Diamond engagement rings - A buyers’ guide

Have you decided to propose to the woman you love to become your wife? Congratulations! You are at the most pivotal and memorable juncture of your life, a time you will look back in the years to come and cherish. To make the moment eternal and adequately sentimental, you need to get your lines right. Great lines make great proposals, but not without stunner diamond engagement rings. Why wait? Get out there and grab the most dazzling one you can find to make the proposal perfect.

Now just as the right proposal style, there is also a right one for everybody. Your job is to find that one out and present it to your beloved when going down on your knee. But before you go out hunting for the perfect one, you need to go digging more into diamond engagement rings, Diamond-USA is a good place to start.

Here is some information you might find interesting and helpful.

The Backstory of Diamond Engagement Rings

It all started with an ad campaign and a tagline that clicked unexpectedly well. It is De Beers that owns all of the credit of establishing the tradition of proposing engagement with a beautiful ring. Before that, engagement rings came in all colors, with no particular partiality towards diamonds. However, the 19th century that surge changed that completely. De Beers who owned multiple mines in South Africa saw a sudden spurt in the volume of theses stones produced in their mines. They rightly predicted that this will have a cascading effect on the price worldwide.

The only way to save the future prospects of the industry was to keep the fiction going that they are still pretty rare, and therefore of high value. So, it gave the job of publicizing to a New York-based advertisement company. It is this company that invented the saying “Diamonds are forever” something that the people bought widely into causing the sales to skyrocket and the prices to stabilize worldwide.

Soon people started to associate diamonds with romance causing the sales to go up not just in the engagement ring aisle, but also in other jewelry sections which emerged as excellent gift options in the heels of the new trend. 

Diamond engagement ring, image Diamonds-USA.com

What Hand to Wear It on?

Typically, engagement rings are worn on the fourth finger of the left hand. There is a certain logic behind it which dates back to the early Roman era. The Romans believed that a vein from this particular ring travels back to the heart thus connecting the two symbolically. That gave that finger a special significance where it was concerned. Whether you are a Christian, a Jew or a Hindu, wearing it on this finger of your left hand makes a universal sense.

However, if your culture demands otherwise, you can surely follow the concerned ritual and wear it in any hand or finger you like. In other words, there is no hard and fast rule that they have to be worn on the left hand only or on any specific finger. It surely has some significance but the custom varies from culture to culture.

In some cultures, it is worn in one’s right hand. Some even like to wear it in a chain around their neck. If you are not comfortable wearing it all day long, this is a great alternative too. Thus, feel free to pick your finger or your hand because it’s your decision, and you are welcome to style it however you like. At the end of the day, you got to have a piece that speaks to you and that’s all that matters. How you wear it is irrespective.

Alternative Engagement Rings as Opposed to Diamond ones

Even with diamond engagement rings being a staple in this day and age, there is ample opportunity to accommodate your own style and taste. It’s not like if you are not a fan of this rare gem, you are not getting any. Instead, a lot of women these days prefer to divert intentionally from diamonds in order to make a statement. Therefore, what options do they have? There are plenty, besides to explore in the engagement ring section. In fact, with customization being a mainstay option these days, it can feature any stone you like. It could be your birthstone, your favorite gemstone or just something you have taken a fancy for recently.

Apart from diamonds, the gemstones that are trending in the alternative gem engagement ring aisle are sapphires. The list starts with blue sapphires of course, it being the most widely coveted colored gem right now. But blue is not the only variant of sapphire. Pink sapphire too is trending big right now.

Those aside, there are emeralds of course, one of the most precious gems of today. Coming in a range of green shades, this stone has enticed women for centuries. Other less expensive choices that buyers are turning towards as potential options to decorate engagement rings are moonstone and moissanite. Moissanite, is a look-alike, only cheaper than and as original as a diamond.

Most Popular Shapes

One thing every buyer needs to get acquainted with in their hunt for the perfect one is the shapes that are big at present. If you have chosen to go with diamond engagement rings, then there are a few shapes that you have to consider with special focus if you are looking to follow the trend. The classic round-cut is the most coveted gemstone at this time. The round cut has always been the most phenomenal and one of the most favored in diamond engagement rings. When other shapes rise and fade, the round brilliant cut remains the undisputed topper in trends.  

That aside, there are also cushion, pear, oval and princess cuts that are high up on the list of popular shapes this year.