Choose the right ring and she will be absolutely thrilled with it and you and every time she looks at it in the future she will be reminded of her good feelings for you.  Don't choose correctly and she will be disappointed and although she will be thrilled with marrying you there will be a twinge of disappointment every time she looks at the ring in the future.

So, how do you avoid those feelings of disappointment and choose the right ring for her?

Here are some do's and don'ts:

If you don't know what kind of ring she prefers:

1.  Do check out the rings she wears.  Are all of her rings silver?  Then she probably prefers a white gold setting or platinum (these look silver.)   Does she wear rings with one big stone or rings with several stones?

2.  Do find out if she prefers platinum or gold, one diamond or several.  Some women these days have a definite preference for platinum while others love the more traditional 18k gold bands.  How can you find out which she prefers without being obvious about it?  Easy. 

Start a conversation with her and mention that a friend of yours from work, an email buddy or someone she doesn't know is engaged and his girlfriend insisted on a platinum ring with 3 diamonds.  Mention that you don't even know what platinum is.  She will probably then explain what it is (if she doesn't know then go with the traditional yellow gold band.) 

In the conversation you can then feel her out for her own preferences.  Also, mention that you thought that engagement rings just had one diamond.  Her response will tell you whether she likes one stone or several. 

If you do know what kind of ring she prefers:

1.  Establish your budget.  According to the generally accepted convention, a man should spend roughly two months' salary on a diamond engagement ring. While this guideline is certainly not a law, polls show that many men agree with this spending recommendation, and in the minds of many women it's become an accepted standard.

2.  Learn About Diamonds.  To begin shopping for a diamond, you need to understand the four Cs of diamond evaluation: Carat, Color, Clarity, and Cut. By understanding these qualities you can determine which traits are most important to you, and you can find a balance between them that best suits your needs. To learn more about the four Cs of diamonds, visit our How to Choose a Diamond section.  This handy guide is available to explain all the terms you'll come across as you shop, and it will be invaluable in guiding you to making the right choices to find the diamond for you.

3.  Build your Ring.  Most good jewelers allow you to select your setting and your diamond separately.  This allows you to create an engagement ring that's personal and as special as your feelings for her.  It also allows you to tailor the ring to match her tastes and style as well as fit your budget and preferences.

Click here to view the traditional diamond solitaire engagement rings.