Choosing an engagement ring for your loved one is great fun, once you have selected a colour, stone, setting and the correct size of the ring. Go for quality over size, and choose the nicest ring that is within your budget. This beautiful item of jewellery will be secured on your blushing bride’s finger and gazed at a million times throughout your married life together. There is a popular expression used when referring to a diamond ring. This is the ‘4 C's’ and refers to the cut, carat, clarity and colour of the diamond.

The diamond’s cut will determine the whole look of the rest of the ring. The cut needs to suit your bride’s style and also compliment the wedding ring, when they sit together. The traditional and most popular cuts for the stone include; round, marquise, pear, heart, oval, emerald or princess.

The carat of a diamond refers to its weight, not the size. The price of a diamond increases with it’s weight. The price can change by as little 0.05 carat, but can sometimes still look equally as stunning. Therefore it’s a good idea to play around with different sizes and shapes, coordinating with prices.

The clarity of a diamond is important as it is noticeable to the eye. Diamonds often have small flaws, air bubbles or scratches. The scale for clarity is;

F - flawless, no inclusions external or internally

IF - internally flawless. Slight external inclusions

VVS1-VVS2 - very very slight inclusions, but hard to see even by 10x magnification

VS1-VS2 - very slight inclusions, and again hard to see under strong magnification

SI1 - SI2 - slightly included, but invisible to the naked eye

I1-I3 - included and inclusions are visible to the naked eye

When referring to a diamond’s colour, the basic rule is, the less colour in the diamond, the more value it has. The colour can also refer to the band of the ring. Generally these are White Gold, yellow gold and platinum.

The setting of the diamond, or the metal mounting will determine the entire look of the ring.

Bezel setting - The entire perimeter of the stone is completely surrounded by a precious metal border, tightly securing the diamond. Ideal for a 'round' cut of stone.

Cathedral setting - On a Cathedral setting, the diamond is fixed by a band extending from each side of the ring, imitating the arches of a cathedral and providing more stability to the stone.

Classic setting - A suitable and popular setting for a solitaire diamond. The diamond appears larger with this type of setting, as the stone is highly positioned allowing maximum exposure and visibility.

Contour setting - This setting has two tapered bands stylishly shaped up and away from the band surrounding the diamond, providing protection to the diamond.

Knife-edge setting - A classic setting whereby the stone is positioned on the edge of metal wire making the setting almost invisible. This provides the diamond with greater enhancement, brilliance and a sharper edged look.

Trellis setting - Commonly 4 or 6 prongs secure the diamond, resulting with a very beautiful, elegant and classy look to the diamond ring.