Engagement Ring Guide

Ring Design

Solitaire, halo, three-stone, vintage or something made to order. See how the best-known engagement ring designs differ, and who each one tends to suit.

Five yellow gold engagement rings seen from above, each a different style — solitaire, halo, two-stone, vintage and a slim pavé band.

Stages in choosing the ring's design

Sometimes you simply do not feel like being one of the crowd. Sometimes you want to stand out, you want something special - something that matches your own particular style, or hers.

A unique design for a ring of your own is the way to put a distinctive stamp on a jewelry collection! Here at the guide we have helped hundreds of people design rings of their own. You can do almost anything you can imagine.

Here is how to create a unique ring:

Step 1: decide how much you want to spend

You can design a ring of your own (opens in new tab), including diamonds, gemstones and even the design itself, starting from $400.

Step 2: choose your center stone

Which stone would you like as the main stone in your ring (opens in new tab)? A diamond, a sapphire, an emerald, a ruby, and so on?

And which shape and size do you prefer?

Step 3: look for a setting

There are a great many types of ring - solitaire rings, three-stone rings, multi-stone rings… The range is wide, from simple solitaires to multi-stone rings with dozens of tiny diamonds.

There are a great many settings for multi-stone rings to choose from. Alternatively, if you have seen something you particularly like somewhere else, take a photograph, or even a drawing of the design - good jewelers will be able to make the ring from the picture for you.

Once you have planned your ring, it should be sent to the professionals in the field, those with artistic and creative skill, and they will bring your design to life exactly as you imagined it.

From the beginning of the process through to the end, you need to be in continuous contact with the craftspeople in order to make sure that your ring takes shape perfectly.

After the initial design process has been carried out, the jewelers - who are experts in their craft with years of experience - turn the model into a ring, and together with the stones that have been chosen, the ring you selected is created for you. Then, after polishing, setting and a final clean, your ring should go through an inspection in the quality control department to ensure that it matches your order and the size you gave, and of course that it meets the quality standards.

If you would rather not source and coordinate every part yourself, a direct manufacturer or established supplier can handle it end to end - stone, setting and finishing - which usually means fewer intermediaries, clearer pricing and more room to customize. Israel Diamonds, for instance, makes custom engagement rings (opens in new tab) built to your specification.

Enjoy it! Now you are ready for your next dream…!!! To propose…

A jeweller’s bench from above: a pencil sketch of a ring, a carved wax model, three loose diamonds and fine tweezers.