Congrats! I found the main stone myself on rarecarat and then had a jeweler build the ring around it.

Do you know much about the cut of the stone? That's the most important C that gets overlooked. Bad cut = poor light performance.
People get sucked into carats and color.

If tasked with buying an engagement ring, especially one that would hold a diamond (as opposed to some other precious or semi-precious stone), I'd choose a path similar to the one taken by sfnyc:


1.  Separately sourcing the stone.

2.  Arranging for the ring itself to be custom-made by a talented jewellery designer / ring-maker, in a design that would:

   (a)  best complement the selected stone;

   (b)  best complement my partner's finger size and hand shape;

   (c)  appeal to my partner (based on my knowledge of her personal tastes and the preferences she had previously expressed or hinted at); and

   (d)  (perhaps of lesser concern) befit my partner's work, hobbies, daily routine and general lifestyle.


The advantages one could reasonably expect from this approach are a better-value and more bespoke ring.




Consider this the equivalent of purchasing artwork:

Art comes first. Frame comes second.

Now, because it's faster, more convenient, and it delegates a fair amount of the decision-making process (i.e. a proportion of the thinking and, with that, some of the responsibility), of course you can always buy a piece off-the-shelf and already framed.

However, you can also choose to put in the time, do the research, and take all of the key decisions yourself — after listening to the suggestions, guidance and advice of the relevant professionals. With art that is important and has value to you, it would mean opting for conservation framing and a frame design that, to your eye, suited both the art and the room in which it would likely be hung.


__________


Notwithstanding the above, I wouldn't actually buy a diamond ring. But that's just down to personal preference, and irrelevant to your own situation.



In 2015, already seven years ago, Momo started a thread called engagement advice.

Quite a few forum members contributed to that thread, including myself*. It may be helpful having a quick read:

urbanartassociation.com/thread/125681/engagement-advice

I used blue nile recently and all worked well! Good luck and congrats.

I had a great experience with Blue Nile too. Prices were so much better than what I'd pay for something similar in the UK (probably about 40% cheaper). Great customer service over the phone. Resizing after the fact was also very easy.