Any Guesses as to What are the Most Popular Engagement Rings Available?

Without further ado........the most popular engagement rings have a solitaire diamond. A solitaire diamond is a diamond that is set alone as a single stone elevated above a band. It prominently displays the diamond but does not overpower it. Also currently popular is a solitaire diamond that is surrounded by smaller diamonds (i.e. baguettes or round stones). Three stone diamond engagement rings have become increasingly popular due to marketing efforts by DeBeers. Three stone diamond rings are said to represent the past, present, and future of your relationship to your beloved.

The most popular engagement ring band metals are gold (both white and yellow) and platinum. While platinum is the stronger than gold and can withstand more physical abuse, it tends to scratch more easily. Since platinum is much rarer than gold it tends to be much pricier. To the inexperienced, naked eye, platinum and white gold look similar. However, over time, white gold will revert back to its original yellow color, since white gold is man-made and it must then be re-plated. My personal preference is for white gold since it is more in vogue than yellow gold, but less expensive than platinum.

The round diamond is the most popular cut available. It displays the most fire and brilliance out of all the shapes available. The princess cut, which has a square shape, is next in line in the popularity contest as it also has a lot of brilliance.

You can never be too rich, too thin or have too many diamond carats. Big engagement rings are becoming more and more common these days. Americans have a tendency to think bigger is better (i.e. mcmansions, SUVs,, etc.) and engagement rings are no different. The days where one carat engagement rings were considered substantial are long gone. Nowadays it takes a 2 or 3 carat ring to elicit some jaw-dropping and gasping.

My preference for engagement ring carat size is 1.0 to 1.5 carats- I want people to look at my face/eyes when they talk to me rather than gawking at the size of my bling. My ring has a 1.25 carat diamond and I've had a few people comment on how large the diamond is (although I do have extremely small hands which also makes the diamond seem larger).

A decent quality 2 carat ring will set you back about $12,00 - $14,000 bones while a 3 carat ring will probably exceed about $20,000. FYI...

The carat is about the weight of the diamond and not the size. The heavier the diamond the more carat size it hasIf you want the look of a large diamond but can't quite afford the price, here are a few tips:

Avoid buying round diamonds. While they are the most brilliant of all the shapes, they also tend to look the smallest. Oval and marquise shapes tend to look larger then their round shaped diamond equals as they are longer, creating an illusion of greater size.

A bezel setting is a good choice for making a diamond look larger. A bezel setting is where the diamond has precious metal wrapped around it, emphasizing the circumference.

Consider a 3 stone engagement ring versus a solitaire. A 3 stone engagement ring can add up to the weight of a solitaire, look just as large and in charge, but cost much less. This is because larger diamonds are more rare and therefore cost more than smaller diamonds which add up to the same carat weight.

Also, tiny accent side-stones that surround a center stone, can accentuate the center diamond.