Real Estate

Everything you need to know before buying an engagement ring

By Sarah Schmalbruch and Diana Yukari
Engagement Ring
LEarning the four Cs will make picking a ring a piece of cake. Jeremy Bishop / Unsplash
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The INSIDER Summary:

  • You should know what shape of diamond you want to buy; options include princess, emerald, asscher, heart, and pear cuts.
  • Buying an engagement ring is much less daunting once you know the basics, like the four Cs of a diamond are vital: cut, clarity, carat, and color.


Buying an engagement ring can be daunting, but it doesn't have to be.

Once you know the four Cs, as well as the 10 main cuts of diamonds, picking a ring will be a piece of cake.

Keep scrolling to learn everything you need to know about engagement rings.

Round

Engagement Ring Graphic Round
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Princess

Engagement Ring Graphic Princess
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Emerald

Engagement Ring Graphic Emerald
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Asscher

Engagement Ring Graphic Asscher
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Radiant

Engagement Ring Graphic Radiant
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Cushion

Engagement Ring Graphic Cushion
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Heart

Engagement Ring Graphic Heart
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Oval

Engagement ring graphic Oval
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Marquise

Engagement ring graphic Marquise
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Pear

Engagement ring graphic Pear
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Know what shape you want? Now learn the four Cs, which will help you buy the best quality diamond possible.

Engagement Ring Graphic Intro
Diana Yukari / INSIDER

Cut: A diamond's symmetry, proportions, and polish. It's what determines how beautiful that diamond is, and how bright it shines. Often diamonds that are cut the best won't be the largest — but they will sparkle the most.

Color: In white diamonds, you want as little color in the body of the diamond as possible. A yellow tint in a white diamond will make it less valuable.

Clarity: All diamonds have imperfections, either inside or on their surface. How many imperfections a diamond has, as well as how visible they are, is what determines its clarity. The fewer imperfections it has, the more expensive it will be.

Carat: A diamond's carat is a measure of its weight, and thus its size. The larger the diamond, the more carat weight it has, and the more valuable it is — larger diamonds are rarer than smaller ones.

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Sarah Schmalbruch
Sarah writes for the travel vertical at Business Insider. She graduated from Syracuse University with a degree in magazine journalism and German. She is from Chicago, and currently lives in Brooklyn. 
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Diana Yukari
Diana is the Business Insider Graphics Intern. She recently graduated from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Visual Communication Design. She's a feminist, a capricorn and a history buff.
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