By Gary A.
Edited by Brian M.
Published Aug 16, 2021
Edited on Oct 17, 2024
When it comes to finding the best time to buy an engagement ring, understanding seasonal trends and planning ahead can make all the difference in getting the perfect ring without breaking the bank.
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When it comes to territory as unfamiliar as a proposal, the first question on almost anyone’s mind is, simply, when? When and, more importantly, how will you know the time is right?
The poetic, starry-eyed answer is that familiar old you just know. But, for anyone who is looking to nail down the practicalities and approach the situation hands-on, this is probably the least helpful answer any friend, sibling, parent, or co-worker could possibly say to you.
The real question on any fiancé-to-be’s lips is this: how and when can I get the best ring possible without going over budget?
Diamonds are a major investment – one of the biggest many of us will ever make, not only in terms of significance but cold hard cash, too.
So, do some months represent a better time to invest than others? And, if so, is it really possible to make your budget stretch further with a little careful forward planning?
Before we dive deeper into the specifics, here are some practical tips to help guide your decision-making process:
Buying an engagement ring is a significant decision, both emotionally and financially. Knowing the best time to purchase can lead to substantial savings and satisfaction. Here are key tips to guide you through this process, especially when considering the best time to buy an engagement ring.
Now that you’ve got these practical tips, use Jeweler AI below to find the perfect engagement ring that suits your style and budget:
The late summer months – July through to the end of September and early fall – often represent an excellent time to bag a deal on fine jewelry, although it’s always worth paying attention to seasonal deals around major holidays.
But this is, in many ways, an answer of two halves.
On the one hand, jewelers will be keen to pursue sales during those naturally occurring ‘quiet periods’ throughout the year. As the summer is winding down, families are getting back to the grind after a much-needed vacation, and fall has not yet reached its full beauty, it seems inevitable that jewelers will get less attention.
As a result, you might be able to find a few deals.
Then again, the busier times of the year also represent the most competitive times of the year. The Christmas period – and, of course, the first couple weeks of February, when Cupid starts firing his arrows – represent major events for jewelers across the country, and, to make the most of those months, they have to be competitive.
Holiday deals prove popular among customers, but remember that the diamonds themselves are unlikely to be on sale. Beautiful diamonds are rarely, if ever, reduced in price.
You’ve likely heard it said that negotiation is an art, although it’s pretty likely you’ve never had to do it for yourself – unless, of course, you’ve ever found yourself on a used car forecourt. So, is the jeweler the right place to win your negotiating wings?
Some jewelers will make room for a little on-the-spot negotiation, but this is a case of luck, trial-and-error, and confidence. It’s not as common as it used to be, and none of the bigger chain stores will offer any real flexibility on price.
What’s more, you’re sure to find a better price online…
Most of us are not just out of practice when it comes to negotiating – we’re decidedly unpracticed – and, when the stakes are this high, trying to negotiate a little something extra with your jeweler can be difficult. That’s where the online world comes into play.
At WillYou, we don’t have the same operational costs as brick-and-mortar jewelry stores and diamond sellers, and we pass those savings onto our customers. Our online prices reflect the nature of our business, and that’s a great benefit to you when it’s time to start shopping.
What’s the one thing that keeps the wheels of the engagement industry turning? The number of guys going down on one knee at any given point in the year. And, while plenty of fiancés-to-be will likely choose to play the long game, hide the ring in their sock draw, and wait for the ‘perfect moment’, plenty more will be responsible for those predictable spikes in sales at jewelers across the country.
At the moment, Christmas and Valentine’s Day seem to have retained their popularity among prospective fiancés, although we’re not ruling out any major holiday just yet.
If we asked you to think of the most romantic day of the year, we’re willing to bet on the fact that your mind has probably already landed on Valentine’s Day. The rose-red and candy-sweet holiday is pretty much synonymous with romance, right?
In actual fact, we have plenty of reason to believe that one of the most popular scenes for the modern proposal is in front of a roaring fireplace decked with boughs of holly, ankle-deep in fresh white snow, or under the mistletoe and a garland of twinkling Christmas lights.
What does this mean? It means that some of the biggest times for proposals are placed at regular intervals throughout the year: New Year’s, Valentine’s Day, summer vacation on the beach, and the Christmas period all represent great calendar events to home in on for fiancés-to-be.
Why is this important to know? Because, as an investor, understanding supply and demand – when jewelers will be garnering more interest and making more sales, vs when they will be looking to draw in business – is incredibly valuable to your search.
Very few of us are immune to the pull of the sale. Limited-time offers and opportunities to bag a ring below the usual asking price can be pretty seductive, but are they essential to making a strong investment?
Many jewelers will run sales at certain points throughout the year. It’s important to remember, however, that a good diamond will never need to go on sale, so you’re getting a discount on the setting, not the diamond.
Also, think about the last sale you visited. You don’t need to go to Black Friday to know that any store running a good deal is apt to become pretty busy, pretty quickly. A good jeweler will always make ample time to see each one of their customers on a personal basis, but, even so, a busy shopfloor can make it more difficult for you to take your time browsing.
This is where being able to shop online becomes so valuable. A reputable online store – as opposed to a busy jeweler – gives you the ability to browse without interruption or the dreaded feeling of time pressure. With a decision as important as this, you don’t want to rush anything. Finding your ring on a trusted online platform will allow you the time and space to make the best decision.
We’re committed to giving customers all the information they could possibly need in order to make the best decision of their lives even better. No more racing downtown on your lunch hour, squeezing through holiday crowds or window shopping until all the price tags blur together. Just you, and a beautiful range of choices priced in a way that makes sense.
Understanding diamonds, and how they are priced, is the key to ensuring that you’re getting a good price – whether you negotiate or not.
The first thing you need to do is augment your knowledge of diamonds, and diamond rings. Like learning to walk before you can run, you need to know how to buy an engagement ring before you set foot in the store. Learn about the four Cs of diamonds – how far you can expect your budget to take you – and what you value in a diamond.
With that information on your side, you won’t even need to learn the basics of negotiating – you’ll be able to tell for yourself whether the price is fair or not.
This is where researching the basics before buying an engagement ring will prove invaluable. You can’t keep drumming the price down without making a couple of concessions, so understanding the 4Cs and knowing which aspects you’re willing to bend on – maybe you’re okay with a SI graded diamond rather than a VS graded diamond, or a smaller carat weight – is essential.
You can know if you’re getting a good deal and a diamond with just a little homework.
A fair and reputable jeweler won’t steer you wrong. But, as mentioned earlier, the importance of cut, clarity, carat weight and color are all pretty big concepts to process on the spot. You need to know why clarity is important, how carat weight and color impact value but not necessarily the diamond’s visual impact – and which of the four Cs are most important to you.
Jewelers dedicate a large part of their lives to studying diamonds, and the language they use to understand and describe each individual gemstone remains pretty alien to most of us.
The quality of any GIA certified diamond – the only sort of diamond you should ever invest in – is carefully described via a number of grading systems known as the four Cs. Its quality is, of course, what determines its value, and whether or not it makes financial sense for you to invest into it.
We are continually adding more and more up-to-the-minute information to willyou.com in order to ensure that prospective fiancés are able to browse our online store with a strong foundation of knowledge in order to find the perfect ring at the best price possible.
Unless your budget is into six or seven figures, you won’t be able to get a diamond that scores perfectly across the four Cs. A good deal will be one that fits your criteria without charging for features that aren’t there.
To someone who has never studied the diamond grading systems before, SI might sound highly undesirable – when, in reality, it represents an excellent grade for someone looking to balance eye cleanliness with a good size and cut, on a relatively modest budget.
Whether you’re creating a one-of-a-kind engagement ring from scratch, or simply having an engraving added to an existing design, timing is absolutely everything when it comes to spending your money.
How long it will take to craft your engagement ring will vary significantly depending on the complexity and originality of the design, an engagement ring can take anywhere from a week to a couple of months to complete. If you and your jeweler are starting from the drawing board, then give yourself at least eight weeks before booking that reservation.
Do you see where we’re going with this?
Let’s say you’ve just booked your summer vacation, and it occurs to you that this would be the perfect time to call ahead and arrange a truly unforgettable beachside proposal. For you, the best time to buy an engagement ring – regardless of seasonal offers, sales, or peak times – is, to put it bluntly, ASAP.
You can’t rush art and, if you try to speed your jeweler up, you’re probably not going to get anywhere.
If you have no deadline to meet, then you can simply put your feet up while the jeweler does all the hard work, and take some time to put your plans in place for the moment that ring does find its way into your hands.
Deals are great. Every shopper knows that rush of stumbling across a sale. But buying an engagement ring is unlike any other purchase you will make, and there is a lot more to a good investment than a discount price sticker.
In our opinion, opt for a time when the jeweler is relatively quiet. Squeeze every moment out of your consultation to talk, learn, pick the jeweler’s brain, and, most importantly, experience those rings in-person before making your big decision.
Building that relationship and negotiating the price down a few digits will make up for any deals you may have missed, but a couple of hundred dollars saved can’t replace the experience of working with your jeweler’s expertise, rather than against their price tags.
The best time is, at the end of the day when you and your finances are ready to go ahead with this purchase.
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