Potpourri Blog

When it comes to wedding bling, it’s the ring that takes center stage, and according to local jewelers, the sky is the limit. It seems to be the bigger the better, said Coman Baum, owner and president of Coman Baum Fine Jewelry and Gifts at Lee Branch. People who are in love are still spending what they have on what they want regardless of engagement ring prices, he said, adding that most customers are going for ¾ of a carat to a carat and a half, with price tags of $5,000 to $8,000.

Terri Moore, manager of Brombergs at the Summit, said that grooms are not spending less on engagement rings despite todays economy because they realize they have one shot to get it right. Couples are opting to have the brides main engagement stone encircled by smaller diamonds, helping the ring look bigger, Baum and Moore said. Now, there is very little interest in engagement rings that contain only one diamond, said Moore. Our brides almost always select engagement rings with side diamonds, and often those rings have small diamonds that encircle the center diamond, creating a halo effect.

Brides looking for a ring that sparkles most, opt for a well-cut, round brilliant diamond for their center engagement ring, jewelers said. At Diamonds Direct in Mountain Brooks Cahaba Village Plaza, 50 percent of the engagement rings they sell have the round shape. Next in popularity is the princess cut, which is square-shaped; and then the cushion cut, which resembles a rectangle with rounded corners, said Amit Slovik, vice president of the international diamond wholesaler.

While most grooms are shelling out $5,000 and more for a 1-carat diamond, there are those with more expensive tastes. Just the other day, Slovik said a man paid $50,000 for a 3.75 carat engagement ring; he wanted his fiancee to have an investment but also the bling. In five years, it will be worth $60,000, Slovik said. He added that men are also looking to treat their brides to a pair of diamond earrings or a solitaire necklace as a wedding day gift. Also nowadays, more couples are visiting jewelry stores together in search of the perfect ring.

Mallory Jones of Vestavia Hills said she has more traditional tastes but wanted the 2 carat, one-of-a-kind engagement ring she designed with the help of Slovik to be eye-catching. It is flashy, but I would not consider it bling, she said. Slovik said Jones could have gone for more glitz, but she stopped at what she deemed was just right for her. That’s a big decision for a bride, knowing where to stop, he said.