Asking somebody to marry you can be one of the most exciting events of your life. And, of course, the engagement ring that you use will be a large part of this process. If you are in the market for an engagement ring there are many options that you should consider. In this day and age you should consider buying your engagement ring online. This may sound 'risky', but the fact of the matter is that the best deals on high end full cut certified diamonds for the public are coming from online diamond merchants. It's safe, quick, cost effective and the online merchants have the best return policies and upgrade programs available. There are five important steps that you must follow when buying a custom engagement ring online. These steps will help you with the buying process, keep you directed, ordered and ultimately help you build the ultimate diamond engagement ring. 1. Before you ever decide to buy a custom engagement ring online you need to determine an appropriate budget. There are hundreds of ring choices for you to make, and having a budget in mind will make the selection process much easier on you. Having a solid budget is even more important when buying a custom engagement ring because your options are even more varied. Remember, the diamond is usually going to eat up most of your money with an engagement ring. Unless you are keeping your center stone to a minimum, that showcase diamond will usually be between 65% - 95% of your expense. If you need help understanding diamond values, ask a pro. Email questions, chatting online or a quick 5 -10 minute educational phone session is a great way to get understanding of diamond values without dealing with the pressure of sales people. 2. If you are surprising your partner you may not have any idea as to what type of engagement ring they are looking for. While this can sometimes be tricky, take advantage of the subtle hints, and definitely pay attention to her tastes in style. Is she simple, clean and classic, vintage, retro, old fashioned antique???. Look at her current jewelry collection. Does she prefer conspicuous and big, small and discrete, white gold or silver, yellow gold? Paying attention to such things should give you better direction. 3. Learn as much as you can about diamonds. Surely, the custom engagement ring that you buy will feature diamonds. But remember, there are many different types for you to choose from. Keep the five C's in mind: carat, color, clarity, cut and most important cost. That fifth C is where gem economics comes into play, and only a seasoned diamond specialist will know how to explain clearly how dollars translate to gem characteristics. Don't listen to friends and family.... Doesn't matter how educated they think they are. If they aren't in the industry, they don't have access to the pricing standards and market trends necessary to understand fully. 4. Once you have considered the five C's it is time to choose a diamond. This can be difficult when shopping online, so we strongly suggest that you go to a local jeweler to view diamonds in person. If you're going to take advantage of the online diamond values, look at certified diamonds ONLY! GIA, AGS, EGL USA and EGL are some of the most popular third party diamond certifications available. Shop with your eyes and your budget. When you see a diamond that meets your expectations, have the jewelry PHOTOCOPY the certification. Do NOT let them just jot down the carat, color, shape and price. This is not enough information to do genuine comparison. The entire certification is needed. OR, you write down the certificate report #. This can be looked up on the certification companies website. It's the information on this certification that is crucial for online diamond buying. Now, match the specs on your report with those specs listed online. There are some tricky subtlet ies, so assistance from a diamond specialist is very helpful. 5. Ask about any money back guarantee before you make a final decision. Just like anything else, when you buy a custom engagement ring online you want to make sure the fabricator stands by their work. If the piece is shoddily made or if it's not what you ordered, having a guarantee will put your mind to rest. Now you're ready to buy. Avoiding state TAX, Credit Card Fraud protection, great return policies, third party certifications and the fact that you have seen a similar diamond in person stack up very well for online jewelers, and make the argument for buying your certified diamond or custom engagement ring online a strong one.