Your marriage proposal to the woman you love should be one of the most exciting and memorable events in your life. Likewise, the engagement ring you present to her should be one of the most carefully considered purchases you ever make. The process of shopping for an engagement ring can be confusing, frustrating, and more than a little daunting.

If you're like most guys, you don't know a whole lot about jewelry, less about diamonds, and the last thing you want to do is spend a small fortune when you're not exactly sure what you're getting. Fortunately, as with a lot of things, the Internet makes the process a little easier.

There are really three fundamental advantages to shopping for an engagement ring online: information, selection, and price.

Information

When I started shopping for an engagement ring at the end of last year, I was basically starting from scratch. I knew that carats were a measure of size, and I knew there were supposed to be three other C's, but that was about it. I spent a lot of time combing the Internet and talking to local retailers, who all too often were hardly more informed than I was. If I had it to do over again based on what I know now, I would have immediately visited the Blue Nile diamonds website and clicked on "Education."

As I note in the full review of my Blue Nile shopping experience, it makes sense that an online jeweler would have some of the best information on the Internet about diamonds and engagement rings. I don't know why all of them don't do it. In any case, you can find out everything you'll ever need to know by visiting the Blue Nile diamonds site. There is comprehensive information on diamond shape, cut, color, clarity, carat weight, and certifications (a fifth C!), as well as a complete guide to selecting and purchasing an engagement ring.

Selection

I began my quest by visiting all of the local jewelers, from mall chains to mom-and-pop stores. The biggest problem I ran into was the very limited selection. I had a decent idea of what I thought my fiancé would like, but I couldn't find it. I was surprised that even the large jewelry stores didn't actually have that many diamond engagement rings. Typically, they wanted me to choose from a catalog.

Finally, my search led me back to the Internet and ultimately to the Blue Nile diamonds website. Wow! Now we're talking selection. They have 60,000+ diamonds in inventory. I had a specific setting in mind -- platinum with sidestones -- and they had about 60 for me to choose from. I hadn't been able to find one like I wanted at the local stores. The search engine at the site makes it super-easy to find what you want from this huge selection, too.

Price

With much lower overhead and much higher volume than local stores, you'll save a lot of money by purchasing your engagement ring on the Internet. Blue Nile is now the largest volume online jeweler and the company is the second-largest diamond buyer in the US. You're just not going to find a reputable jeweler with significantly better prices.

For the rings I was shopping for, and setting aside the fact that the local stores didn't actually have them in inventory, the prices at Blue Nile diamonds were roughly 10% lower than the local stores on average. For a purchase like this, that's a lot of money. Even better, in most states, you won't have to pay sales tax.

Are there any disadvantages to purchasing your engagement ring online? The only one I could come up with is that you can't actually see the ring before you buy it. Of course, you can't see your ring if you order from a catalog at a local store either. Even better, Blue Nile diamonds gives you a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you don't get the ring you want, you send it back.

Considering the advantages of information, selection, and price, purchasing your engagement ring from an online jeweler such as Blue Nile diamonds is really a no-brainer. If you're not a gemologist and you want to make sure you're getting a great product at a great price, Blue Nile can really make the experience of shopping for an engagement ring a lot easier and a lot more pleasant.