Bring on the Bling!

It seems like everyone wants their diamonds bigger these days, and the carat weight seems to mean, for many people, that the diamond is better and more attractive. Consequently, this year's engagement rings are all about the 'bling', as an increasing amount of young couples are opting for flashier, high carat diamond engagement rings.

It's a truth, however, that many couples will not be able to afford a big rock. A creative and appealing alternative to a high carat diamond engagement ring is a three-stoned (or 'trinity') engagement ring. This year, trinity engagement rings have become even more popular than the traditional diamond solitaire engagement ring. Trinity diamond engagement rings can be more affordable than solitaire diamond engagement rings, depending on the total carat weight of the incorporated diamonds. Trinity engagement rings are commonly set with small sized precious gemstones. However, these smaller gemstones are fitted closely together in a setting which is designed to give off the appearance of a single, large gemstone.

Stylish Diamond Settings

The most popular settings for this year's rings are Gypsy and Bezel settings. These settings are considered especially practical and durable. With a bezel or gypsy setting, the diamond is mounted into the ring's band, and is held securely in place by a thin metal cradle, which is carefully worked around the diamond's girdle, or sides. As such, the diamond is protected by its surrounding metal setting, thus reducing the precious gemstone's susceptibility to possible damage.

Another stylish and popular setting found in many fashionable 2009 engagement rings is the tension setting. Diamonds mounted into this setting are held in place through tension exerted by the band's metal edges, which grip the diamond's girdle. Since the diamond's table and culet are left exposed, an increased amount of light is free to travel through the diamond's crystalline structure, which, in turn, enhances the diamond's natural brilliance and maximizes its sparkle.

Fancy-colored Diamond Rings

Fancy colored diamonds are now considered even more fashionable. In the past few years, couples have preferred engagement rings set with colorless diamonds, since these gemstones were considered to be more traditional and due to the fact that fancy colored diamonds were thought to be less valuable than pure, 'white' diamonds. These days, with a realization about the rarity of colored diamonds, the value of a unique colored engagement ring is becoming more common. Fancy colored diamonds are now thought to be chic, unique and very valuable. Consequently, colorful gemstone engagement rings have become an increasingly popular alternative to colorless diamond rings.

Recession-friendly Diamond Engagement Rings

Due to the recent recession, many couples have not been able to afford costly diamond engagement rings. As such, recession-friendly engagement rings have become unbelievably popular. Recession-friendly engagement rings are made with affordable, semi-precious materials, which significantly cut the ring's costs. Low karat or white gold have replaced more luxurious metals such as high karat gold and platinum. Since these metals are mixed with inexpensive metallic alloys such as silver, copper, iron and brass, and since they are lower in purity, they become more affordable. Also, birthstone rings-which are less expensive in many cases, have become more popular and are a great choice, if she likes her birthstone!