(This story is sponsored by Clean Origin.)

Sneakily guiding your partner to the engagement ring of your dreams is a lot harder than it sounds. Not only does one have to wrap their head around the colour and clarity scale (SI1, huh?) but they also have to consider the shape and cut.

The team at Clean Origin wants to help soon-to-be fiancés and fiancées make sense of the fancy mumbo-jumbo involved when picking out a gorgeous diamond ring. 

Consider these recommendations for each popular shape and cut when shopping for an engagement ring: 

Round

The round-cut diamond is rather self-explanatory—it is round like a perfectly symmetrical circle. Despite being a traditional shape, the diamond can be easily spruced up with an edgy setting. 

When it comes to the four C’s (cut, clarity, colour, and carat), the clarity and cut cannot be neglected. Due to a round diamond’s flawless symmetry, a smaller carat or cloudy appearance will be visible to the naked eye. 

If one’s budget doesn’t have the wiggle room for a larger carat, consider pairing the round diamond with a halo setting (several small diamonds placed around the perimeter of the main stone).

Oval

For women with shorter fingers, opt for an oval diamond as opposed to a round one. The oval shape gives the illusion of longer, more slender fingers. 

Oval engagement rings are classic and will never go out of style. When looking at oval-shaped stones, pay attention to the clarity as some can have darker spots running across the centre of the diamond. This flaw can be referred to as the “bowtie effect”. Since lab-created diamonds can be up to 40 percent less than mined stones, it is much easier to opt for a better diamond with fewer flaws or inclusions.

Cushion

A cushion-cut diamond looks bewilderingly similar to the pillows on your couch. The edges of a cushion-shaped diamond are rounded and can be cradled by a halo of small diamonds for a delicate, ultra-feminine look. 

Like oval diamonds, a cushion-cut diamond can be slightly stretched into a subtle rectangle shape to elongate the appearance of fingers. 

When it comes to cushion cut diamonds, the stone’s facet pattern can be either antique or chunky, or resemble crushed ice. Choosing between the two is based on personal preference. The inside of an antique-style cushion diamond has a clearly defined pattern whereas the inside of a crushed ice stone looks like broken glass.

Princess

If you’re searching for a ring that will make a bold statement, look no further than the square princess-cut diamond. These are typically more affordable than others as they use a large amount of uncut stone. 

Since the corners of the stone aren’t rounded, be sure to test the sharpness to avoid any future ring-related injuries. Those who have hands-on careers should consider a cushion, oval, or round cut. 

Emerald 

Emerald-shaped stones are rectangular and also make fingers appear longer. When shopping for an emerald diamond, it’s important to consider the length-to-width ratio. The most attractive ratios are between 1:3 and 1:6 but this is dependent on your loved one’s style and finger shape. 

Since lab-grown diamonds are considerably less expensive than mined diamonds, you can always add an extra carat, a unique setting, or a shimmering pavè band (a band covered in tiny diamonds or other stones) to the ring.

For more information on lab-created diamonds, to custom build an engagement ring, or to browse other jewellery, visit www.cleanorigin.com/.