We’re sure you’ve already heard it a lot recently but, congratulations! You’ve found the one, mission complete. Level 2 – buy an enchanting engagement ring that will dazzle the mind of your soon-to-be fiancée or fiancé.

We’ll go through what the four main terms used for diamonds mean and how to know if they are of high quality or not.

Carat

The carat is a way of measuring the value of the ring you decide on. It can give you a price tag because it’s actually a weight. The heavier the stone the more expensive it’s usually going to be. Hence, the higher the carat of a ring, the more it will cost.

So, as you can imagine, the larger the stone is the higher the carat it’s usually going to be. With this said, some diamonds may seem larger but weigh less than a smaller one. This will be because the cut is shallower than the smaller yet heavier one.

Cut

This doesn’t describe the shape of the diamond, it’s referring to the way the stone has been cut. The better the cut, the better the sparkle, the better the diamond.

If you’re unsure then hold the diamond to the light and see if it reflects the light internally and externally well. You just want to see how bright it shines, to put it in other words. The cut also tells you how deep or shallow in shape the stone is.  

Colour grade

If you’re set on buying a diamond ring, you should consider the colour grade. Each diamond is rated on a scale starting at D to Z. A diamond grade D is the most popular because they are considered colourless.

The Z grade means the diamond is a light-yellow colour. Though you can also buy diamonds of green, red, blue, yellow and pink, clear is the most popular for engagement rings.

Green and red diamonds, however, are extremely rare so if you see one that’s in your price range, snatch it up while you still can.

Clarity

The clarity pretty much tells you if the diamond has any inclusions, imperfections and specks. No diamond is perfect, so don’t expect a completely clean clarity. But doesn’t that make each stone so much more precious and unique?

The style of the ring

If they love all things antique, you could choose from antique rings London. An antique ring usually is gold and often has a more unusual engagement stone, like an emerald or ruby for example.

The shape of the stone

There are 12 main shapes you can buy for an engagement ring:

• Round

A round diamond is the most traditional shape for an engagement ring.

• Radiant

Along with a beautiful name, the radiant shape is truly unique. They are square-shaped with flat corners.

• Oval

Oval shaped diamonds allow light to reflect through easily, which effectively makes it sparkle more.

• Emerald

The emerald shape is called this because it was once only used to cut emeralds specifically, however, you can now get diamonds and other stones shaped the same way.

• Princess

This shape is square and sharp, though they look elegant and princess-worthy.

• Pear

Also called the teardrop, it takes the form of a perfectly even droplet of water.

• Trillion

Trillion cut diamonds are triangular and usually are used as accent stones to the main stone. With this said, they do also look stunning as the main-show stone.

• Baguette

Baguette diamonds are rectangular and thin, so they are the best choice for those who have a minimalistic style.

• Heart

Of course, you know what a heart shape is. This is the most symbolic shape for love.

• Cushion

Similar to the princess shape, the cushion is square but has softer edges.

• Asscher

These diamonds have more step-cuts than radiant diamond shapes, which allow the stone to sparkle extremely well, but the overall shape is very similar.  

• Marquise

Also referred to by the name navette (little boat), the marquise is shaped like a small boat – hence the name.

Did this help you decide?

We hope it did! Let us know what engagement ring you decided on in the comments.

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