December is the month many couples in Lebanon choose to get engaged: the family is gathered, the diaspora is home and the whole country is in the mood to celebrate. It is also the month when a last-minute ring is most likely to go wrong. The calmest way to plan a December proposal is to start from the day you intend to ask and work backwards.
Why a December proposal needs a head start
Three things arrive together at the end of the year. Christmas Eve and New Year’s Eve are among the most popular dates to propose, so the bench is at its busiest exactly when you need it. Families fly home from abroad, so many rings are planned from another time zone. And the working days between the holidays are fewer than they look on a calendar.
None of this matters if you give yourself time: eight weeks is comfortable, six is fine, four is manageable if you already know what you want.
Your December ring timeline, week by week
The dates assume a proposal on Christmas Eve or New Year’s Eve; slide them to suit your own day.
| When | For Christmas Eve | For New Year’s Eve | What to do |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 weeks out | Late October | Early November | Set your budget, learn the 4Cs, start quietly working out her ring size |
| 6 weeks out | Mid-November | Around 19 November | Shortlist certified stones and ask for each one’s 360° video and certificate on WhatsApp |
| 4 weeks out | Late November | Early December | Reserve your diamond with a deposit, choose the setting and metal, confirm the size |
| 3 weeks out | Early December | Around 10 December | The ring goes to the bench: made to order in about a week to ten days |
| 2 weeks out | Around 10 December | Around 17 December | The ring is finished; book your collection appointment or arrange delivery |
| Final week | 17 to 23 December | 24 to 30 December | Collect and settle the balance, or receive it by free insured delivery in Greater Beirut |
Eight weeks out: set the budget and learn the language
Decide what you want to spend before you look at a single stone; a figure settled in advance is far easier to respect than one negotiated in front of something beautiful. Our guide to how much to spend on an engagement ring explains why the old salary rules are marketing, and how to find a number you will never resent.
Then spend an evening with the 4Cs of diamonds explained. You only need enough to read a certificate and ask good questions: cut matters most, colour and clarity only need to satisfy the naked eye, and carat is weight rather than size.
Start working out her ring size now too, while there is time to borrow a ring she wears or recruit a sister or close friend.
Six weeks out: shortlist certified stones
Browse our certified loose diamonds and narrow them to two or three. Every stone is natural, certified by GIA or HRD and physically in stock in Beirut. Message us on WhatsApp and we will send each shortlisted stone’s 360° video and certificate, so you can compare how the diamonds behave in light, not only how they read on paper. Check each report number with our guide to verifying a GIA or HRD certificate online.
Do not wait too long: the stone you fall for is one of a kind, and if someone else reserves it first, you are back to the beginning.
Four weeks out: reserve, choose the setting, settle the size
Once you have chosen, reserve the diamond. A reservation requires a deposit, which takes the stone off sale and holds it in your name; the balance is settled on collection. From here the diamond is yours, and every other decision can be made around it.
Next, choose how it will be worn. Browse our engagement ring settings, or use build your ring to see diamond and setting together before you commit. If you are torn between a solitaire, a halo or a hidden halo, our guide to setting styles explains how each changes the stone on the hand.
Confirm her size at the same time with our ring size guide. If you are between two sizes, choose the larger, since sizing down is easier than sizing up. Most settings can be adjusted after the proposal, although pavé and some detailed bands are more limited, so ask before you order.
Three weeks out: the ring goes to the bench
Every ring is made to order, which takes about a week to ten days. Starting three weeks out means the ring is normally finished with a week or more to spare: exactly the margin you want in December for a last-minute change of metal, a size you want to double-check, or a family gathering that moves the date.
Settle the design before this point: a made-to-order ring cannot be refunded once crafted, whereas an unset loose diamond can be returned within seven days under our returns policy.
The final fortnight: collection or delivery
When the ring is ready, you can collect it in Beirut by appointment and settle the balance, or we deliver it to you, free and fully insured, anywhere in Greater Beirut. Either way, choose a day comfortably before the proposal.
Plan the moment itself separately: our guide on how to propose in Lebanon covers the place, the timing and the family.
Running late? The express safety net
If December arrives before you are ready, our express option sets your chosen diamond into a ready-made mounting in 24 to 48 hours. Because the mounting already exists, the choice of designs and sizes is narrower, and in the last days before Christmas you will not be the only one who needs it. Treat it as a safety net, not a plan: if you are reading this with weeks to spare, use them.
Flying home for the holidays
Coming home from abroad for Christmas or New Year? The timeline is the same, run from a distance. Choose and verify your stone over WhatsApp, reserve it with a deposit, confirm the setting and size, and tell us the date you land. The ring is made while you are away and is ready when you arrive: collect it in Beirut by appointment, or have it delivered, insured, to an address in Greater Beirut.
Avoid leaving it all until you land: your first days home belong to your family. Our diaspora playbook for proposing in Lebanon from abroad walks through every step, and our page for the diaspora sums up how it works.
Common questions about planning a December proposal
How far in advance should I buy an engagement ring?
Six to eight weeks before the proposal is comfortable: enough time to shortlist and reserve a certified diamond, choose a setting, and have the ring made to order in about a week to ten days, with a margin for anything unexpected.
Is it too late to order an engagement ring for Christmas?
With three weeks or more, there is still time for a made-to-order ring; with less, the express option can set your chosen diamond into a ready-made mounting in 24 to 48 hours, from a narrower choice of designs.
Do I need her exact ring size before I order?
It helps but is not essential: estimate it from a borrowed ring or a trusted accomplice, choose the larger size if you are between two, and remember that most settings can be adjusted after she says yes.
Can I reserve a diamond from abroad?
Yes: you choose from the 360° video and certificate we send on WhatsApp, verify the report number online and reserve with a deposit, then settle the balance when you collect the ring in Beirut or receive it by insured delivery in Greater Beirut.
Do you deliver outside Greater Beirut?
Free insured delivery covers Greater Beirut only, so if you are proposing elsewhere in Lebanon, collect the ring in Beirut by appointment before you travel and keep it with you.
Start your December countdown
The earlier you begin, the more of the choice stays yours. Browse our certified diamonds, explore engagement ring settings, or send us your proposal date on WhatsApp at +961 3 579 089 and we will work backwards from it with you, Monday to Saturday, 10:00 to 19:00.
