The Perfect Engagement Ring Selfie

Today, March 20th, is National Proposal Day, and in this new generation, social media is our almost instantaneous go-to after saying yes. Posting a picture of your gorgeous engagement ring online has become an expected norm for proposals. In honor of National Proposal Day, we put together the dos and don'ts of taking the perfectengagement ring selfie to make your followers' eyes sparkle almost as much as the ring they're looking at!

Do: Use natural lighting

Lighting is everything. Go outside and have the sun's light reflect on your diamond to create the perfect sparkle, or pose after 4 p.m. to get the benefit of natural light without harsh shadows. If you can't go outside, take the shot near a window. A dimly lit room and fluorescent or yellow light bulbs will do no favors for your selfie. You want it to be perfect to share with all your friends and family, right?

Don't: Zoom

Don't use zoom to take your engagement ring selfie. It distorts the quality and makes the details of the ring fade into a blur. Physically moving your phone closer to the ring or taking the shot a bit further away and cropping later will make the photo clearer.

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Do: Focus

If you're using an iPhone, be sure to tap on the ring on the screen to make sure the shot focuses on it instead of anything else in the background. You want the ring to be the main star of the photo so make sure it's the clearest focal point!

Don't: Choose the wrong angle

Many engagement rings have the most stunning and intricate settings that you'll want to highlight in the picture, but make sure you're not compromising the rest of the ring in doing so. Experiment with different angles to find the one that best captures what makes your ring unique. The usual go-to for most simple settings is the overhead shot, but maybe a side angle might be better for your particular ring.

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Do: Choose a nice background

Although the focus of the picture should be the ring, the slightly faded background behind it is key. Find a skyline, a beach, a garden, a pretty pattern, sunset (…you get it) to hold your ring in front of to take the shot. Think about when you find an Instagram-worthy landscape… if it looks really nice and interesting, not too busy, and like it might photograph well, lift up that hand, girl! (But don't forget to focus!)

Don't: Clutter

Make sure the shot isn't filled with clutter! Take off any other jewelry that shows in the shot before taking the picture. One other piece may be fine, but you don't want the ring to get lost in the mix of other rings on every finger and a chunky bracelet on your wrist. Simplicity is key.

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Do: Use props(/your fianc?!)

It takes two to make a couple, right? Our favorite "prop" in engagement ring selfies is without a doubt the fianc?. Why not include the reason you have a ring to photograph in the picture? Hold hands, hug each other, or have him (or her) standing in the background of your picture to make it extra adorable. If you don't want to use your fianc? in the picture, though, props can always be used to give it a little something extra. Hold flowers, an important photo, a bridal magazine, or the ever-popular coffee mug to decorate the shot!

Don't: Share too many details

Think of a cute caption to add to the photo, but steer clear of sharing too much information about the details of your ring. You can swoon over the fact that he or she chose the most gorgeous, perfect ring ever, from whichever designer, but we suggest not including the carat number of the ring. This can be for safety purposes, and to avoid any potential jealousy. Avoid falling into the competition trap. Every engagement is special to each person, so if your ring is nicer or worth more than the next, try not to brag about it online. (You can freak out with your friends about it in private.)

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Do: Get your ring cleaned

At Gerald Peters, we offer complimentary cleaning and steaming for engagement rings, (whether they were purchased from here or not!) so come in to get your ring cleaned before you snap that shot! Just how we all try to look our best when we go out, your ring's grand online debut should be perfect, too. Make sure it's sparkling in person so that it really sparkles in the picture!

Don't: Collage

Photo collages are great, but we suggest staying away from them for your engagement ring photo. With collages, the photos you put together sometimes get unappreciated. Ever post a collage and get only a few likes, but then post a photo on its own and get three times the number you did on the collage? Let the ring be the star of the post. Post the ring on it's own, and then post other important photos from your engagement apart.

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Do: Edit

Use editing tools from external apps or even the ones provided for you on Instagram to play with the sharpness, brightness, and colors of your photos to enhance it to the best it can be!

Don't: Overpost

Even though you're most likely to take a million photos of your ring before you find the perfect one, you might also take a million perfect ones and not know which one to choose. We know it may be hard because they're all beautiful, but narrow it down to the absolute best one. Your ring is gorgeous, so let it speak for itself with one breathtaking photo.

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PLEASE: Manicure

Please, please, please get a manicure! You want your ring to be the focus of the photos, not your chipped nail polish, hangnails and cuticles! Pick a soft, bridal color, or a fun, bright color with a design to show your personality. Even if you don't like polish on your nails, leave them bare, but please get them cleaned! It's imperative that your hands and nails are clean and beautiful for this picture.

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Now that we've given you the dos and don'ts for taking the perfect, most beautiful engagement ring selfie, snap away! Feel free to tag @Gerald_Peters on Instagram in your photos! We can't wait to see what you come up with!!