Marilyn Monroe said it best when she sang, “Square-cut or pear-shape; these rocks don’t lose their shape. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend.” When it comes to selecting an engagement ring there are many styles she is sure to love. Before popping the question, educate yourself about the many types of styles that are available that will not only wow her when you propose, but also reflect her individual style and personality. While there are dozens of classic styles like round cut, emerald cut, princess cut, and marquis cut; 2012 is showing many new and unique diamond dazzlers that really raise the bar to the traditional cuts.
Colorful Carats
After the royal wedding of Prince William and Kate Middletown, colorful engagement rings are more popular than ever! Sapphires and Rubies seem to be the go to stones when it comes to colorful carats. Jessica Simpson recently received a 5 carat Neil Lane ring with a large sparkly ruby as the center stone and Elizabeth Hurley also has a beautiful blue stunner. While not everyone may be able to afford rings of this color, cut, and clarity; many local jewelers and retailers offer a similar style ring for a fraction of the price. Designer Beverly K boasts a custom designed tourmaline ring with diamond accents and is not only stylish but reflective of the year’s color trend.
Sculpted and Sparkling
This decorative trend has been around for some time but seems to hold its ground when it comes to a sculpted and sparkling engagement ring. Intricately designed with flowing details and a sculptured appeal (in which every aspect to the ring has been well thought and planned out), these rings come in many shapes, sizes, and styles. World renowned jeweler Tacori boasts a large selection of sculpted and sparkling rings. Their sculpted pieces consist of diamonds adjacent to a center stone and diamond accents encased in the side of the band; giving it a sparkling and visually appealing width complete with a fully engraved band which has a vintage look and feel.
Hail to the Halo
The Halo style engagement ring was popular in the 1920’s and 1930’s but has made a huge come back and it’s easy to see why. It creates the illusion of a large stone, when in fact it is multi-faceted. The Halo cut maximizes the brilliance of the stones, creating one giant sparkle. It also has an art-deco appeal to it so it mixes older elegance with new age design. It is mainly and most popularly shown in a square or round cut diamond, but is also shown in cushion cut or emerald cut styles as well.
Anything But Traditional
This category is growing in popularity due to green lifestyles and environmentally friendly choices. Gold and silver metals are being recycled and then handcrafted into interesting and simple shapes – like slices of diamonds, organically outlined gemstones and even raw diamonds. There are a number of jewelers who are embracing this trend and creating resources on their sites to customize and design an anything-but-traditional ring. Gemvara, Aroc Urtu, and Todd Reid are among the few pioneers to embrace this growing in popularity trend.
Making the decision to ask for your love’s hand in marriage is a big step. When ready, propose in confidence because you know you took the time to select a style of engagement ring she is sure to love.