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Renee Negin and her future husband, Max, were unloading sea shells at dusk 10 years ago on the beach of Ocean City, N.J., when she felt a plastic bag buried in the sack.

The shells belonged to Max’s mother, and the couple was returning the shells to the ocean after she died that year, in 1998. What was in the plastic bag, however, would soon belong to Renee.

“I pulled out the bag, and said, 'What’s this?’ expecting him to be surprised,” she said, thinking that she may have found his mom’s secret jewelry stash. “A funny look crossed his face as he took the bag from me, withdrew the ring box and got onto one knee.”

She said yes to his proposal, the two got married, and now, 10 years later, they live in Greensboro with their two children.

Just as Negin’s engagement story is unique, during this time of year plenty of others will create their own proposal stories.

According to theknot.com, 40 percent of engagements occur during the holiday months from November to February.

But before popping the question, there are a few things to know about gemstones, diamonds and engagement rings.

“Diamonds are little; it’s a unique world, and they are expensive,” said Laura Simonton , a spokeswoman with the Gemological Institute of America, which developed the “Four Cs” to judge diamond quality — cut, clarity, color and carat.

The institute also trains jewelers and gemologists to identify and grade the precious stones that shine on the fingers of brides-to-be.

All the information, particularly that found online, can be overwhelming. But buying the ring can be approached much in the same way that one may negotiate for a car.

For example, people must first decide what kind of budget they have and what they want. Is the best one a big, flashy, SUV-type of diamond or a classic that’s been handed through generations, such as estate jewelry?

“It depends on what you like,” Simonton said. “They’re extraordinarily personal.”

And the ring doesn’t even have to be diamond. Alternate gemstones such as a blue sapphire may be flanked by smaller diamonds or set alone in a solitaire setting.

Still, most people are giving each other diamonds for engagements. And many will head to a jeweler for rings.

“Find one the same way you’d find a lawyer or dentist,” Simonton said. “And check the Better Business Bureau.”

Then there are the “Four Cs.” Appraisals are generally made based on those criteria.

Many diamonds and engagement rings are branded, which can carry more value, too.

But like the difference between a luxury car and an economy ride, the value is in how much the owner likes it.

“It’s been with us since the dawn of mankind — self-expression,” Simonton said of diamonds and personal choice. “One person looks at it and says that 'I love that’ or another looks and may not.”

Contact Gerald Witt at 373-7008 or gerald.witt@news-record.com