How to Design Your Own Engagement Ring

If the thought of buying an off-the-shelf engagement ring leaves you less than thrilled, then yes is the answer to "Can I design my own engagement ring?" There are a few choices you'll need to make beforehand and when you're through reading this article you will be better informed. We'll cover diamond shapes, color, clarity, metal, and settings as factors you'll need to think about when you design your engagement ring.

Diamond Shape

First, in designing your own engagement ring you will want to choose a shape you feel will be appropriate for a very long time. Some of the shapes available are Round, Princess, Emerald, Oval, Marquise, Pear, Cushion, and Radiant. Deciding on the shape of your diamond very personal. One of the most popular shapes is the round brilliant cut, followed closely by the princess cut.

Color

When you design your own engagement ring you'll want to know how color affects your decision. Quite simply, the less color in the diamond, the more costly it is going to be. Diamonds are found that have practically no color and range in colors from slightly yellow to brown.

You'll want to know the color grading system so you can make an informed decision about the diamond in your engagement ring. Diamond colors are graded on a letter scale from D through Z. One of the most rare, and most costly diamonds is the colorless "C". The normal range for diamond colors on the market include "Z" which have the most color and are the least valuable.

Clarity

Clarity has to do with the number, position and size of the inclusions inside your diamond. The fewer inclusions, the more expensive the diamond will be. Just so you know, inclusions inside a diamond are natural phenomena. Here is a grading scale you'll want to understand.

1. F - A flawless diamond which is very rare.

2. IF - A diamond that is flawless internally, but includes minor blemishes.

3. VVS1, VVS2 - A diamond that inclusions that are very difficult to see under magnification.

4. VS1, VS2 - A diamond with very slight inclusions that can be observed with difficulty under magnification.

5. SI1, SI2 - A diamond which has light inclusions noticeable under magnification.