When people are getting engaged, they are generally experiencing one of the happiest times of their lives. After all, if you’re engaged, you have just found the person that you want to spend the rest of your life with, and it makes sense that you would be happy. A lot of the time, a big part of what makes people happy in these situations is the material aspects, including engagement rings. There is a lot that goes into selecting the right engagement ring.
If you do not have a lot of experience with wedding jewelry, it is possible that you have many questions. For example, you might wonder, what are the best beautiful engagement rings for women? Where can I find beautiful simple diamond rings? In my city, what is the best place to get custom engagement rings? Where can I find the best white gold engagement rings that are also affordable? It might be a good idea for you to look at all of the jewelry shops in your area to see what is available to you. You might want to talk to the jewelers to see what they have to say in terms of your best possible options.
A diamond engagement ring is more than just a diamond on top of a piece of metal. Every single element of the design is taken into consideration, from the metal color to diamond color to the setting style to the shape of the diamond at the center of it all — a conscious decision must be made to either unify these elements or use them to contrast or complement each other.
For example, picture in your mind a princess cut halo engagement ring. A princess cut is a square cut with a complex pattern of refraction and reflection inside the stone. A halo setting places smaller stones around the main stone, encircling the main stone in a “halo”, blurring the edge of the main diamond into the sparkle of the smaller diamonds. And for the moment, let’s also assume a simple, smooth band.
First, think of the cut in relation to the halo setting. The corners of the princess cut will naturally draw the eye (as opposed to a round cut, which has no corners), but the boundaries of the corners will also blend into the halo setting, making them more indistinct and increasing the apparent size of the main diamond. Realize, too, that there are other cuts with corners, but many of them (such as the emerald and the baguette) reflect a very open and straight-lined geometric pattern within the diamond itself — a style very much at odds with the “crushed ice” pattern of the halo stones.
Second, the color of the metal and the color of the diamonds play a large role in the appropriateness of a halo setting. Halo stones must be secured somehow, and small prongs are most often used. With very white stones (color grading D-H), a white metal like platinum, palladium, or white gold will blend seamlessly with the overall sparkle of the halo setting. Yellow gold or rose gold, on the other hand, will show up as small, colored dots between each diamond. This can be used to interesting effect, but should be a conscious choice.
Finally, on our hypothetical princess cut halo engagement ring, let’s look at the band. Given that the halo setting catches the eye, it might be considered overkill to adorn the band as well (with, perhaps, a channel setting or pave setting). Too many design points could make for a very “busy” ring. A simple band of solid metal will, by contrast, highlight the main stone and halo setting. Further contrast can be achieved by using rose gold or yellow gold against the bright white shimmer of the halo and diamond.
This is a simple exercise, using a popular style, but princess cut halo engagement rings are not the only style on the market, and for good reason: with this many variables and this many combinations and style options, the opportunities to create a soul-stirring piece of art are nigh limitless. Helpful links.
