You've found "the one," and now the time has come to find the perfect ring. Buying an engagement ring can be intimidating, and sometimes even a little scary. After all, this is one of the most important purchases you may ever make. Feeling the pressure? Not sure where to start? Don't sweat, Trumpet & Horn is here to help make sure your soon-to-be-bride-to-be loves her ring just as much as she loves you. Here are five tips to help pick the ring she really wants:

1. Stalk Her Pinterest

Chances are, your girlfriend is already on Pinterest. (**What’s Pinterest? It’s a virtual bulletin board to keep track of digital “magazine clippings” you like for future reference). If you’re getting anywhere close to an engagement, chances are even better your girlfriend is already using Pinterest to keep track of her favorite rings!

If you know her username, you can stalk her Pinterest just by searching for her on the platform. If you don’t, sneak over to her computer or iPad and bring up www.pinterest.com - most likely she’ll already be logged in, and you’ll be able to see her pinboards. Look for one that has anything do with weddings, “Things I Love”, or "fashion/style". Nothing? Check the very bottom for a secret board. Use your judgement to decide if she would think you seeing her secret boards (which are hidden to everyone but her) is an invasion of her privacy. Chances are that she really does want you to see what’s on it, but doesn’t want anyone else (i.e. her friends/family) to see that she’s been looking at rings!

If she has hundreds of rings pinned, don’t freak out. That just means she isn’t sure what she wants yet, and probably hasn’t been into a store to try anything on. Look for trends. Are you seeing all platinum rings with round diamonds? You’re getting somewhere! However, if she’s only pinned a few, that may mean she may already know exactly what she wants, and the rings pinned might not be just examples of what she likes, but exact rings that she would love to have. Click on each to see where the rings come from, and check out the price, availability, and details to see whether its within your budget and from a store with good customer service.

**She may have also started planning your dream wedding via Pinterest as well, so tread these waters cautiously!

2. Research Her Style

Not every woman has the same style of clothing, right? The same follows for engagement ring style. While one woman might love the classic elegance of a traditional three stone diamond ring, another may prefer unique colored gemstone rings. But how do you know which style is her style?

First off, take our Engagement Ring Style Quiz. Answer a few questions about your girlfriend and see what “style” she is. Then, click over to our Pinterest boards to see what kind of rings we recommend for your kind of woman!

Secondly, check her out! What jewelry does she already wear? Look for the things she wears all the time, and take note of their style. If she always wears diamond studs, you might want to consider something classic. Does she wear stacks of rings on her fingers and assorted bracelets all the way up her arm? Maybe she’s a little more on the eclectic side. Take notes from her personal style to inform what kind of ring she might like. If she’s a roll-out-of-bed kind of girl, a simple, easy to wear ring might be the answer. If she typically spends more time on her hair and makeup, she might be a bit more into some bling!

3. Listen For Her Dropping Hints

Women are MASTERS at dropping hints - you just have to make sure you’re actually listening! Did one of her friends just get engaged? Listen for her to make a comment on the ring. She might call the ring “boring, teeny, or cute”(i.e.: not for her), or she may not be able to speak words because she is so envious of how amazing it is.

Watching TV or a movie? Listen for her to make comments (because you know she will). You can find out a lot by just perking up your ears during the right conversation - put on a rom-com and you may find out in the space of two hours that she thinks “traditional” diamond rings are boring, flash-mob style engagements are embarrassing, and there’s nothing more romantic than an outdoor wedding in the summer. Hello, knowledge!

4. Ask Her Friends for Help

If getting engaged is somewhere on her radar, almost every woman is guaranteed to have a special confidante (or five) that know what kind of ring she wants, or an exact ring she has her heart set on. Find out who this person is and get on her good side! Chances are it’s a sister or a best friend, and most likely it’s someone that she would regularly go shopping with, too. Be casual about asking, but don’t be afraid to do it! She wouldn’t have told this person what she likes if she didn’t want them to help you pick the ring. Her friend or family member will most likely wait for you to come to them, so don’t be shy. Call her up or take her out to lunch to pick her brain for clues!

5. Find Out Her Ring Size

Nothing is worse than a surprise engagement with a ring that’s too small. It’s one of the most romantic moments of your life and you go to slide the ring on her finger - and it doesn’t fit. How awkward!!

There are a few ways around this. First of all, step one is to figure out her ring size to know what kind of situation you’re in. Steal one of her rings for a few hours and take it to a jeweler to get it sized for the most accurate results, or print off a ring sizing chart online and compare it to a ring you know she wears a lot. Make sure you know it’s a ring that fits her ring finger, though! If she wears rings on other fingers, make sure you didn’t accidentally grab her pinky ring by accident.

One you know her size, you have a few options:

-If you buy a ring that’s too big, it will still fit on her finger and you can get it resized to fit her later. Talk about easy problem solving!

-If you’re getting her something custom, go with her exact size or a tiny bit bigger. Resizing is typically free from your jeweler.

-If you’re buying a vintage engagement ring and it’s too small for her, decide whether you want to take the gamble that she’ll like it and resize it first before proposing, or include a “this isn’t actually going to fit but we’ll get it resized ASAP” disclaimer during the proposal. Not the most romantic, but it’ll work if necessary.

**A special note about outdoor engagements: if you’re planning to propose during a hike or after some sort of physical activity, remember that fingers always swell! The ring may be her size, but if you propose on the top of a mountain after a two hour hike, don’t be surprised if the ring doesn’t fit until you’re driving home later and her finger has shrunk back to its normal size! Good luck!