by candydro

Created on: January 01, 2011

I know it's hard to believe that the traditional diamond ring that's so big she needs an attendant to walk around with her to hold her hand up is not always the best choice.  There is also nothing wrong with those rings, in fact some women won't say yes unless it is one of those rings, it all depends on how well you know your woman.

You have a few options to figure out what she would like best.  You will have to be observant and a little sneaky so if you have a bad memory take a little note pad or a camera phone and turn the shutter sounds off or the plan will be ruined.

There is the direct approach.  If you have talked about getting married and she doesn't typically wear jewelry so you can't get her style by peeking in the jewelry box you may have to ask her to go ring shopping with you either in stores or online so she can give you some hints or even pick it out.  Try and save this as a last resort because the element of surprise is part of the fun. 

The sneaky approach needs a little prep and possibly a little investment so be prepared.  Say you have this watch and the darn back won't come off so you need to take it to a jeweler ( wink, wink ) so why don't you do it when she needs to go to the mall.  I know, not the place you really want to spend a day but it will earn you points in the long run.  So tag along with the story that you need to have something fixed or when you're driving around stop in at a jewelry store and say you want to look at something.  She will eventually wander.  We can't help it the jewelry calls to us, well most of us.  Pay attention to where she goes, Maybe let the sales person in on what you're doing and have them hold over anything she looks at so you can get some ideas.  Take notes or pics whatever will work best for you. Some stores may not let you take pics so be prepared to sketch if needed.

Then you have the buddy plan.  Her best friend, sister, shopping buddy, whoever you think can keep a secret and knows what she likes or could get it out of her needs to be your accomplice for this to work.  Fill them in and let them know how important it is for you to be able to surprise her.  See if they know or would be able to take her shopping and inconspicuously find out what she would like as an engagement ring,  try to get them to see her ideal and a few other options that are more realistic is she wants a 5 ct. natural blue diamond which would cost more than a house.  Then have them go with you to pick it out and take pictures of the two of you there because that will be a great story later and it's always better to have pictures to back it up.

The thing is everyone likes different things not all women like diamonds for everyday wear or they have a favorite gemstone that they would like better than a diamond ring.  The key is to know your woman and if for some reason you can't figure it out on your own hopefully this gives you a few ideas on how to figure it out.  Good luck and have fun shopping!

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