| Giving your lady a ring as you propose marriage | | | | Sometimes a woman just wants a large ring. |
| has been a tradition for hundreds of years. It has | | | | Period. She's not terribly concerned about the |
| only been over the past century or so that the | | | | best quality. She is happy to have flaws in |
| diamond has been the standard stone for an | | | | exchange for three carats perhaps. In many |
| engagement ring. Choosing diamond engagement | | | | settings, even the baguettes on the side of the |
| rings can be fun, and certainly affordable, if you | | | | center stone can be in a lower grade, significantly |
| know what to look for. | | | | reducing the overall price of the ring itself. |
| When it comes to diamonds, size doesn't | | | | Of course, it's not mandatory to have only |
| necessarily matter when you are looking at price | | | | diamonds in an engagement. Even Princess Di had |
| tags. A one carat flawless diamond can easily run | | | | a huge sapphire surrounded by diamonds. Any |
| over $50,000 whereas a one carat of average | | | | combination of stones is appropriate and can be |
| VSA quality (as found in most mall retail stores) - | | | | quite beautiful. Many of these new styles have |
| including a few flaws such as bits of carbon - can | | | | been featured lately in brides' magazines and |
| easily be found for under $4,000. | | | | many jewelry catalogs. |
| It's the clarity and cut that gives the diamond its | | | | If unique is your style, try a center stone with a |
| sparkle. A poorly cut diamond won't reflect light | | | | ruby or emerald, or whatever your birthstone |
| from its facets correctly, and without being able | | | | might be, and have it surrounded by diamonds of |
| to reflect and refract beams of light, the sparkle | | | | different sizes and shapes. Even a pave inlaid strip |
| just won't do much. This is one of the major | | | | on the band can turn an ordinary engagement ring |
| differences between real diamonds and cubic | | | | into an incredible piece of heirloom jewelry. |
| zirconias - the sparkle. | | | | |