Solitaire Engagement Rings

Although most solitaire engagement rings are generally diamonds, they do not have to be. Many people do not like diamond because they are costly and colorless. A sapphire solitaire engagement ring is a great alternative. Or another gemstone for that matter.

While choosing the diamond for you solitaire engagement ring there are many factors you need to look at. A diamond for a solitaire is more important that other engagement rings. It is the sole focal point. The shape of the diamond is a good place to begin. The shape of the solitaire engagement ring is a simple choice; you choose the one you like. The round cut is the most popular. The princess square cut, emerald rectangular cut, and marquise are also popular cuts of diamonds. These four make up the largest selection of diamonds. A few other cuts that are equally as gorgeous but not as common are the oval, asscher, trillion, heart, and radiant.

After you have chosen the shape of you solitaire engagement rings, the next step is the cut. The cut of the diamond is what determines the brilliance of it. Diamonds that are too shallow or too deep allow the light to escape out the sides and not be reflected back to the top. Two other key factors in the brilliance of a diamond are the polish and symmetry of the facets. The polish grade describes the smoothness of the diamond's facets, and the symmetry grade refers to alignment of the facets.

Moving on to the color of the diamond, most appear colorless. The diamonds are graded on an alphabetic scale from D to Z, with D being absolutely colorless and rare. K-M have noticeable color are usually are not carried by high-end jewelers. The clarity of a diamond is another factor that determines the price and desirability of it. The clarity is how the flaws of the diamond are graded. They range from flawless to flaws that are visible to the naked eye. The carat weight of the diamond is its size. The higher the carats of a single diamond the much more expensive and rare it is. Two ½-carat diamonds and much cheaper than one 1 carat diamond.

Once you have chosen the perfect diamond you have to choose your setting. A few of the settings available for solitaire engagement rings are the classic prong settings, which are the most popular, and the bezel setting.