Which gold colours are the most commonly used for engagement rings? Yellow, white and pink gold are most commonly used for jewelry, and for engagement rings in particular. This is why we, at My Diamond Ring, offer all three colors in 18k gold.
Most Popular Engagement Ring Metal: White Gold
A rose gold band, for instance, can cast a warmer glow within the center stone than, say, a platinum band. But according to our study, one metal reigns supreme: white gold.
Most couples search for G, H, I, and J grade diamonds, which are near colorless. Shah continues, "This provides a good balance of budget and visually beautiful diamonds. While color can be slightly visible with a J color diamond, some couples opt for it as it allows them to maximize on other factors like size and cut."
Does Diamond Color Matter? Color is the second most important of the 4Cs because the color grade directly affects the stone's appearance. Diamonds with a poor color grade can appear slightly yellow instead of the desired brilliant white.
In terms of clarity, the most popular range for a diamond engagement ring is the VS1-VS2 diamond. Color is also a factor to consider when thinking about clarity. For example, it will be much easier to spot imperfections in a very clear white diamond than in a yellow diamond.
The more carat, meaning, the larger the diamond, the whiter the color, the higher the clarity and the better the cut and proportions, the more expensive the engagement ring in which this diamond is set will look.
Diamond color is important: Most diamonds used in engagement rings are near-colorless with hints of yellow or brown. All things being equal, the more colorless a diamond is, the rarer it is, and this rarity will be reflected in its price.
General Rule: You should spend at least 2 months salary on the engagement ring. If, for example, you are making $60,000 per year, you should spend $10,000 on the engagement ring.
Red/ Orange
Nothing royal than bright red engagement decoration. It's the classic Indian wedding color and you can never go wrong with it!
Clarity is more important in shapes like emerald, princess, and asscher. Colour is important for cushion, radiant, pear and oval. Generally speaking, as long as you choose an eye-clean diamond, your diamond will still look beautiful in terms of clarity.
The highest color grade for a diamond is “D”. “D” color diamonds are very rare and not commonly found in traditional jewelry. Most diamonds used in jewelry have a slight presence of color. It is possible for diamonds to have a very high concentration of desirable color.
Near colorless diamonds, (G-H-I-J grades) offer the best value if you want to make the most of your budget. You can save money in color and spend more on an excellent cut which in turn gives more brilliance. G and H color grades come just after the colorless range, so they still appear colorless when viewed face up.
Red Diamonds
Still, their rarity and their intense, crimson color make them the most expensive per carat of all the colored diamonds, and on average will cost over $1 million per carat. The largest red diamond ever sold, weighing 5.11 carats, was bought for $8 million, at $1.6 million per carat.
Whilst any ring, if worn on the third finger of the left hand, can act as an engagement ring, the most traditional engagement ring is a single diamond set on top of a simple band. Another traditional engagement ring is three diamonds, with the central stone being larger than the outer two.
The best diamond color grade is D color. This means the diamond is completely clear with no shade of yellow (or anything else) in it. The best color for a diamond that you will put in your engagement ring is not D. You can put a G, H or I color diamond in a ring and it will look the same while costing a lot less.
Consider Style and Durability
For example, gold has a harder tensile strength than silver, meaning it will scratch less and is much harder to bend out of shape. The added strength of gold makes it an exceptional choice for wedding rings and other pieces that you will wear every day.
As with most things regarding the design and style of your engagement ring, metal choice will be based on personal preference. While white gold has maintained its popularity over yellow gold, the latter is coming back into the widespread appeal it once enjoyed.
According to a 2022 study from Credit Donkey, most couples reported wanting to spend between $1,000 and $5,000, though the average cost of an engagement ring was around $5,225.
With natural diamonds, you can get approximately a 1 to 1.25-carat diamond for $3,000. If you choose a lab-grown diamond instead, you can get approximately a 2.5 to 3 carat stone. Just remember that if your budget is $3,000 total, you will need to opt for a smaller diamond in order to afford the setting, too.
Spending between $3,000 and $5,000 on an engagement ring puts you in good company. According to an article in the diamond industry magazine Rapaport.com, “roughly one third” of respondents to an industry survey reported spending between $1,000 and $4,000, with an average diamond size of 1.00 to 2.00 carats.
Average Engagement Ring Cost
While $6,000 is the national average cost of a ring, the spend per couple varies. Our study found that roughly one-third of all respondents are spending between $1,000 to $4,000 on their engagement ring. In fact, 8% of ring shoppers are spending under $1,000.
The average engagement ring diamond size in the United States is between 1.08 - 1.2 carats. However, the average carat weight varies depending on age and location. For instance, millennials tend to spend less on diamonds than older generations, making their average diamond size lower.
According to a study done by The Knot in 2021, the average engagement ring diamond was 1.5 carats. 50% of those who participated in the study purchased rings between 1 and 2 carats. Only 25% of rings were over 2 carats. In this study, they found that diamond size was not as important as the cut and shape of the stone.
According to tradition, the amount you choose to spend on an engagement ring should approximate the amount of your monthly salary times two. By this measure, anyone who earns $2,000 a month should be looking at models in the $4,000 range. For someone earning $10,000 a month, a $20,000 ring would be about right.
Diamonds are the most expensive part of an engagement ring, so you can save major dough by using a diamond alternative as the center stone. “Consider a white sapphire, which is hard enough to withstand daily wear and has a similar color,” says Gandia.