Engagement Ring Guide

Deciding on the style of your gold engagement ring can be confusing when there is a great variety of diamond shapes and ring styles you can choose from. Eternate’s Engagement Ring Guide will provide a simple yet effective guide on how to choose your ring. From the characteristics of each diamond shape to the details of setting styles, you can find the essential information needed for choosing (or customizing!) your diamond engagement ring.

Design Styles

Solitaire

Solitaire is the first image that pops into mind when thinking about engagement rings. It is iconic, featured in almost all famous romantic movies, symbolizing eternal love and the bond between couples with a single diamond. Solitaire rings have this simple yet impressive elegance, making them a perfect choice to solidify your relationship! Although the most popular diamond shapes are round and princess for this design, it can abide any choice of shape, offering a great deal of customization. You can find 4 and 6 prong settings in solitaire design where the cradle of the diamond has 4 or 6 metal clamps that hold the diamond.

Side Stone

Who doesn't love a little more sparkle! Or more… The perfect style for adding brilliance to your engagement ring by adding gems next to your center stone. You can prefer a whole row of small diamond stones or several symmetrically aligned ones on the bands. A highly customizable design that complies with any shape of the diamond and is perfect for scattering colorful gems. This design will accentuate the crown of your diamond in whatever color or format you choose and will be a splendid choice to top off your proposal.

Three Stone

The only rule in this design is that your engagement ring landlords three gorgeous gemstones. Even though the classical way to do it is choosing a bigger center stone and going for smaller stones on either side, you are free to decide on any size difference or none. Emphasize your center stone by choosing different colored or shaped complementary stones. Trust us; Three Stone engagement rings have so much more to offer than what's in its name! Eternate will customize them however you want.

Halo

Halo engagement rings scream 'i love you' in stones! They feature a row of small diamonds surrounding the center stone. Though, nobody said that it couldn't be two rows. Any diamond shape you choose will radiate more, stand out more, and impress more with a halo around them. You can say that this design is less customizable than the others; nevertheless, it's one of the most astonishing.

Vintage

Vintage designs are against time; they are still with us, still going strong. They embody characteristics from any other section though some are special to 'vintage' such as filigree, engraving, and milgrain. With different metals, diamond shapes, and more customization options, a vintage engagement ring can be the one you are looking for.

Claster

Cluster designs breed the most exquisite rings for your unmatched love with the composition of several bigger stones. You can choose your cluster ring similar to a halo ring with larger stones surrounding the central stone or utilize the asymmetrical aesthetic cluster design can offer to you. Whichever you choose, cluster engagement rings are elegantly whimsical and brilliantly attractive.

Cathedral

The elegant frame of this design resembles the cathedral as two couples of arches stem from the band and settle on either side of the diamond. The cathedral engagement ring creates a stunning effect while elevating the center stone and making it more prominent. You can customize a cathedral engagement ring by adding more stones, choosing different metals, or playing with colors. It will preserve its elegance and make a unique choice for your unique

Setting Styles

Claw Setting

A claw setting is the most common alternative for center stones, securing your center stone with metal clamps. As its name states, this setting features sharp curved nails like a bird's claw. Different shapes of diamonds require different numbers of claws. Typically a round diamond will be set in 4-claw or 6-claw; square and rectangular diamond shapes such as princess will require four, while other cuts like marquise and pear will require V-shaped claws to protect the pointy diamond.

Prong Setting

The prong setting is very similar to the claw setting. It secures the stone to the ring's band and appears round or pointed, looking like pins on the diamond rather than claws. Prong settings can be 'shared' or 'high' based on preference.

Micro Pave Setting

the technique that aims to show the merest amount of metal on the ring and create a gorgeous sparkly band while securing gemstones.

Bezel Setting

The technique where a thin metal rim surrounds the stone and binds it to the ring. It looks like a diamond engraved into the ring's band though we should tell you that it hides more of your stone than the other settings.

Channel Setting

Namely, this technique is about a channel sculpted in the band of your ring where stones lie. Stones sit side by side in this channel, secured and ready to take your breath away.

Shapes

A diamond's geometric outline and physical form are referred to as shapes. Shape influences the stone's overall appearance with specific requirements and technical characteristics of each. Let's get to know the anatomy of the diamond before we move on to different shapes of diamonds.

The anatomy of the diamond

Table: A diamond’s largest facet.
Crown: The part of the diamond that extends from the girdle to the table.
Girdle: The rim that separates the crown from the pavilion. The girdle is where a diamond is held while setting it in jewelry.
Diameter: The measurement from the girdle, the widest horizontal line surrounding the diamond.
Pavilion: The part of the diamond that extends from the girdle to the culet.
Cullet: The tip of a gemstone. An untrained eye should not be able to see the culet.
Depth: The measurement from the culet to the table, the highest vertical line on the diamond.

Round

Due to its shape, the round diamond has the ideal light return and brilliance. Hence it is the most common shape choice when buying a diamond. Diamond manufacturers have utilized theoretical and technological advancements to create the cuts we see today. Very good and excellent cut round diamonds are exceptionally radiant. They are more favorable in terms of balancing cut, color, and clarity grades while still providing the sparkle you desire.

Princess

Princess-shaped diamonds are the most popular non-round diamond shape. Traditionally a princess-shaped diamond has pointed corners like a square, but it can also be rectangular. Compared to round, princess-shaped diamonds tend to show color in the corners. Choosing this shape may require a better color grade which increases the cost. However, due to geometrical advantages, the princess shape causes minimal waste and slightly lowers the price to carat when compared to other figures.

Emerald

You may want to prefer a better clarity grade if you are choosing an Emerald shape diamond. This shape emphasizes a diamond's clarity due to its geometrical form and provides a more accessible view of the inclusions and the blemishes. The cuts of the bottom part and the big, open upper part of the diamond give the emerald diamond its distinct appearance. Emerald diamond owes its aesthetic look to dark and light planes, manifesting a hall-of-mirrors look rather than the apparent brilliance of a round diamond.

Ascher

This strikingly gracious shape is essentially identical to an emerald-cut diamond, except that it is square. If you choose to go with a lower clarity grade, beware that inclusions and blemishes are easier to distinguish, just like it does with the emerald. This shape also tends to reveal color in the corners, similar to the princess shape; hence you might want to invest a bit more in a higher color grade. The modern Asscher cut diamond has larger step facets, a taller crown, and a smaller table than a square emerald cut. When compared to the emerald cut, this combination frequently creates more brilliance.

Marquise

Marquise diamond has a unique shape that features broader facets than any other shape and therefore looks more significant compared to other shapes with the same carat weight. The length of the marquise diamond is flattering to fingers, making them appear thinner. You may find that the marquise diamond resembles an eye, but you can customize how narrow or fat the shape is.

Oval

Oval diamonds have the extra benefit of giving the impression of a larger carat diamond, thanks to their elongated shape. The narrow shape may execute the desired effect of making your finger appear longer and slimmer. The oval is an excellent alternative for a consumer who likes the look of a round diamond but wants something a bit more unique because the two forms have similar fire and brilliance.

Pear

With its single point and rounded edge, this shape of diamond is also known as a teardrop. The pear shape's distinct appearance makes it a popular choice for various diamond jewelry. The thin end of the pear-shaped diamond always points toward the fingers when it's on the hand and gives the subtle slimming effect on the fingers. The pear-shaped diamond, like the marquise and oval cuts, is available in a range of narrow or broader cuts.

Heart

The heart-shaped diamond's unusual appearance makes it a standout choice from various alternatives by being the ultimate symbol of love. Because the tip of this design tends to reveal slight color, you may want to budget for a better color grade than you would for a round diamond. Heart-shaped diamonds are available in a range of narrow or wider silhouettes; however, you prefer.

Cushion

Cushion diamonds come in various forms, from square to rectangular, whichever you prefer. This one-of-a-kind form has been a popular shape that has rounded edges and appreciable facets to boost brightness. Because these larger facets might show inclusions easier than other shapes, it may require a higher clarity grade than you planned.

Radiant

Radiant diamonds create an excellent bridge between cushion and princess with their square-like shape with trimmed corners. This unique type of corner is the hallmark of this shape, and they add to its popularity. It is highly desirable among the diamond community when set with baguette or round diamonds.

Metals

At Eternate, we combine ancient iron forging methods with modern die-making methods to bring a non-porous, tensile metal property that increases the surface quality. All metals and alloys used in our process are purified and mixed to achieve their stunning color and shine. Our exclusive in-house knowledge brings exquisite and durable jewelry with the longest life, whichever metal you choose.

There are no rules about which metal to prefer in your engagement rings nor about the color. It can be coherent with your wedding band, or you can consider mixed metals if you like the look of different colors. What we offer in advance should not stop you, you may decide on any other metal, and we will customize your jewelry according to your wishes.

At Eternate, we use recycled gold and keep our promise to be environmentally responsible. Purify the gold in the process to give our jewelry a long-lasting life. Gold is a soft metal; therefore, it requires other metals to be added for strength and different complexions of colors. The number of gold content in the jewelry is referred to as 'karats'. Eternate offers three options of gold karats which are 18K, 14K, and 10k containing 75%, 58.5%, and 41.7% of gold, respectively.

Yellow Gold

Yellow gold is a classic and timeless color for wedding rings but is never a dull choice; it never goes out of fashion.

Rose Gold

The yellow gold and copper blend appears in a rosy pink complexion and creates a soft, romantic aura on the jewelry.

White Gold

The blend of yellow gold with zinc, nickel, and other metals appears in a white complexion and evokes a noble tone on jewelry.

Platinum

Platinum is a luxurious choice since it is rarer than other precious metals. It's naturally white and is a very durable metal, perfect for pieces that require strength, such as stone set rings. An elegant choice that you may consider.

Palladium

Palladium comes from the same family as platinum and offers a natural white finish as well. Compared to its counterpart, palladium is much lighter and more affordable. An elegant and modern choice that you may consider.