When it comes to engagement rings, your personality and individuality can be channeled through your style choices. That’s why so many individuals opt to design an engagement ring rather than choose a pre-designed one.
That said, with all the available options, it can be challenging to ensure that you get it right. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. This guide will break down everything you need to know when designing an engagement ring. Let’s dive in!
Choosing your setting
A ring’s setting refers to how a stone is held in place on the ring’s band and accent styles that embellish the setting. An engagement ring’s setting can significantly impact its appearance, so it’s essential to get it right. Here are the most common engagement ring settings and styles.
- Solitaire: A solitaire setting is synonymous with simple. The center stone is held in place — often by prongs — and the band does not feature any other diamonds. The solitaire setting is versatile in that it can be customized to add a bit of flair with a fancy stone or unique metal color to a simple design.
- Pavé: A pavé setting features numerous small stones that run along the ring band. Pavé stones act as stage lights directing the eyes to the center stone, the star of the show. They typically cover at least half of the ring’s band.
- Vintage: Various ring settings could be considered vintage due to their long history of use. These settings include the box, bezel, and cluster settings. However, other aspects of the ring can also indicate a vintage setting. Often floral or flower engagement rings indicate a style from times past.
- Halo: A halo setting uses smaller stones to completely encircle the center stone. This creates a sort of “haloing” effect, which is where the setting takes its name. It often makes your center stone look much larger than it really is.
- 3 Stone: A 3-stone setting features three stones, one large and two smaller ones, set horizontally side-by-side. The smaller stones usually flank the center stone, and all are held in place with prongs.
Choosing your Diamond Type
Buying diamonds can be challenging. Not only is it a major purchase, but as it will be the center stone of an engagement ring, it’s essential to get it right. You’ll typically have to choose between a mined diamond or a lab-grown diamond. Here’s what you need to know.
A mined diamond is among the most common diamonds you’ll find on the market. These diamonds are extracted from the earth via mining practices and then used for jewelry or other functions.
Lab-grown diamonds are diamonds that have been created in a lab-setting by placing carbon under extreme pressure and heat, mimicking the natural production of diamonds. These diamonds are completely identical to mined diamonds because they are real diamonds. Their upside is that they cost a fraction of the price of mined diamonds and aren’t connected to any unethical mining practices. Win-win.
Choosing your Diamond Shape
A diamond’s shape is the silhouette or outline of a diamond. Any shape other than a round-brilliant (circle) is considered a fancy-shaped diamond. For example, an oval-shaped diamond is shaped like an oval with an elongated body, no corners, and rounded tips. I
There are many diamond shapes to choose from, but it’s important to ensure that you are getting the most bang for your buck. Shapes with larger tables (upright face of a diamond) can make smaller diamonds look larger as less of the diamond is lost during the cutting process. These shapes include oval, teardrop, and rectangular shaped diamonds.
Choosing your 4 C’s
The 4 C’s will play a role in any diamond purchase that you make, they are as follows:
- Color: Measures the presence of color in diamonds.
- Carat: Measures a diamond’s weight.
- Cut: Measures the quality of a diamond’s cut.
- Clarity: Measures the presence of flaws or blemishes in a diamond.
When choosing your engagement ring, you’ll note that round-brilliant diamonds are given an official GIA grade based on all 4 of these standards. However, fancy-cut diamonds do not receive a cut grade as the variance of the artisanship is far too diverse to create an accurate scale.
You can leverage this knowledge to maximize your ring. For example, princess and oval cut diamonds hide diamond imperfections well. So you could save on a diamond with a lower clarity rating, and opt for a better color.
Choosing your Metal Type and Color
When it comes to engagement rings, the metal you choose will have a big impact, and not just on appearance. Some ring metals are more durable than others, but this often means much more expensive. For example, platinum, while a very strong metal, can be almost double the cost of something like 14k gold.
Gold is less durable, but often more affordable. Not to mention, it provides three options for metal color! While white and yellow gold have been popular over the last few decades, rose gold engagement rings have started to rise in popularity as a unique twist to a more traditional ring.
All of that said, you’ll need to take cost, durability, hypoallergenic properties, and weight into account when making a decision about metal.
Conclusion
Designing an engagement ring can be a rewarding experience that results in the ring of your dreams. All it takes is a bit of research to help you understand all your options. Simply apply what you’ve learned from this guide, and you’ll be well on your way to the engagement ring of your dreams.