Start with cut. Cut determines how a stone handles light, and a well-cut diamond in a G color grade outperforms a larger stone with poor proportions in almost every real-world lighting condition. After cut, consider how color and clarity interact with the shape you want, and whether a natural or lab-grown stone makes more sense for your brief. Our Diamond Guide covers all of this in detail, and every consultation includes a stone walkthrough before anything is chosen.

Carat weight and apparent size are different things. A well-cut 0.80ct diamond reads prominently on most hands and outshines a larger stone with poor proportions. Shape also affects how a stone reads: an oval appears roughly 10 to 15% larger face-up than a round brilliant of the same carat weight. If you have a budget in mind, come in and we'll show you what different weights actually look like on your hand before anything is decided.

Round brilliant is the most consistently popular shape, and the only one GIA grades on a formal cut scale. It's the most predictable in light performance and suits the widest range of settings and hands. Oval has had significant momentum in recent years, largely because it reads larger than a round brilliant of the same carat weight. The right shape is the one that works on the specific hand it's going on. We can show you several side by side.

Warm water, a small amount of dish soap, and a soft-bristled toothbrush. Soak for a few minutes, work gently around and under the stone and setting, rinse thoroughly, and pat dry with a lint-free cloth. For a ring worn daily, once every one to two weeks keeps the stone performing the way it should. Avoid toothpaste and bleach. For a deeper clean or a prong check, bring it in. The first year of service is on us.