July's birthstone is the gorgeous ruby. Symbolic of the passion and energy associated with the colour red, rubies are truly breathtaking and have been treasured throughout history for their vitality.

Did you know? Derived from the Latin word 'ruber' (meaning red), rubies were called the 'King of Gems' by ancient Hindus. 

Rare, unique and valuable, the ruby is one of the most sought-after gemstones after diamonds. Unusually for a precious gemstone, the natural imperfections can actually increase the value and are used to confirm a ruby's authenticity. 

What is the birthstone for Cancer? 
The Cancer birthstone is ruby, for those with the Zodiac sign of Cancer (22nd June - 22nd July). Symbolised by the Crab, Cancers have a hard exterior which protects an emotive, inner beauty - just like the ruby. 

Cancers also connect with pearls, emeralds, sapphires and moonstones. 

A ruby will make a wow-worthy addition to any jewellery box, perfect for showing your love for someone born in July or celebrating a special wedding anniversary; the ruby marks 40 years of marriage.

For those looking for something a little different, ruby engagement rings and ruby wedding rings are a striking and beautiful choice.

One in five women are so thirsty for social media 'likes' that they'd like their marriage proposal streamed online.

A survey of 10,000 people found that 40% of women want social media incorporated into a proposal, 30% want photos taken or video recorded, while 18% want it streamed live online.

But while many women want their partner to go all-out when they pop the question, just over half of women say a simple "will you marry me?" request would suffice.

A surprising number of men say they'd be up for their partners to ask the question though, with around a third saying they'd like to see the traditional tables turned.

However only a fifth of women say they agree, with the majority expecting to be asked by their man.

As far as life-changing events go, getting engaged is right up there but the issue of when to pop the question can be a tricky one.

Despite being sold as the holiday of romance, Valentine’s Day only received 12% of the vote as the best day of the year to propose. Christmas Eve on the other hand, proved the most popular with a mammoth 31%.

Two of the reasons the Christmas season is so magical is due to romance and family, two elements which proposals combine so perfectly. So planning a proposal in the Winter months makes a lot of sense.

Even so, it seems as though men and women have very different opinions when it comes to cliché proposal dates.

While 33% of men hailed Christmas Eve as the best day to do it, only 22% of women agreed. In contrast, 23% of women marked Valentines as the day they’d most like to be asked in comparison to a miniscule 12% of men.  

The least popular day of all for both sexes was a birthday.

That didn’t stop Kanye though who proposed to Kim Kardashian with the mother of all spectacles. On her 33rd birthday, the rapper surprised her by renting out AT&T Park in San Francisco.

A full orchestra and a pyrotechnic display greeted them, and a message from Kanye reading “PLEEEASE MARRY MEEE!!”, lit up the large-screen TV.

After dropping to one knee to pop the question, Kim’s family topped off the surprise and came running out from the dugouts. Smooth.

It’s one of the most important questions you will ever ask so however you choose to do it, make sure you enjoy it. 

There’s a lot to be said for diamonds. They’re stunning, hard wearing, timeless, classic, and will give anyone an instant boost. But are they really forever? Here are a few tips on how to maintain your diamond jewellery to keep it at its best.

• Store it safely. Many people have an all-in-one trinket box where their pieces are simply thrown in together. While this is often the most convenient way of doing things it isn’t always the right way, because if you let your items scratch against one another they’ll soon become damaged. If you must keep them in one box then make sure it’s lined with soft materials, and preferably wrap each piece in tissue paper to keep it safe.

• Don’t expose it to harsh chemicals. It’s often recommended that you spritz on your perfume or hairspray before you put on your jewels, as although diamonds are resistant to most things the gold or silver settings won’t be. If you don’t want your pieces to become tarnished or past their best, always endeavour to keep them away from chemicals.

• Clean it when necessary. Diamond jewellery should be able to last for a long time without becoming too unclean, but tarnishing of the metal is always a danger. To keep your pieces looking pristine gently buff them up with a cloth from time to time, including the diamond settings, or for more thorough cleaning soak them in a solution of warm water and dishwashing liquid before cleaning and thoroughly drying.

These are just a few ways you can maintain your diamond jewellery, and if you spend the time to take care of it you can enjoy your pieces for years to come

When you are in a long-term relationship, keeping things feeling fresh can be hard. Which is why some individuals make very concentrated efforts to keep things just as they were in the early days, going out on regular dates and ensuring that they buy thoughtful gifts for their loved one just because they care.

Such simple steps can keep a relationship alive long after the romances of those around you have floundered and fallen, but it is also important to be aware that such a focus on keeping romance alive can be hard to maintain. Life gets in the way.

However, those who are in love don’t have to go out on dates every single week to feel like they did when they first got together and instead the right gifts at the right time may be just as effective when showing someone how much you care.

Eternity rings

Eternity rings are the perfect gifts for those who want to offer something both beautiful and full of meaning. Giving flowers or chocolates will all be very nice, but these are devoid of romantic symbolism – in fact since the likes of roses expire rather quickly, the message they send may be completely at odds with the one you wish to.

A diamond eternity ring on the other (idiomatic) hand is something that will represent exactly what you want it too – longevity, beauty and commitment.

The ring itself is a symbol of eternity, much like ouroboros – the serpent eating its own tail. It suggests there is no beginning and no end, just the two of you together in your love, eternally. Adding diamonds to a ring adds an extra level of aesthetic pleasure and meaning; being millennia old, one of the hardest substances on earth and being extremely beautiful, a diamond will say everything you need to say about how you feel without you having to utter a single word.

The perfect gift

You don’t have to be married to offer an eternity ring. Instead, they are the perfect way to celebrate any long-term partnership and put literal and figurative sparkle back into a relationship. Whilst some will buy them to mark very special occasions, they can work just as well being offered out of the blue, and may even be a more thoughtful gift if it doesn’t seem as though you ‘had’ to buy something.

Because of the metaphorical meanings of both solid gold and silver rings – a bond that can never be broken, with no start or end – as well as the diamonds themselves, offering an eternity ring is one of the most effective ways of showing that your feelings are as strong as ever for your partner.

Taking the time to show you care can make all the difference in the world to a relationship, and one grand gesture will be a wonderful way to mark a special occasion or simply show you are the same couple that you always were.

If you want to keep things fresh over the years, go out on dates when you can, laugh like you used to and buy small treats now again. However, when you really want to show just how much you care, one of our gorgeous diamond eternity rings will be the perfect gift to say everything you could ever want to.

Choosing an engagement ring should be an enjoyable process. After all, you are choosing the item with which you will mark your future plans, and a piece of jewellery that will become an enduring symbol of your love for one another. However, while it should be exciting to choose something so personal, special and beautiful, the fear of getting it wrong can often overshadow the process and make it a lengthy, confusing and daunting undertaking.

It doesn’t have to be that way, though. Ultimately, the best way to choose the perfect diamond is, ironically, not set in stone. By considering a few simple questions, it will be easy to understand which path is right for you, and in turn which specific masterpiece will be the one to adorn her finger.

Budget

The first thing you will need to do is to set a budget. It is no longer a case that individuals have to spend a set amount, judging the total value of the diamond they offer by multiples of their monthly wage. Instead, those looking for the perfect ring will simply need to put aside whatever they can realistically afford. After all, your partner may love the jewellery you buy them if you spend every last penny you have, but they may be far less excited about starting a life together with no savings and a big old wedding to pay for. By setting a realistic budget from the start you will instantly narrow down your options, filtering out those that are too expensive and those that are simply not beautiful and precious enough.

Shopping

Even when it comes time to actually pick everything from the material to the diamond, there is no set way in which your shopping should be done. While some will want to show that they know their partner’s styles and interests by buying one without any help, others may want to enlist their partner’s friends or family to help. Others may simply decide that their partner will know best and in turn some couples may make the choice together. Ultimately, the one you choose will be a symbol of your love and commitment and so, again, how you go about choosing it may be immaterial so long as you end up with the right one.

Versatility

Whether you are choosing together as a couple or whether you are going your own way to find the right jewels for her hand, it will be important to think of her lifestyle before making a final choice. The ring should be one that can be worn every day, and while diamonds are extremely hardy, choosing a very ornate, soft or fragile option for those who are very active or work with their hands a lot may not be the best option. As such, while style, price and significance will all be important, you will also need to make sure the ring is practical and versatile.

Choose your ring to complement her hand, not just her fashion sense and lifestyle. You may love the huge band you have found with the epic gem, but if her hands are dainty, it may look rather incongruous and unflattering.

At W G Jewellery, we have a range of stunning engagement and wedding rings to suit all tastes, all sizes and all budgets. So if in doubt, get in touch, and we can guide you towards making the perfect choice.

Men and women are now very much seen as equals. There is no longer a definite distinction as to which partner will necessarily stay at home to look after the baby or to which partner should bring home the biggest pay cheque. The traditional familiar roles have been broken down and built up again into a new paradigm. Yet, when it comes to engagements, many partners still seem to hold the same traditional roles.

Many women still believe it is up to the man to pop the question and, more to the point, that they will want a traditional proposal, with permission being sought from the father. Yet, since we are all very much equals today, should it really only be the men that spend out on an engagement ring, or should women now be doing the same?

Romance

While proposals might seem the same as they always were, in reality they have evolved. Offering a stunning diamond on bended knee is no longer about proving that one can provide for his partner or that he wishes to reflect her worth in a piece of jewellery. Instead, it is now simply a romantic gesture – and romance works both ways. If men still want their partners to show the world that they are engaged and show how much their partner means to them, why don’t women want the same?

Well, it seems that they are starting to. With high-profile celebrities such as Charlie Sheen and Johnny Depp donning engagement rings, it seems as though, finally, the idea is starting to catch on.

Dubbed ‘mangagement rings’, these items of jewellery can be as fancy as their partners’ sparkling diamonds or as simple as a plain band. Many women wishing to offer their partner a ring to show their man how much they care and the whole world that they are betrothed will look for styles that are similar to those of wedding bands. With so many unique designs of band on offer, some lined with gems and some with a little less bling, it will be easy to find different pieces of jewellery for both the betrothal period and the wedding itself.

Trends

Some men are not just wearing a simple band either. Johnny Depp, for instance, is actually wearing his fiancée’s ring, a female piece that may seem far from masculine.

More men are looking to show their commitment to the world and more women are wanting to repay the favour of being given a stunning, sparkling gift to mark their future plans.

At W G Jewellery, we have a range of engagement and wedding rings that could potentially work for both him and her. Whether you opt to get a feminine, sparkly number for your groom-to-be to turn him into your very own Mr Depp, or whether you opt for a piece from our wedding jewellery collection as a more subtle gesture, giving him a band may soon be as important as him offering you one. Well, nearly as important!

We all have our own ideas about how much should be spent on engagement rings, with many of us still believing that two months’ salary is the right amount to spend despite this enduring myth coming about simply due to some clever advertising back in the 1980s. In turn, the recommended figure can vary from as little two weeks’ worth of wages through to a massive three months’. Yet, whichever figure people take to be their own marker, the fact remains that the importance of cost and quality are paramount when choosing an engagement ring.

When it comes to wedding rings, things are not so clear cut though, and not only will wedding rings usually be worn by both sexes as opposed to just the female (as in the case of the engagement ring), but the designs are also likely to be far less extravagant and far less dependant on being adorned by huge gemstones.

Furthermore, there is far less talk about how much wedding rings should cost. They do not need to wow people in the same way that engagement rings do and are more about marking the occasion and serving as a sign of one’s union and future plans together than being a gift intended to seal the marital deal. So, with a wedding ring fulfilling a very different criteria to the engagement ring, are they as important and how much should they cost?

Importance and cost

In many ways, wedding rings are even more important than engagement rings. Just as you will never forget the first house you rented together, it is the first property that you put a mortgage on and is in turn truly yours as a couple that will hold the most significance for a couple. However, that being said, you may well be able to afford to rent a bigger and more impressive house than you can afford to buy when you are starting out.

It is much the same with engagement rings and wedding rings, with the former being a more costly and more impressive option and the latter being more important to the couple in the long term. As such, whilst you may not need to spend quite as much on a wedding rings as on an engagement ring, it is just as important – if not more so – to spend as much as it takes to get the right rings. After all, such rings will be worn for life.

The changing style of wedding rings

Whilst they might once have been just a very simple band, wedding rings can now be adorned with diamonds and other gemstones, and come in a range of ornate styles to suit individual tastes and ensure that a couple can have rings that are stylistically linked. Gone are the days when men would have been able to display nothing but a very plain ring, and instead almost anything will go today, opening up a whole new range of potential (and potential expense) for both bride and groom. Don’t look at what others are wearing and don’t check out celebrity pages to see what you should buy – after all, not only do you need to buy for your own personal style, but you need to make sure you buy a ring that will look as good on your hand in thirty years time as it will adorning your finger today.

As such, whilst there is no set amount that such rings should cost, one should invest as much as they need to to ensure they get a ring of the right design and quality. Here at W G Jewellery, we have a range of wedding bands to suit all styles and budgets; when in doubt, just get in touch and we will be happy to guide you in the right direction so you can in turn find the perfect ring for both him and her.