Engagement ring from Tangier: preparing a surprise proposal at a distance

From Tangier, a surprise proposal can be prepared very well at a distance: you find out her size in secret, you send your ideas to an Oroma adviser on WhatsApp and you approve the ring without her suspecting a thing. Oroma Diamond has neither a shop nor an adviser in Tangier. Its only showroom is in Casablanca, in Sidi Maarouf, a little over two hours away by train if you want to see the ring before the big day.

How do you find her size without her suspecting?

This is the tricky part of a surprise, so settle it first. The European size is the circumference of the finger in millimetres, and there are several roundabout ways of getting it.

• Borrow, one evening, a ring she wears on her ring finger, noting which hand, and measure its inside diameter with a ruler.
• If you cannot keep it for more than a minute, lay it on a sheet of paper and trace the inner circle with a well-sharpened pencil. You can measure the drawing later, at your leisure.
• A sister or a close friend may already know the number. Choose someone who can keep a secret.
• A ring she wears on her middle finger will be too big for the ring finger. It gives you a maximum, not a size.

The Oroma size guide contains a table that matches diameter to size, and circles on which to lay a ring. Print it at 100% and check the 50 mm line before relying on it. Our article on measuring your ring size describes each method in detail. Between two sizes, take the larger one.

What should you send the adviser on WhatsApp?

There is no hurry: the conversation can grow over the days, as you observe her tastes.

• the budget you have set yourself;
• screenshots of the rings she has noticed, if you have any;
• a photo of her everyday jewellery, to tell whether she wears mostly yellow gold or white gold;
• her size, or the inside diameter you measured;
• the date planned for your proposal.

Cannot put a name to the style she likes? Our article solitaire, halo, pavé, trilogy gives you the vocabulary of settings. For an overview, see our page on diamond rings in Morocco.

Approving the ring without seeing it

You will be paying for a ring you have never held, so ask in writing for the details of the stone and its origin, natural or laboratory-grown. A report number can be checked online: type the laboratory's address yourself instead of following a link you were sent. Our guide to buying a diamond with confidence in Morocco sets out what the invoice must state.

That leaves handing over the ring. The adviser will tell you on WhatsApp whether it can be sent to you in Tangier and how. Ask early, so you can fit it around the date of your proposal. You can also go through the contact page.

A day trip to Casablanca

If you would rather see the stone before giving it, the Al Boraq high-speed train links Tanger Ville to Casa Voyageurs in about 2 hours 10 minutes according to the ONCF, with several departures a day. By motorway, allow about 340 km and three and a half hours of driving. A visit to the showroom on your own gives nothing of the surprise away. Plan a taxi between the station and Sidi Maarouf, and check the timetable before you leave.

Elsewhere in Morocco

• Engagement ring from Rabat
• Engagement ring from Marrakech
• Engagement ring from Agadir
• Engagement ring from Laayoune
• Engagement ring from Dakhla
• Engagement ring from El Jadida