Analysing their sales data, as well as Google trends, Manchester-based sustainable jeweller Lily Arkwright has pulled together insights on when the most popular time to propose is, as well as when to potentially pick up a bargain engagement ring too.

Autumn is the new Valentine’s Day

Surprisingly millennials no longer see Valentine’s Day – the day of love – as an ideal time to propose.

With no spike in engagement ring sales in February in recent years, Valentine’s Day appears to have become an unpopular time of year for engagements according to Lily Arkwright’s data.

This suggests that consumers now feel it is too predictable and cliché. Instead, sales of engagement rings typically rise in October with those in London, Oxfordshire and Gloucestershire being the most likely to purchase a ring at this time.

Festively frugal

With pending wedding costs in mind, many shoppers are keen to ensure they get the most value possible on their engagement ring.

Lily Arkwright found that sales soared over 63% during 2021’s Black Friday sales, with savvy shoppers taking advantage of lower prices to ensure they had their ring ready for those Christmas and New Year proposals loved by couples across the UK. 

Summer loving

Just like weddings, proposals are immensely popular as the sun begins to shine in the UK and as more people prepare for romantic holidays.

Lily Arkwright sees sales rise by 38% in April as couples prepare for springtime proposals. This continues into the summer months as July proves to be a favoured month for engagement ring shopping

• The logo may not be centred properly
• On a metal strap the links don’t move freely
• Letters printed on the dial are not sharp and crisp
• Functions like sub dials and helium release valves don’t function T
• hey weigh less because of the cheaper materials used Lack of or poor packaging
• A loud ticking noise, most quality watches are very quiet
• Fingerprints, dust or other residue inside the watch

Things to look for with a fake Tag Heuer:

1. Buttons on the side may have no effect on the small chronographs.
2. Tag Heuer use “LumiNova” which glows very brightly in diminished light conditions, test your watch by charging it with a torch and checking the luminosity of the ‘glow in the dark’ elements.
3. Tag Heuer use sapphire crystal glass as such, if water is dropped onto the face the droplets should pull together rather than disperse.
4. The words “Swiss Made” should be printed on the bottom of the face
5. On the crown, the Tag Heuer logo should be pressed into the steel not glued on. Glue residue and uneven edges are sure signs of a fake. 13090
6. Fakes often have solid links or a line on the link which might make you think the links are two pieces, genuine Tag Heuer watches will have a left and right piece for each of the links.
7. Blue screws indicate a COSC approved movement, many Tag Heuer Watches are not, If it is COSC approved, your watch should always come with a COSC certificate card.
8. The movement should include a serial number which matches the casing and the paperwork which goes with it.

General tips when buying a luxury watch:

• If the price appears too good to be true, then it likely is
• Be very careful on sites like eBay. Some signs to be wary of are the use of blurry low resolution images in listings, lack of detail in descriptions and sellers with little or no feedback
• Just because the watch comes with an authentic looking box manual and certification it doesn’t mean that it is genuine.
• Buying in store? Follow your instincts. If the decor and location don’t fit with what you’d expect for a luxury high value item then don’t take the risk.
• Have the watch inspected by an expert, often better fakes require inspection of the mechanism to tell them from the real, product

• The logo may not be centred properly
• On a metal strap the links don’t move freely
• Letters printed on the dial are not sharp and crisp
• Functions like sub dials and helium release valves don’t function T
• hey weigh less because of the cheaper materials used Lack of or poor packaging
• A loud ticking noise, most quality watches are very quiet
• Fingerprints, dust or other residue inside the watch

Things to look for with a fake Omega:

1. The metal pearl “Lum dot” within the triangle above the 12 mark is often misaligned or off centre.
2. The Omega logo may be printed on the face when it should be applied either as steel, yellow gold or white gold.
3. Genuine Omega watches use special “LumiNova” on the dial and hands to help them glow brightly. Fakes will often have a faint or non-existent glow.
4. If your Omega has mechanical movement the second hand should sweep smoothly around the face. If the model is supposed to have a Quartz movement it should tick between points.
5. When setting the date on a genuine Omega the number will click into place and centre. With a fake, these numbers may not line up or sometimes the numbers are partially obscured.
6. Omega print a red dot on the rim of the case back to show if the watch case has been opened. If this is missing and you believe the watch to be new, it is likely a fake.
7. Taking off the case back, the movement is unlikely to have the brand markings, although some more expensive fakes may have also duplicated this.
8. The watch number will be etched with a laser on the lug. This number should correspond to the number provided with the Chronometer Certificate & warranty.

General tips when buying a luxury watch:

• If the price appears too good to be true, then it likely is
• Be very careful on sites like eBay. Some signs to be wary of are the use of blurry low resolution images in listings, lack of detail in descriptions and sellers with little or no feedback
• Just because the watch comes with an authentic looking box manual and certification it doesn’t mean that it is genuine.
• Buying in store? Follow your instincts. If the decor and location don’t fit with what you’d expect for a luxury high value item then don’t take the risk.
• Have the watch inspected by an expert, often better fakes require inspection of the mechanism to tell them from the real, product