When to Buy an Engagement Ring

If you have a date in mind, start from it. A made-to-order ring takes time: most Jabour rings take four to six weeks from confirmation, and more complex bespoke designs longer. Add a few weeks for the first conversation, the design and choosing the stone.

As a rule, start two to three months before the proposal. That leaves time to design without rushing, and a margin in case anything needs adjusting.

December is widely reported as the most popular month to propose, with Christmas and New Year at its heart, and Valentine’s Day follows close behind. If you are planning a proposal at either, start earlier still: by early autumn for Christmas, and by the start of December for Valentine’s Day.

More couples now choose the ring together, and there is a lot to be said for it. The person who will wear it every day gets exactly what they love, and the ring becomes a shared project rather than a guess.

A surprise has its own magic. If you go that way, find out what you can without giving it away: the jewellery they wear, the shapes they admire, their ring size. A trusted friend or sibling is often the best accomplice. Some people propose with a placeholder and design the real ring together afterwards.

Tell us the date at the first conversation. We will tell you honestly what is possible, and plan the design and the stone around it. If the timing is too tight for the ring you want, proposing with a meaningful placeholder and designing the ring together afterwards is a lovely alternative.