Engagement Ring Style Guide – How To Choose The Perfect Engagement Ring

Finding the perfect engagement ring for the love of your life is an exciting experience. There are countless ways to customize so you can design a piece that truly reflects their style and personality. This guide will familiarize you with common design choices and terms that you may come across, setting you on the right track to designing the perfect engagement ring.

Picking the right metals and gemstones for your ring

When selecting a metal for an engagement ring, it's crucial to pick one that is appropriate for daily use.

Gold

18ct gold consists of 75% pure gold. The remaining 25% consists of a combination of different metals that are utilized to enhance the strength and modify the color of the metal. White gold, for instance, consists of silver and palladium to create its whitish hue, while rose gold has a higher copper content to give it a rosy tint. Yellow gold is a combination of both elements, to keep the vibrant yellow color of pure gold.

Platinum

Platinum is a commonly chosen metal for engagement rings. Comprising 95% platinum and just 5% other metals, it keeps its vibrant white hue compared to 18ct white gold, which requires regular rhodium plating to preserve its shine. While platinum is ideal for intricate details, it is more prone to scratches compared to white gold.

Mixed metals

Another possibility to try is making a ring by combining two or more metals. A common practice is to choose a white gold setting for a yellow or rose gold ring in to maintain a neutral color around the gemstone.

Choosing the Ideal Stone

Deciding on the main gemstone for your engagement ring can be overwhelming due to the wide array of choices available, but we have simplified it into a few categories to assist you in making a decision.

Diamonds

Diamond remains a timeless and classic choice for an engagement ring, as it is the traditional option. Diamonds are considered to be the most durable natural material, scoring a perfect 10 on the Mohs scale of hardness. This implies that it can only be scratched by another diamond, ensuring its brilliance lasts longer than other gemstones.

In addition to their remarkable toughness, diamonds are highly valued for their capacity to reflect light, resulting in beautiful bursts of spectral hues and the iconic sparkle of a diamond.

Colored Diamonds

Diamonds are found in various natural colors, ranging from light champagne hues to deep chocolate browns. Yellow diamonds are becoming more and more fashionable and can exhibit bright hues or very understated shades.

The rarest colors are also the most valuable. Pink, red, blue, and green natural diamonds are considered some of the most attractive and sought-after gemstones globally.

Moissanite

Moissanite engagement rings are an excellent substitute for diamonds due to various reasons. First of all, it displays outstanding sparkle and light reflection, resembling diamonds but more affordable. This enables you to select bigger gems without exceeding your financial limit.

Additionally, moissanite is solely produced in laboratories nowadays, eliminating the need for mining.

Finally, moissanite demonstrates exceptional durability, almost matching diamonds on the Mohs scale of hardness. Moissanite can endure daily use and retain its sparkle, making it a sensible option for engagement rings.

Corundum

Corundum is the ideal colored stone due to its durability, beauty, and wide range of colors. Corundum is the second hardest naturally occurring mineral after diamond, which means it is extremely resistant to scratches and an ideal option for daily use. Corundum has two main types of precious stones: ruby and sapphire.

Although sapphires are typically famous for their beautiful blue shades, they can also be found in a variety of other colors such as green, yellow, pink, orange, black, purple, teal, mauve, and virtually any other color imaginable. A ruby is the term used for a red corundum.

Engagement design styles

Understanding design terminology for popular styles can help you identify your preferences and provide inspiration for getting started.

Solitaire

The solitaire design is characterized by having only one gem on the ring. While solitaire designs are commonly seen with round diamonds, they can showcase any type of stone or shape. This design is sophisticated and simple, putting the focus on the selected diamond or colored gemstone.

Shoulder Stones

Rings featuring shoulder settings typically have smaller stones, often diamonds, that are set along the band next to the main stone. Shoulder stones on a ring can be positioned in various creative ways, such as on a straight band or on a band that splits or crosses over the center setting. Typically, shoulder stones extend from the center setting to the middle of the band in most cases.

Halo

A halo is a phrase that describes a group of little diamonds (or colored gemstones) encircling a central stone. A halo adds the illusion of more brilliance and is a common option for highlighting the size of the central diamond or gemstone. The halo typically rests closely around the main gemstone and includes tiny diamonds to heighten this effect. Halo designs are attractive with or without shoulder diamonds inserted in the band.

Cluster

A cluster pattern differs slightly from a halo by featuring bigger diamonds encircling the main gem. More focus is put on the neighboring stones, turning a cluster into more of a noticeable feature compared to a halo. Clusters and haloes are typically grouped together, although they do have distinct differences.

Trilogy

A trilogy design features three primary gemstones or diamonds in its composition. Typically, the main stone is the biggest and the stones on each side are smaller, although they can also be equal in size. The three stones can have identical shapes or a mix of one shape in the middle and a different shape on each side.

Vintage

Vintage designs can be discovered within all of the categories mentioned above, however, specific characteristics set them apart from modern designs.

Features to keep in mind for a vintage look include delicate designs like scrolls, flourishes, filigree, engravings, and mill grain finishes, along with shoulder diamonds.