An engagement ring designer has revealed three ring styles that you should definitely skip if you’re looking for that perfect piece.
The wedding wisdom was shared on TikTok by Jordan, who is the creator of Castlefield Collection, a jewelry company based in Canada that designs and makes rings out of moissanite, a gemstone that looks like a diamond, but is a bit more affordable.
In the clip, which has already reached more than two million views since it was posted in October, Jordan ran through exactly what styles you should avoid as it related to their durability.
‘The first thing you want to avoid is a ring without a gallery rail,’ Jordan began.
Jordan, who is the founder of the Canada-based jewelry company Castlefield Collection, revealed three engagement ring styles you should avoid buying in a video on TikTok
As her first tip, Jordan revealed that you should not buy a ring that didn’t have a gallery rail, which was a piece of metal that goes in between the prongs of the ring, as shown above
‘A gallery rail is this thin piece of metal that goes in between the prongs of the ring,’ she explained as she showed a photo of a ring with this specific feature.
The jewelry designer explained that without a gallery rail, your ring could be at risk of becoming damaged, or even worse.
‘Without a gallery rail, especially if you only have four prongs holding your stone, if one prong gets pulled down and caught on something, you will lose your stone,’ she said.
She then showed off a photo of a ring that didn’t have a gallery rail on it, and furthered that it’s definitely something you don’t want to buy, as you really need that ‘extra support.’
‘Next, I would never buy a very, very thin-banded engagement ring,’ Jordan said.
‘While thin bands like these can be very pretty, it is just not very durable.’
She recommended sticking to ‘at least’ a band that was 1.8 millimeters in size.
Speaking to DailyMail.com, Jordan explained that it’s quite ‘risky’ to own one of these rings in this particular style.
The expert also explained why she wouldn’t recommend buying a ring that had a very thin band on it
‘While thin bands like these can be very pretty, it is just not very durable,’ she said in the video
Jordan also warned not to buy an engagement ring that had a diamond band on it as it could lose stones
‘These days, it’s been very trendy to choose an engagement ring with a very thin, barely-there band, but this is very risky,’ she told DailyMail.com. ‘A very thin band (less than 1.6 mm) will be more prone to bending and breaking.’
‘Furthermore, gold wears away over time,’ she continued. ‘If you start with a very thin band, it will wear away to almost nothing over many years of wear. I always recommend going with at least 1.8 – 2mm in band width.’
Last but not least, Jordan revealed that she wouldn’t recommend buying engagement rings that had a diamond band on them in the video.
‘Next, I would never buy an engagement ring that looks like this, that has a bubble band, that’s what they call it,’ she said, showing off an example of what she meant.
‘This has one prong holding every two stones in the band,’ she continued. ‘This is not durable at all.’
The Castlefield Collection founder then flashed another example on the screen, a ring that had a band complete with oval-shaped diamonds on it.
‘You do not want to buy a ring like this,’ Jordan explained. ‘The question is not if it will drop stones, it’s when.’
Jordan told DailyMail.com that people who purchase this style of ring will typically find themselves at the jeweler quite a bit.
‘Those who purchase bubble bands will need to be very careful while wearing them and will likely find themselves visiting their jeweler often to replace missing stones,’ she told DailyMail.com.
However, if you’re still eyeing that diamond-adorned ring, there are some protocols to take, she explained.
‘If you want that bubble band look, make sure that you have at least three prongs holding each stone,’ Jordan revealed in the video clip. ‘This is not it.’
But when it comes to the price tag, the engagement ring expert admitted that there isn’t a certain amount of money that will ‘guarantee’ you a durable ring.
‘A lot of the time, you’re paying a premium for brand name and marketing,’ she told DailyMail.com.
‘In reality, it’s very possible to get a beautiful, high-quality engagement ring with a sparkly main stone that will last a lifetime within almost any budget. Long gone are the days of needing to spend several month’s salary on a beautiful ring!’
She recommended moissanite as a great option.
‘Moissanite is a fantastic option for a very durable, sparkly and ethical gemstone,’ she told DailyMail.com.
In the comments section of the video, many users shared more about their own engagement rings
‘Because of how affordable it is, people are much more likely to get the big, beautiful stone they’ve always dreamed of, rather than buying a diamond and settling for what they can afford.’
‘On average, moissanite gemstones cost about 1/10th a natural diamond,’ she explained.
In the comments section of her video, many users shared more about their own rings and their styles.
‘My engagement ring has six prongs,’ one person wrote. ‘The jeweler would not use fewer. 33 years later, still holding strong.’
Another typed, ‘My thin band literally deformed last week and I’m heartbroken. It can be fixed, but save yourself the trouble!!’
“My mom’s engagement ring is over 20 years old and she lost the stone after a prong got bent – it can happen at any time,’ someone else agreed.
One user shared, ‘Thank you for posting this! I agree with all of these. People think jewelry is indestructible bc (because) it’s expensive but it’s all about design and wear.’
However, looking ahead to 2024, it seems like there might be a few new engagement ring trends that are coming our way.
Some of these trends include colored gemstones, lab grown diamonds, oval-shaped stones and toi-et-moi rings, according to County & Town House.
‘We are also really noticing an increase in clients wanting beautiful colored sapphires set with diamonds,’ Lucy Crowther, the founder of brand Minka Jewels, told the outlet.
‘Sapphires and other colored gemstones make for such unique and statement engagement rings allowing the client’s personality to shine through and a sense of individuality in the design.’