Diamond rings are hardly an ancient tradition; the first recorded instance of such a gift was in 1477 when the Archduke of Hamburg had a diamond ring commissioned for Mary of Burgundy.

Until De Beers’s vast diamond monopoly came into existence, diamonds were mostly restricted to royalty and the wealthy classes.  It was only in the 20^th century that the slogans “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend” and “A Diamond is Forever” fired the imagination of the Western world and a diamond became the de rigueur symbol of esteem (and financial success) that it is today.

Nowadays diamonds can be purchased in every color, cut and setting imaginable.  If you are shopping for a diamond engagement ring, be aware that aside from the sentimental value, diamonds differ greatly in commercial value.

Prices are based mainly on the number of carats and the clarity of the stone, and of course the designer of the ring and the material used for a setting.  It used to be that the standard for cost to the purchaser was about one month’s salary, but that has gone out the window and now a diamond ring can cost anywhere from less than 100 pounds to hundreds of thousands of them.

When contemplating the purchase of a diamond ring for your intended, you should consider not only the cost, but also the recipient herself.  A ring that’s meant to be ‘forever’ should be an adornment that fits the lifestyle and personality of the wearer; do your homework before you make your purchase.

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If you are the one proposing, you may want to make it even more memorable, and one way to do that is to make it a complete surprise.  Here are a couple of suggestions for a proposal that will never be forgotten.

Think about taking your sweetheart out for the evening, to dinner or a film, anywhere where a pre-planned phone call from a friend will come at an agreed upon time.

Act like it’s an emergency, grab her (or his) hand and lead your ‘prospect’ out of the theatre/restaurant/wherever.

At the appropriate time (when he or she is asking what on earth is wrong) drop to your knees, ring in hand, and say, “I need you to marry me”, or any variation of the theme you prefer.  This can be done with or without bystanders, by the way.

Another suggestion could work beautifully if your intended is at a workplace with friends who are also co-workers.  For example, you might get the management to schedule a mandatory meeting for your bride-to-be and fellow employees.

If they can make it fairly boring, all the better.  Have the manager use a PowerPoint presentation, and put your proposal in the middle of it.  While the ‘target’ is staring in astonishment and confusion, walk in with the ring and pop the question.  That ought to do it.

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Though many have tried, no one has really been able to improve on the bended knee and the ring to ‘plight thy troth’.  True, the ring may be just a small symbol, but it looms large in the eyes of most women to whom it is presented.  Thus your choice of rings may be the most crucial part of the drama, and you would be wise to choose with care.

Nowadays, however, nothing is quite as simple as just buying a ring and offering it along with the age-old question.  The favoured scenario for the presentation seems to be getting the whole act on video, and there are plenty of companies out there that will be delighted to do it for you.

In fact you are advised to call a professional; do not ask your friends (or her friends) to attempt this task, as it’s too easy for her to spot them and spoil the surprise.  The idea, of course, is that it is a surprise – the bride-to-be should know nothing about it until she has either accepted or rejected your suggestion of marriage.  If she accepts, as you obviously expect, you’ll have some precious memories to savour together in later years.  If she doesn’t, let her watch the video and maybe she’ll change her mind!

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For example, you may consider baking a cake at home and placing the ring in the frosting somewhere for her to find, after all, it is tough for a woman to say no to man that has offered up a ring and can bake.

If you are not such a great baker, consider heading to a pastry shop and having a special cake made with your marriage proposal on it topped with a diamond.  Ask them to put it in the window, and then take your soon to be fiancé out window shopping past the window, at which point you can drop to your knees and offer your proposal.

For a lower key proposal, consider freezing the ring into an ice cube and pop it into a glass of ice water.  As she starts to notice something in her cup you can drop to your knees and ask her to marry you.  Another simple way to hide the ring for her to discover is by purchasing some chocolate covered roses and burying the ring inside the bouquet.

A festive alternative is to purchase a bottle of champagne and tie it around the bottle neck.  Pretend to have trouble opening it and ask for her assistance.  Once she discovers the ring you can propose and have a handy bottle ready to celebrate with.

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Cowell is said to have proposed marriage over dinner at London’s Mr. Chow and even though he has publicly said in the past that he will never marry, he now claims that since he has found love he is ready to take the plunge.

The engagement ring was said to be quite spectacular and he choose to make the announcement in a public setting where the media was sure to capture it.

Mezhgan is age 36 to Cowell’s 50, and resides in America, although she grew up in Afghanistan.  Reportedly the pair met while she was a makeup artist for ‘American Idol.’  The two have been dating for six months.

The ring was said to have been placed on Mezhgan’s hand promptly during the dinner causing the entire restaurant to become alive once the diners released they had witnessed Simon Cowell propose.

It may be some time before the wedding happens however, given the fact that Cowell has become quite busy creating a cover of REM’s ‘Everybody Hurts’ for the Haiti earthquake, working on ‘American Idol,’ and planning to launch ‘The X Factor’ in America.

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One of the suggestions by the church is those who have been married for a lengthy time period should take the time to pull out their best crockery and enjoy a nice candle lit meal to keep the romance alive.

Couples are also encouraged to regularly review their love letters, wedding photos, or even go as far as to plant a tree they can visit regularly as a symbol of their eternal love.

The new initiatives are aimed at encouraging couples that they should get married after official figures were released last week that show weddings are at an all time low over the course of the last century.

Among the suggestions made by the Church in regards to how to propose, was hint that incorporating memories from a first meeting or first date will help recapture that original spark.

It also suggested that instead of taking one’s future spouse out to the most expensive restaurant to propose, it is better to head to the site of a first date to get the result that you want.

Additionally, the Church added that when proposing it is important to remind your partner that you want to spend the rest of your life with them and detail why you are positive they are the one for you.

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