Proposing marriage to someone is probably the most important decision you would ever have had to make during your entire lifetime. It is quite a happy and exciting prospect, and you must be hopping around with joy, ever since you realized that you are hopelessly in love with this particular individual, and are absolutely ready to spend your life with them.

It is, however, quite important for you to make a few plans ahead of performing the actual act of proposing to your beloved. You will, for one thing, need an engagement ring, to present your loved one with, as a token of your immense love and die-hard commitment towards them. Selecting the perfect engagement ring is definitely not what you might consider to be easy. There are too many impending decisions involved, and you need to be sure that you have made the right ones in the right manner, for everything to turn out just perfectly on the significant day when you finally propose.

First and foremost, you need to decide on a particular budget. If you have no problem in spending a considerably large amount of money on this symbolic circlet of commitment, and consider it worth the amount and effort, you would do really well to look through all the available designer engagement rings. These are stunning, and possibly unique too, yet considerably expensive, on the other hand. However, if your budget does not allow you to spend such a fortune on the ring, however much you would like it that way, don’t lose heart. You still have many options to look at and choose from, which will be extremely beautiful in their own merit, and will definitely not empty your pocket. The ring will be special emotionally, after all, and the cost doesn’t matter.

Once you have looked through all the available designs, preferably on the internet, you ought to decide on the exact design and structure of the engagement ring as per your choice. You need to select the metal, first of all, from which you want to have the ring wrought; you could choose from silver, yellow, or white gold, or platinum. Next, you need to decide on which stone you want your special engagement ring to bear. You have a variety of gemstones at your disposal then, and you could select any one from the array according to your preference. The tradition, however, is to present a diamond engagement ring to your beloved, as you know very well.

While talking about the stone, you also need to pay attention to the size, cut, clarity and color, according to the overall design of the engagement ring. There are innumerable hues to choose from, even within the boundaries of those available in a particular gemstone, and it will surely be a tough call. You could, again, follow tradition by choosing white.

Now, since you know the basic decisions that stand behind selecting the perfect engagement ring for your beloved, the next step for you is to go out and make the right choice. However, one last bit of advice – remember to buy the engagement ring only from a reputable and recognized jeweler, who is sure not to dupe or deceive you in any way possible.