The round brilliant cut is the most popular design, but that doesn’t mean it makes for a ring that is boring or overly-traditional. The overall appearance of the ring will differ depending on the metal, the setting, and the other details of the ring. A diamond ring with a simple metal band and setting will make for a ring that is elegant and simple. But if you pair a round brilliant diamond in a more complex setting, or with more detail on the band, you get a totally different look.

If you are having a hard time choosing a diamond engagement ring for the day that you finally propose to your girlfriend, you can’t go wrong by choosing a round brilliant cut diamond. Depending on the carat weight of the diamond, the round brilliant cut is one of the more affordable options for engagement rings. Any ring will look beautiful on your fiancee-to-be’s finger, especially a round brilliant cut diamond ring.

Many people make the mistake of spending beyond their means and buying an engagement ring that is much more expensive than they can really afford. This is not something that you should plan on doing because there are so many different expenses that engaged and newly married couples will have. Your engagement ring is the first of many big-ticket expenses that you will have as a couple. After that you will have to pay for the wedding and the honeymoon. And you will probably want to buy a house later on down the road. A ring doesn’t cost anything close to a house, but if you had to take out a loan for an expensive engagement ring, it will be much harder to save up for a down payment on a home.

It is possible to get a diamond engagement ring without spending too much money. We have a great selection of reasonably priced diamond rings. To save money, look for a smaller carat weight ring that still has beautiful, intricate details. A smaller cushion cut or marquise cut diamond engagement ring still has a more intricate cut the than more common round brilliant ring. Focusing on the cut instead of the carat weight is the way to get a beautiful diamond without breaking the bank.

The first C is Cut. Cut is extremely important in determining a diamond’s worth. A round brilliant diamond has about 58 facets and the proportion of the facets on each diamond determine a very key characteristic in a quality diamond. The better the proportion of the facet, the more light will be reflected off the diamond and into one’s eye. The diamond will also sparkle more and give off a bigger shine. The cut can also refer to the shape of the diamond such as round, princess, emerald, heart, pear, or oval.

The next C is for Carat. Carat is the size and weight of the diamond. Larger diamonds, of course, cost more per carat because of their size. Diamonds are measured in points, with 100 points per diamond. A half carat diamond has 50 points.

Clarity, the third C, describes how clear the diamond is and ranges from flawless, which is a perfect diamond, to I, meaning Included. It goes by this chart:
–Flawless: the diamond is perfect inside and out. These diamonds are the rarest of them all. Flawless diamonds are very difficult to find and they are the purest. They contain no imperfections what so ever.
–Internally Flawless: These diamonds are inernally flawless and have no imperfection inside at all. These diamonds are very rare.
–VVS1, VVS2: These diamonds have practically no imperfections. It is very difficult to see any imperfections, even under 10x magnification. Diamonds in this range are more rare than the lower clarity grades.
–VS1, VS2:  Diamonds in this range are the most sought after for being as clear as possible without the heavy price tag of VVS and Flawless Diamonds. Diamonds in this category have very small imperfections which are not visible by the naked eye and sometimes can be picked up using 10X magnification.
–SI1, SI2, SI3: Diamonds in the SI1 category tend to be eye clean with some exceptions. Some SI2 Diamonds are eye clean as well. Once in the SI3 range, you can expect to see small imperfections by the naked eye. The SI1-SI2 range is very popular because it will give you the most bang for your buck.
–I1, I2:  Diamonds with a clarity grade of I1 or I2 tend to have multiple imperfections visible by the naked eye. Diamonds in this range are great because of the relatively low cost compared to other clarity grades. Clients tend to like this range when looking for a larger size diamond at a low cost. As in life, not everything can be perfect, some of the worlds most beautiful gems can have imperfections and still be the most beautiful in the world.

Lastly, the fourth C represents color. It describes the amount of color the diamond contains. The most flawless and perfect diamond should have no color at all. Diamonds can range from colorless to yellow with slight tints of yellow, gray or brown. Some can also range from intense yellow to brown, blue, green, pink and red. These fancy colored diamonds are rare and therefore more valuable.  Their range is measured on a letter scale from D-Z, with D being exceptionally white and so forth. The color of a diamond or stone can be determined using a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) Certified set of master stones or by using a Colorimeter. The colorimeter is a computer that accurately grades a polished diamond’s color.