Engagement ring shopping—especially online—is more than a little overwhelming. Even before you figure out who you should buy an engagement ring with (who has the best warranties, who offers conflict-free diamonds, who has the best reputation and will offer you the most beautiful diamond for your money, who offers a pressure-free shopping experience), you must figure out your engagement ring style.
That’s where search terms are crucial, because typing in “white gold engagement ring” will give you a head-spinning number of results. Here are the words to know to narrow your search and find the ring of your dreams with ease…
Solitaire:
Solitaire engagement rings are as classic as they come. They feature one gorgeous diamond with no side stones to distract from the main event. The diamond featured in a solitaire engagement ring can be any shape.
Halo:
Halos have been having an extended moment. A halo ring features a center diamond with a ring of smaller diamonds surrounding it. Not only do these surrounding diamonds draw attention to a center stone, but they can also make a daintier diamond appear larger by extending the ring’s overall bling.
Hidden Halo:
A hidden halo sort of blends the difference between a Solitaire ring and a Halo ring. In a hidden halo, there’s still a ring of diamonds surrounding the center stone, but this ring is positioned below the center stone, so from above, it’s “hidden” while from the sides, it adds extra flash. These rings are perfect for people who want a fresh spin on a classic look, or who want some extra sparkle but want a more understated design than what’s offered by a standard halo.
Ballerina:
A ballerina ring features a specific type of halo. Diamonds are arranged to "spray" outward from the center stone to emulate a ballerina’s tutu. This style lends a very feminine, art-deco flair to a ring, and it can greatly amplify a ring’s overall sparkle.
Pavé:
Pavé is a French word that refers to something being “paved.” In engagement ring terms, imagine a ring that is “paved” with diamonds. In pavé designs, many small diamonds have been cut and mounted to fit perfectly together in a continuous-looking line of diamonds. Many halos feature pavé-set diamonds around the center stone.
Three-stone:
These are sometimes called “Past, Present, Future” rings, and like solitaires, they are classic. They originated in the Georgian era but became very popular in the Victorian and Art Deco eras, and that popularity has hardly waned. A three-stone ring usually features three diamonds in a row, with the center diamond being slightly larger than the two flanking it.
Filigree:
Filigree is a type of metalwork that results in intricate, romantic, vintage-inspired designs. Filigree designs can be completely avant-garde, or they can take their inspiration from nature. Either way, the effect is delicate, lace-like, and downright ethereal. Filigree is perfect for people who want a modern ring that looks antique, or who favor a free-spirited, bohemian aesthetic.
Cathedral:
A cathedral mounting is one wherein the band arches upward towards the center diamond. This arch accentuates a center stone by elevating it above the wedding band. Much like the gothic cathedrals for which they’re named, cathedral mountings add elegant, structural beauty to any ring design.