Selecting an engagement ring can be a challenging task; you’re faced with a plethora of styles, an array of stone options, and a whole new vocabulary to navigate.
While you’re busily learning the basics of diamond buying (and trying to figure out what GIA, brilliance, and halo mean), you should also spend some time researching the jewelers you prefer to buy from.
The best engagement rings in Los Angeles (and nationwide for that matter) come from jewelers who know their craft like the back of their hands. Peter Norman engagement rings adorn fingers across America and worldwide, so we know a thing or two about expert craftsmanship and creating beautiful, quality pieces.
To help you choose the best engagement ring jeweler, whether you’re here in Los Angeles or elsewhere, we’ve put together a brief guide.
Selecting the Best Jeweler for Your Engagement Ring
- How long have they been around?
- What are their reviews like?
- Do they cater to all tastes?
- The best engagement ring jewelers cater to all budgets
- Do they provide both in-store and online consults?
- Do they offer both lab-grown and ethically mined diamonds?
- Do they offer custom engagement rings or just customized options?
Selecting the Best Jeweler for Your Engagement Ring
There are seven key questions you should ask when considering the best jeweler for your engagement ring, let’s begin by looking into their experience.
How long have they been around?
Jewelry is like many other forms of creative artistry; only the best craftspeople manage to stay in business long-term. Those who produce poor work, offer subpar service, or simply lack the consummate skills required tend to appear and then disappear with some regularity. That’s not to mention those who use their clients’ lack of knowledge as a means to garner a higher profit margin.
A well-known jeweler, on the other hand, builds their business over many years, and they rely upon their reputation for quality, honesty, and exquisite work.
For example, when Peter Norman was chosen as the best jeweler to create a custom, 10-carat diamond ring, it stood testament to our knowledge, experience, and expertise. We’ve been creating custom engagement rings for 40 years, and our clients trust us – even with the most expensive precious stones or the trickiest designs and styles.
When you’re considering jewelers, keep in mind that only the best manage to stay in operation for decades. It’s a mark of quality that lets you know you can trust your jeweler with one of your most important life purchases.
What are their reviews like?
One of your first ports of call, once you’ve whittled your potential jewelers down to a select few, is to check their online reviews.
Every business that sells a product, be it engagement rings or envelopes, will proudly show some of their best reviews on their own websites. Peter Norman does the same. However, these reviews do not always tell the full story, rather they’re cherry-picked for display.
The best thing to do is to check reviews on various third-party platforms such as TrustPilot and directories such as Yelp. Peter Norman, for example, has over 300 five-star reviews across numerous platforms. For the best engagement rings specifically, a good place to check reviews is on The Knot’s directory of jewelers.
Other places to check a jeweler’s past experiences with customers include the company’s Facebook page and their reviews on Google.
Do they cater to all tastes?
The best jewelers understand that their customers’ tastes differ, and they offer a range of engagement ring styles and options to ensure everyone’s preferences are accounted for.
Many jewelers have a distinctive style or a certain flair, much like individual artists have a particular way of applying their paint or depicting certain elements in their work. As artists, there are often hallmarks in a jeweler’s work that others can pinpoint and say ‘oh, that’s a Peter Norman ring,’ for instance.
That’s par for the course when it comes to any form of artistic output, and it’s not a problem unless that jeweler cannot set aside their own aesthetic preferences when creating an engagement ring for others.
When it comes to engagement rings, it’s best to look for a jeweler who is somewhat of a Renaissance man, or a Renaissance craftsman, if you will. You want someone who can turn their hand to any style and give customers the rings they want, while still retaining their own unique je ne sais quoi.
If you’re visiting jewelers or perusing rings online and you notice a lack of different styles and options, you might be best looking elsewhere.
Here at Peter Norman, we only offer custom engagement rings, so we know everyone’s tastes and design preferences are considered. Take a look at some of the past engagement rings we’ve created here. Perhaps you’ll spot an engagement ring style that’s best for you.
The best engagement ring jewelers cater to all budgets
In an ideal world, we would all have the budget to be extravagant when it comes to our engagement ring choices. But as with many things in life, we’re often restricted by our financial situation.
Getting married and choosing an engagement ring your partner loves shouldn’t be reserved for those with ample cash flow. It’s a declaration of love, and that’s something that should be celebrated and championed, no matter the contents of one’s wallet.
Peter Norman firmly believes that everyone deserves to have the engagement ring of their dreams, even if there are financial restrictions.
That’s why we cater to all budgets and have options that mean there’s no need to compromise on style, design, or even stone. For example, having lab-grown diamonds (as well as natural stones) means our customers can pick what’s best for them.
While an engagement ring is a special, one-off purchase, and you don’t want to scrimp, there’s also no need to go bankrupt over your choice. After all, the first few years of your marriage might not be as enjoyable if you’re both stressed about financial matters.
Choose a jeweler who understands that money shouldn’t significantly hinder their customers’ options.
Do they provide both in-store and online consults?
So, you’ve found who you think is the perfect jeweler for your engagement ring, but they’re located five states away?
That shouldn’t be a problem in this day and age of advanced technologies; and if it is, look for a jeweler who provides both in-store and online consults.
Even though Peter Norman’s only physical store is in Los Angeles, we send our best engagement rings both nationally and internationally. When consulting with customers who live further afield, we stay in touch through email, phone chats, and regular updates to ensure their custom design ring is made exactly as they wanted, with the stones and design they prefer.
You shouldn’t have to be limited by your location when it comes to finding the best engagement ring for you; rather, the jewelers you’re considering should embrace new ways of consulting with their clients.
Do they offer both lab-grown and ethically mined diamonds?
Although diamonds are not the only choice when it comes to your engagement ring, they’re an enduring favorite.
Diamonds are also one of the best ways to get that dramatic yet elegant dazzle that many of the best engagement rings have.
When it comes to diamonds, though, people may have strong opinions. There’s no doubt that the diamond industry once had a rather checkered reputation; even though recent years have seen a major overhaul in regards to ethics and practices, some people prefer to avoid natural diamonds entirely.
If you’re shopping for an engagement ring and you think your spouse-to-be has concerns over natural diamonds, lab-grown gems might be a better option. These stones are not only identical in terms of weight, feel, look and chemical structure but also guaranteed to be made in an ethical manner.
An added bonus with lab-grown diamonds is that the price doesn’t rise exponentially with the number of carats, so these stones are a more affordable choice and may mean the difference between the ring your beloved desires and one that’s a touch underwhelming.
It’s also likely that you’ll get a better diamond if you go lab-grown, one with fewer inclusions or flaws, for a similar price as a lower-grade, ethically mined diamond.
Of course, other people prefer a natural diamond, which is understandable given the beauty of these stones, and the fact that natural gems hold their value better. Today, there are plenty of ethical diamond options for people who want to choose a mined gem. Each natural diamond that Peter Norman sells, for instance, is both conflict-free and GIA certified.
Having the option to choose between lab-grown or ethically mined is important, and when you’re selecting a jeweler, look for providers who offer both.
If nothing else it shows they understand that there are different strokes for different folks — and that the choice should be on you, the buyer.
Do they offer custom engagement rings or just customized options?
There’s a big difference between customizable engagement rings and custom-made, bespoke rings. For example, with a customizable ring, you might be able to change the central stone but not much else. Or you can select the stone and your preferred metal but the overall style and design are dictated to you.
And there’s a fair chance that you get an engagement ring numerous others have.
A custom design is the only way to get the exact ring you want, and one that’s designed just for you. At Peter Norman, we only make custom, one-of-a-kind engagement rings because we know the best ring for any couple is the ring they imagine.
That’s not to say that customizable rings are bad, but when you’re considering jewelers, you’re also looking for a true craftsperson, and you get exactly that with custom jewelers.
Ready to shop Los Angeles’ best engagement rings?
We hope our round-up of ways to select a jeweler was helpful. Remember that you’re not only choosing an engagement ring, you’re also choosing the expert who will make it.
Take a look at some of our past designs to gain some inspiration, or just get in touch with your idea and we’ll help you bring it to life.
