if you were to type in “Victoria Beckham + rings” you would get the pictures of all the engagement rings that David has given her almost every year since they first got engaged. The last time I checked, it had added up to a total of 14 rings. I myself think she has a cool style, I love looking at what rings she has. And this very act of looking at others is in this case something that can help you a lot! Sometimes we learn to look within, but to get there, others can help you! Just by being in this mindset, you will now begin to see the jewelry on people you see in cafes, in the grocery store, at work - you will probably even notice the jewelry that your own family and friends wear in a whole new way! Take mental pictures and note what you see! Ask if you can try and take pictures.
4. Smalna ner
Here you will notice that a pattern begins to emerge. It is this pattern that you should pay attention to: what stone colors are you drawn to? What styles do you come back to? You might get stuck with too many thin rings in a stack, which can be combined differently depending on what day it is. Maybe you've become obsessed with eternity bands - eternity rings that have stones all around the ring band. This then gives you another clue as to what you should start with in your own collection. Maybe it's an eternity band. And if you're stuck with the color green - maybe it's an eternity band with emeralds. Look through all the pictures you have saved in folders on pinterest, on instagram and in your mobile - and find that common thread. Now you know your taste. Maybe you were surprised!
5. Set a budget
Now we have come to that bit boring part, but which will help you. Setting a budget will help you slim down. You can now finally let go of those rings that are way over budget! If you realize that the budget you intended to set aside will not be enough for any of the things you want - think about whether you can save a few months longer? Clean out the attic and sell off stuff?
It is best if you have found a style that matches the style of a specific jewelry designer or goldsmith. You may have noticed that three of the pictures you saved are from the same jewelry designer or goldsmith. Or you can find a goldsmith who has the style you are looking for. Then book a meeting there! Or - you hit the auction! Now that you've surrounded yourself with jewelry and learned your own taste, you can be much more spontaneous without fear of regret.
What I advise you not to do is take a picture of a piece of jewelry that is over your budget and ask a cheaper jeweler to copy it. Besides the obvious fact that copying someone else's design is not ethically appropriate, it will almost never turn out the way you envisioned. Just because you're a goldsmith, you don't have the same hands, you don't have the same eye for details and above all - you do your thing! Very few jewelry designers and goldsmiths overprice their products (then you simply cannot sell them), so if you get a cheap offer from someone to copy your favorite designer's jewelry, you should be very vigilant.
7. Dare to trust yourselfDon't over think! If you have a favorite color that you always loved - stick to it! Then you won't get tired. And if you've made up your mind, dare to drive. A beautiful gemstone ring is something magical, I promise. Otherwise, it's easy for something else to suddenly come in the way - such as changing that sofa in the living room instead.
Avoid listening too much to others - even with the best intentions, sometimes other people's opinions can hurt more than they help. After all, you are the one who has to wear the jewelry every day.
Images and articles: Nataliya Melnychuk/Unsplash
I don't think everyone will love jewelry. But you who do it - it is for you that we create them, and it is for you that I make the Jewelry Podcast.
Listen to Episode 2: What to consider when buying your first ring? of Smkykespodden directly below or click here .
