• What is the policy if the engraver makes a mistake?
• What types of personalization does the engraver do? Diamond needle etching? Hand engraving? Laser engraving? Embroidery? or Sandblasting?
• Can you choose logos or have your own personal design made?
• What is the total cost of engraving per letter or word?
• How many items have they engraved?
• What types of print styles or fonts are available? (Script,Times Roman, Old English, Monograms)
Where And How To Get Engraved Promise Rings
My first suggestion is to find the rings you like. When you go to the jewelry store, ask if they do engraving. Ask if they do "inside ring engraving" if that is what you want. Engraving on the outside is another option. Ask what kind of engraving service they offer. Very few will offer "hand engraving", that is, the sort of deeper and fancier work done when each letter or symbol is cut by hand using a tool called a graver.
At the store I used to work with, the engraver there was only one of 4 who did that old fashioned craftsmanship in my state. As for pricing, hand engraving might be $120 when machine work might be only $20 or so. Machine engraving is often charged by the letter after a minimum charge is met.
I suggest 14k as the minimum. This quality of gold is durable, much better overall than 10k and less expensive than 18k.
If for some reason you prefer sterling silver, keep in mind that silver will wear more quickly and be more difficult to keep shiny and polished. Silver will also tarnish for some people.
Other kinds of jewelry you might see at lower prices are gold filled and gold plated. See the shiny surface of the coin? Look at the edge and you will see a darker, coppery colored layer. Gold filled is a layer of gold on top of another metal. Once the ring wears through the gold layer, there is nothing to do but trash it. Gold plated is brass like metal with an even thinner gold layer. Think costume jewelry for this. Vermeil is sterling silver with very thin gold plating on the surface. Vermeil cannot be repaired or resized since any work will remove the very thin gold layer and what is left is a sterling silver ring with no gold color.
Sterling is a lower cost approach than 14k gold but the rings cannot be sized if the ring has an "anti tarnish" coating like rhodium plating. Plain sterling is best if you choose this good looking "but subject to regular cleaning" metal. Ask before purchasing sterling if the ring has a plated surface like rhodium. If the clerk has no idea what you are talking about, you might try somewhere else.
Your question is general and I can give only general directions. Try to get an idea of the services the store offers. It costs them little to do cleaning for a customer and makes for repeat business. Ask if they back up their service (repair work). Ask if the engraving is done "in house" or is farmed out to someone else.
Actually, farming out work is not uncommon and does not mean a black mark for the jewelry store. They should have a jeweler who repairs and sizes rings working in the store. A jeweler should be on the premises, even if they farm out the engraving work. Generally the attitudes and knowledge of the sales people are a direct reflection of management and the approach of that store to doing business. The customer is not always right, meaning, look for honesty and clear help when you ask questions about jewelry and about any services they offer.
Ask if they do machine engraving or have access to hand work.
Machine engraving is like that done at the little shops set up in malls selling and engraving things like charms. A mechanical machine is used to duplicate the shapes of letters on master templates and scratch those shapes into the jewelry. Hand work is different and is cut much more deeply, lasting a lifetime. Each piece of hand work will show the ability of the engraver so if you opt for that; ask to see some samples first!
As for the jewelry itself, you simply have to shop around and see the weights, thickness, etc. of the jewelry and compare prices from one place to the other. Avoid any that show little pits or marks. If for some chance you want white gold that is simply gold with another metal like nickel added to make the color whiter than yellow gold. That is my recommendation for wear-ability and quality combined.
If you look at the much more expensive platinum, keep in mind that platinum does not keep a shine like gold does. Platinum is an excellent jewelry metal but because of the character of the metal, it does tend to get dull rather quickly. A high shine on platinum is difficult to attain and simply will not stay that highly polished as does gold (regardless of the color of the gold).
Also check out my other guide on men's promise ring...
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