Design Your Engagement Ring - What You Need to Know About Diamonds

So, you'd like to design your engagement ring...
But guess what?
You need to know a few things first, and one of the big things you need to know is diamonds. You at the very least need a basic understanding of what to look for in a diamond. What's important and what's not.
In this article I'll go over what is commonly referred to as the 4 Cs:
Carat weight, Cut, Clarity, and Color.
Alright?
So, let's start by going over Carat weight. This is a measurement of a stone's weight. Obviously the bigger the better, but there are a few things to keep in mind regarding Carat weight.
First is, and this seems obvious, but as you go up in weight, it gets much more expensive. A 2 Carat diamond will cost you up to $20K, where as a 1 Carat diamond will cost you around $1 - 4k. So as you can see, the cost rises exponentially.
The second thing to keep in mind is that when you design your engagement ring it's much more important to have a pure, clear diamond than a big one. You should spend extra money on improving the quality of your diamond, not the size.
Alright, second is Color. This is a measurement of the tint of your ring. A D, E or F colored diamond will be VERY pure, and really anything at a G or less will be virtually perfect, it would take an advanced jeweler to detect any difference.
Past a G however, you may be able to discern very slight differences in color. This isn't a big deal, but keep in mind that when you design your engagement ring, if you're diamond is a little bit discolored, you're going to want a yellow gold setting, because this will make the diamond appear to be more white.
Conversely, if your diamond is very pure, you'll want a white gold setting to enhance it's brightness, a yellow gold setting will actually make the diamond appear tainted.
Third is Clarity. This is the measure of a diamonds perfection, or in other words how many and what type of inclusions your diamond has. Basically the system starts at Fl (flawless) and goes all the way to I1, I2, and I3.
This isn't something that you REALLY need to worry about when you design your engagement ring, anything under VS (Very small inclusions) is going to appear perfect, and it's not hard to find a diamond like that.
Lastly comes cut. This is commonly confused with shape, but it's actually not the same thing. Diamond cut is a measure of the diamonds symmetry. This is probably the least important aspect when you design your engagement ring, as even the worst cut diamond is going to still appear virtually perfect to an unexperienced or unprofessional eye.
Diamond shape is something that's completely a matter of preference, although if you're unsure of your partner's preferences, it's probably safe to go with either a round or princess cut.
I hope that helped you out! I'm guessing though that you'd like to learn a little more about diamonds and jewelry, so here's what I'm going to do for you:

I'm going to recommend you to a site I found that does a really great job of explaining EVERYTHING you need to know to design your engagement ring.
What you should do is check out all the info on this site, then when you're ready to design your engagement ring, just click the "Build-Your-Ring" button at the top, and you'll go straight to their ring builder.
I really recommend you take a peek at this site: DesignRingEngagement.com
All the information on there is free, I just wanted to give you something I thought would help you out.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Mike_Swystic

Hot Engagement Ring Trends For 2010

Engagement rings carry your relationship into the future as a symbol of your love and the wedding of two hearts. The future bride and groom and pledge themselves to each other and their intent to marry and bind their lives together with a pair of diamond encrusted bands.

Diamond engagement rings are probably the most significant rings you will end up wearing in your life. You pour all the hopes and dreams of you and your loved one into these symbolic representations and the style and design has much to say about how you view your relationship. You have various bands, settings and diamond cuts and placements to consider, your choice will carry you into the future.

Let's take a look at the hot engagement ring trends for 2010...

Diamond Eternity Rings Grow In Popularity
An eternity ring is characterized by it's lack of a single dominant diamond that is featured, but rather has multiple gems set within the band. A much more subtle choice for an engagement rings, the rising popularity has much to do with sky rocketing costs for precious metals. Gold, white gold, and platinum have undergone a spike in prices, gold breaking $1100 an ounce recently. With the rising costs of gold raising the costs of your typical diamond ring, people are opting to purchase symbol over diamond quality.

Custom Ring Designs
Another emerging wedding ring trend for 2010 is custom designed rings. Unique wedding rings are becoming increasingly popular. People are returning to the symbolic roots in their wedding ring purchases, and the popularity of buying unique diamond engagement rings is showing a strong growth. Purchasing a unique ring set declares your love, your relationship and your future as unique and valuable. The only surprise in this trend is that it has taken so long to build steam outside of the expensive ring community. Now, many local jewelers are offering custom ring cuts and designs that can meet the growing demand.

Alternative Metals
Traditionally gold and platinum direct the lion share of engagement ring purchases. With the expected continued rise of precious metals prices the time is ripe for alternative metals for creating your wedding bands and settings. There are many lightweight and strong metals that are not typically associated with engagement rings that will become increasingly more common. Titanium rings are a good alternative for buyers looking for a more economical choice. Looking like platinum, still stylish, and offering a cheaper price tag, these alternative metal rings will grow in popularity in 2010.
Want to know what your Diamond Engagement Rings are really worth? Talk to our expert gemologists for free recommendations and information on how to find the best diamond for your most special moments.

Whether you are looking for an anniversary ring, loose diamonds for an engagement ring, ask the foremost expert on How to Buy A Diamond today!

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Emily_Johnston