Start With the 4Cs

We’ll help you learn everything you need to know about the 4Cs of diamond quality: color, clarity, cut and carat weight. And we’ll go beyond them, educating you about diamond fluorescence, the quirks and features of your favorite diamond fancy shapes, fancy colored diamonds, and much more.

But we also understand that not everyone is as obsessed with diamond quality as we are. So we programmed a digital gemologist called ROSI with artificial intelligence based on IBM’s Watson. Instead of answering Jeopardy questions like Watson, ROSI picks the best diamond value for every budget, assessing more than 20 different quality factors.

Follow ROSI’s recommendation and you are sure to get a really good deal on a really great diamond. ROSI will balance the 4Cs to make sure you have the best possible balance of quality and price. All you have to do is enter your budget and ROSI will do the rest.

Set a Budget

So, about that budget. You may have read that you should spend two month’s salary (or even three month’s salary) on your engagement ring but, trust us, there are no rules. We can help you create an engagement ring to fit any budget. At RockHer, you’ll find lots of options: natural diamonds, lab-grown diamonds and colored gemstones too. And if you haven’t saved up what you want to spend, we can arrange 0% financing of your engagement ring through Affirm.

Best of all, you can use our digital gemologist ROSI to automatically calculate all the best options for any budget, recommending exceptionally beautiful diamonds that also are an excellent value.

Pick a Shape

Although round brilliant diamonds are still the most popular shape, more of our customers today are choosing fancy shaped diamonds instead. In particular, oval shaped diamonds, cushion shaped diamonds, pear shaped diamonds and emerald cut diamonds are more in demand recently.

Why the trend for fancy shapes? We love making fancy shaped diamond engagement rings because they have so much unique character. Every fancy shape diamond is subtly different, with different length and width ratios and different facet patterns. When you choose a fancy shape, even a simple solitaire engagement ring is unique.

Fancy shapes like ovals, pears, marquise and emerald cuts look larger than round brilliant diamonds of the same carat weight. That’s because they are less deep, so more of the carat weight translates into surface area.

And you might be surprised to discover that fancy shaped diamonds usually cost less per carat than round brilliant diamonds too. That means they look larger and cost less.

Choose Your Diamond

Buying a loose diamond is the best way to find the best possible value in an engagement ring. You can choose the best balance of quality and size in your price range and hand select the most beautiful diamond for your engagement ring.

For most people, choosing a diamond means figuring out which of the 4Cs to splurge on and which to save on. Here’s what our diamond experts tell their friends about the 4Cs.

Choose a near colorless diamond for your engagement ring rather than a colorless one. A diamond with a color grade or G, H or I will look colorless when set in a ring thanks to lots of brilliance. Don’t pay extra for a flawless diamond: a VS2 or SI1 diamond won’t have any visible inclusions and it costs much less. Never compromise on cut: ideal or excellent cuts don’t add much to the cost of diamonds but add a lot of sparkle and brilliance. Don’t worry about hitting round numbers with the carat weight of your diamond: a 1.90 carat diamond will look the same size in a ring as a 2.00 carat diamond and it will cost a lot less.

ROSI will make all these calculations automatically so you don’t have to, recommending a diamond that’s the best balance of quality and value. Once you have a beautiful diamond, it’s time to choose the setting.

Style Your Setting

The engagement ring setting is how you personalize your engagement ring and make it your own. Most people choose a timeless design with a twist: the small details that make a ring exceptional.

The three most popular silhouettes are solitaire engagement rings, halo engagement rings, and three-stone engagement rings.

Solitaire engagement rings are the most classic style, with all the attention placed on the center stone. But today’s solitaire engagement ring is likely to have extra details too. Diamond solitaires with a pave diamond band are particularly popular (and a recent celebrity trend.) Side details like surprise diamonds or a hidden halo can make the profile as pretty as the top of your engagement ring.

Halo engagement rings are popular because they extra ring of diamonds around the center diamond adds detail and sparkle (and it doesn’t hurt that this style also makes your center stone look larger too.) Halo engagement ring designs can be subtle, with small diamonds or more like a cluster with larger diamonds. We’re also noticing demand for fancy halo styles shaped like flowers or stars or with larger diamonds at the compass points. Vintage style engagement rings with halos have all the charm of antique rings with the advantages of a new made-to-order ring.

Three stone engagement rings have become more popular since Meghan Markle received one from Prince Harry. Although three stone rings with three round shape diamonds are the most popular version, we love the extra style of fancy shape diamonds in the center or on the sides (or both!) In particular, baguettes or pear shaped diamonds on the sides add a unique twist to a three stone. Ovals, emerald cuts and cushions like Meghan’s ring in the center are also a great way to add character to a three stone design.

Your choice of gold or platinum will also add style to your engagement ring setting. Designs look different in rose gold or yellow gold than white gold or platinum. We’re also happy to craft your gold ring with platinum prongs for extra security.

Because at RockHer we make your ring to order from scratch in our Los Angeles workshop, you can request small changes to personalize the design. We also create completely custom engagement rings and can make one for you. Aside from the design fee, which covers the design of your ring, it costs the same as our regular engagement ring styles.