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Nick Molnar may have sold countless wedding and engagement rings in 17 years as a jewellery retailer, but he never truly understood just how difficult it is to pick the perfect engagement ring \u2013 until it was time to get down on bended knee and propose to his own girlfriend.<\/p>\n
Nick, who owns Ice Online, <\/a>which specialises in classic and contemporary ready-to-wear jewellery, recently popped the big question to his girlfriend of five years, Gabi \u2013 and, despite being surrounded by magnificent diamonds, the purest of metals and award-winning designs since he was a child (his parents have owned a Sydney jewellery store for 30 years), it took him \u201cmore than six months to choose a design I knew my future wife would love,\u201d he says rather sheepishly.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve sold hundreds of engagement rings to guys looking for the perfect ring \u2013 and it was only when I started searching for Gabi\u2019s that I realised just how hard it actually is!\u201d<\/p>\n These days, Nick says he\u2019s much more sympathetic to the plight of the men visiting his online jewellery store, a spin-off of Ice.com. He adds that \u201cI now really understand how difficult it is and how terrified they are of making the wrong choice. After all, it\u2019s a ring that will last a lifetime \u2013 and could even become a family heirloom, something that will be passed on to his children and, perhaps, even his grandchildren and beyond.\u201d<\/p>\n Below, Nick shares his top tips for men wanting to surprise their partners with an engagement ring that’ll have her screaming ‘YES!’ from the rooftops.<\/p>\n Nick Molnar and his girlfriend of five years Gabi Shulman, moments after he proposed on a Californian beach.\n While many modern brides-to-be want a hand in choosing their engagement ring, traditionally, they didn’t have a say at all and, sometimes that is the best way to do things. <\/span>After all, even the most particular brides can be floored by a surprise proposal and, most of the time, they love the ring chosen by their beloved anyway.<\/p>\n Besides, if their man truly takes the time and effort to carefully choose a particular ring himself, his fiance will probably love it even more.<\/p>\n So often we hear from our Real Brides \u201cit\u2019s not what I would have picked but I absolutely love it,\u201d or \u201che knew me better than I knew myself.<\/a>\u201d<\/p>\n Nick (now) knows this story first-hand.<\/p>\n His style-conscious fianc\u00e9, an interior designer, always said she\u2019d prefer to choose the ring herself, but Nick bravely ignored her (just this once!) and embarked on the six-month journey to design and purchase it himself.<\/p>\n \u201cI really did enjoy the process, perhaps even more than the proposal!\u201d he says. \u201cAnd Gabi\u2019s so happy I chose it for her. She was very emotional and in complete shock and just kept saying ‘no way, no way!’ – she actually forgot to say ‘yes!’ And the ring was exactly what she wanted.”<\/p>\n Admittedly so, Nick had the upper hand on most blokes when it came to choosing an engagement ring, but there\u2019s a universal intangible element that every chap contemplating marrying the love of his life brings to the choosing of the ring. It\u2019s not the cut, the setting, the size of the diamond or, even, the price. It’s love. Oh, and the unofficial fifth \u2018C\u2019<\/a> of choosing an engagement ring, courage! “And you won\u2019t find that at any jewellery store,” says Nick.<\/p>\n As one of our Real Grooms, Gabriel, says, \u201cIt\u2019s more important that it mean<\/em> something than be<\/em> something. It was actually really fun figuring out this amazing gift I could give my partner.”<\/p>\n Of course, if you really have no idea what sort of engagement ring your gal would like, you could always present her with part of the ring, for example, the diamond, and let her take over the design of the setting.<\/p>\n Rule No.1: Set yourself a strict budget. Then spend most of that budget on the best quality stone you can afford because by comparison – the setting is a cinch.<\/p>\n So, what does ‘best quality’ actually mean? You’ll no doubt have heard of the 4Cs of choosing an engagement ring <\/a>and, in Nick’s opinion, the cut (i.e. the sparkle factor) is the most important.<\/p>\n \u201cIf the stone is not cut well, a noticeable shadow occurs and then the other Cs become irrelevant,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n With regard to shape, Nick advises, \u201cThe most popular is still the brilliant (round) cut followed closely by the princess (square) cut. \u2018Fancies\u2019 like pear and oval are becoming more popular however they are more expensive, harder to find, and to get the required effect, generally need to be a bigger stone.\u201d<\/p>\n Once you\u2019ve set your budget, you\u2019ll need an expert on your team.<\/span><\/p>\n1. Take the plunge, choose the ring yourself<\/h2>\n
2. Buy the best stone you can afford<\/h2>\n
3. Shop around (for an expert), then go with your gut<\/h2>\n