Proposing to the love of your life means the huge decision of which engagement ring to buy. It’s pretty much certain that she will love a diamond ring whatever her tastes are in jewellery, but if you’re on a tight budget it’s worth knowing that some diamond cuts are much more expensive than others.
Here then is a guide to choosing a great-looking engagement ring on a budget just by having the knowledge of the price comparison of different diamond shapes.
Look at the range of fancy-shaped diamonds
The industry term fancy-shaped does not mean that it’s a much more expensive diamond – in fact, the opposite is pretty much often the truth. A fancy-cut diamond is one which is not the popular round brilliant shape. The category labelled as ‘fancy’ includes pear, marquise, princess, cushion and Asscher. Within these shapes, some are more expensive than others but it doesn’t mean that an inexpensive-shaped diamond looks anything less desirable than a more costly one.
Pear
A beautifully shaped diamond; it resembles a teardrop and looks particularly stunning on the hand. A popular choice with celebrities at the moment, it also is a great way to save money as they can be as much as £1000 cheaper on the larger carat sizes than corresponding round brilliant stones.
Marquise
A shape for those who want something a little bit different and like to stand out in the crowd, a marquise diamond is an incredibly elegant option and it gives the illusion of the fingers being much longer and more slender than they actually are. A saving of around £500 is possible when compared to a round-cut brilliant gemstone.
Heart-shaped
A diamond for true love, this fancy choice is for the real romantics of the world. For engagement rings, Houston diamond company leaders find this is a great choice for Valentine’s Day proposals. It’s particularly kind on the pocket as one of the most symbolic symbols of everlasting love can be well over £1200 less expensive than a classic round brilliant diamond.
Princess
A well-known and instantly recognisable shaped diamond, it’s the second most popular after round cut brilliant when it comes to engagement rings. It’s hugely more affordable though for someone who likes a very classic shape and the reason it’s less expensive is that more of the rough diamond can be retained compared to a brilliant round one.
Emerald, Cushion and Asscher
All are beautiful shapes in their own right but are the three most affordable diamond choices.
The emerald shape is hypnotising. It has stepped facets and the illusion of looking much larger than it actually is. Whilst cushion and Asscher shapes may be the most affordable on the market, they are certainly not unpopular. A number of celebrities have been seen over the last couple of years wearing huge cushion or Asscher diamonds set into their new diamond rings and they are certainly eye-catching and stylish.
At the end of the day, it’s about personal choice and everyone has their own favourites when it comes to jewellery design but with the knowledge that every diamond engagement ring can look just as fantastic as another but cost a fraction of the price, it’s worthwhile considering easing the amount of spend and then using the savings for the big day itself.