One of the most stressful purchases a man can decide on is picking out halo engagement ring settings for his hopeful wife to be. As if proposing is not stressful enough, now we have to pick out the perfect ring. This usually does not dawn on a man until the last moment when he is standing in front of the clerk at the jewelry store and states, “I need to buy an engagement ring.” Suddenly, he realizes that he is not at Burger King. The clerk will not hand him an engagement ring and smile. He is suddenly in way over his head. There are now fifty wedding and engagement sets before him, each with different cuts and styles, each a different size and shape. Suddenly, this man has slipped into…The Wedding Zone.

The most important thing to remember when purchasing a round halo engagement ring is that poor diamonds dominate the market. A person could go to the jewelry store right now and purchase a poor diamond that looks semi descent. The entire purchasing process would take about ten minutes. It is literally as easy as going to Burger King. There are two problems with this. First, you will get a poor diamond and a poor diamond that looks good will only look good for a little while. Eventually, it will look like what it is, a poor diamond. Second, you will pay too much for the stone. It is as simple as that.

Finding a great diamond is a process that could take months. Research and use the information. By this, I mean that if you must ask questions of the salesperson, and you must, do not ask foolish questions that give away your lack of knowledge. Diamonds range in appearance from colorless to black. Even so, almost all diamonds have a slight to heavy yellow tinge. The clearer the color, or in this case, lack of color, the purer the diamond. This is why some diamonds are set in yellow gold. The gold background helps to mask the yellow of the diamond. A clear, pure diamond will stand out strikingly from others of poor quality, and the best ones can go into white gold or platinum halo diamond engagement rings. Look for that diamond that stands out.

Some poor diamonds can be made to appear more pure simply by the cut of it. Be prepared to examine your stone with a lens called a loupe. A loupe can be purchased at most jewelry supply stores. Use it to look at the stone and ask the salesperson about any inclusions you might find. An inclusion is an imperfection in the stone. The clarity of the stone will depend on how many inclusions it possesses and how dense the inclusions are. The bottom line is the clearer the stone, the more expensive the stone. If you are not a millionaire, your goal will be to find a nice looking diamond with a few minor inclusions that can only be seen using a loupe lens.