Wedding Guide Asia

Put a ring on it :)

My heart skipped a beat (okay… several beats) while I was writing this article; I couldn’t help but ooh and aah each time I came across a picture of a beautiful wedding ring, which happened very often. Here at WGA, we’ve decided to do a little post on wedding rings because unlike the dress or the shoes, you’re likely to be wearing it for the rest of your life. When you first venture out in search of the perfect wedding ring there are a couple of things to keep in mind to avoid feeling overwhelmed and confused.

Know your type

The choices are endless and with all that variety you’re bound to get confused so it wouldn’t hurt to do your research before heading out in search of the perfect wedding ring. If simplicity is your style then you may opt for a traditional wedding ring which consists of a plain wedding band. If you like your bling then try to narrow down your preferences before you go shopping, after all there are so many different diamond cuts you can choose from.

Courtesy of mycustomjeweler.com

Get creative

We’re all about personalizing things here at WGA, whether it’s the invitation cards or the deco so we’re definitely up for personalizing wedding rings. You can choose to have your rings engraved with initials, pet names, really anything you want (as long as it fits).

Stick to the budget (well, try to…)

We know this is a big challenge especially when you’ve found the perfect ring and it’s unfortunately out of your budget. First things first, weigh the ups and downs and see whether you can afford to spend a little extra dough on the ring. If you can’t, then fret not; diversify your search and you’ll most likely end up with a lovely ring that is well within your budget.

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Courtesy of Vanity Fair

It’s no secret that Liz Taylor had quite a few love affairs but one thing that stayed constant was her affinity for diamonds. Richard Burton, her one true love, bought her iconic pieces of jewelry such as the Taj-Mahal (Burton: “This diamond has so many carats it’s almost a turnip”) and the famed Burton-Taylor diamond which weighed just a mere – 69.42 carats!

For the rest of us who aren’t quite as lucky as lovely Liz, we’re quite happy if the ring has even carat. Of course, I’m sure there are some girls who need more than ‘one’. I had a friend whose girlfriend politely said, “In Hong Kong, it’s minimum three carats“. I suggested he ship her back to Malaysia.

Anyways, back to the topic! Our favourite jewellery experts, recently married More than Diamond owners, Chris & Sara Ooi, have just put up this new post about the chasing the carat. WGA readers *ahem*, be prepared to learn the truth about the illustrious carat:

The Proposal. Proposing to someone essentially consists of two parts – (a) getting the proposal right and (b) getting the ring right. But just how bling should you go with the ring? The only answer to this equation, is that it is ‘up to you’.

It really depends on what kind of person you are, how much money you have (yes, lets be honest!) and how much your significant other expects. Unfortunately in this day and age, many people correlate the size of the ring with the depth of the love. But let’s take a serious look at the facts:

• Did you know that once the diamond is set into the ring, it is difficult to tell the difference between 1 or 2 carats
• The Carat reflects the weight of the diamond, not the size. Thus it is impossible to tell the size of the carat as it depends on the cut and shape.

As you can see from the photo above, the Cut determines how big the Diamond looks. (more…)

Hey TWG readers! I know it’s a lazy Sunday so I thought I would post something light that would make you smile. Here is a little bit of a fluff and a cute explanation as to why that wedding ring is destined for the 4th finger!

It’s hard, we know, to see beyond the beguiling sparkle and allure of a diamond ring to face the possibility that the stone you love is a blood diamond. But ask yourself this: would you really want to wear on your finger, potentially for the rest of your life, a diamond that cost some peasant his life and funded weapons for rebels? Here are a few ways to ensure your diamond is certifiably conflict-free:

a)    Ask your jeweller about the history of the diamond. Even better, ask for a certificate that guarantees the diamond’s pedigree is conflict-free and take the time to check out certificate examples at diamondfacts.org before you leave the house
b)    Google the Kimberley Process Certification Scheme to learn about the regulations surrounding the mining of a diamond and its transportation in a humane fashion. Ask for a Kimberley Process certificate when you purchase a diamond – all legit diamonds should be accompanied by this certificate
c)    Only deal with jewellers that you are sure have conflict-free diamond policies. Tiffany & Co is one of them