Tami Winn Events: Behind the Shine: What Makes Your Ideal Ring

It's the moment you've anticipated your entire life: As he descends to one knee, all the while making an offer you'd be crazy to refuse, he reaches for your perfectly manicured hand in marriage. But wait, something is missing, oh yes... the jaw-dropping, breath-stealing ring of your dreams. This is not uncommon, ladies. A lot of men prefer to propose on a whim, when the moment presents itself, rather than tote around a rock that burns a hole in his pocket and begs to be revealed. This nontraditional proposal boasts a number of benefits including picking out your perfect ring, something that really reflects your personality and taste, rather than accepting something you'll secretly criticize for years to come.

As you work within a budget of his choosing, remember the four Cs of ring shopping: Cut, clarity, color, and carat. They are all essential elements when making an educated selecting.

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Cut: According to Blue Nile, a world-class diamond distributor,"Of the Four Cs, no other characteristic has a greater influence on a diamond's appearance. Cut is a diamond's most important characteristic.It has the greatest overall influence on a diamond's beauty. It determines what we generally think of as sparkle."

When a diamond is cut with the proper proportions, light is returned out of the top of the diamond--which gemologists refer to as the table. If it is cut too shallow, light leaks out of the bottom; too deep and it escapes out of the side.

Clarity: Professional jeweler James Allen declares that "Clarity measures the internal defects found in any diamond, what are commonly known as inclusions. Inclusions can be structural imperfections such as minute cracks which have a whitish or cloudy look or they could be crystals of a foreign material or even another diamond crystal. Clarity is impacted by the size, number, color, comparative location, orientation, and visibility of the inclusions."

Color: Renowned diamond distributor, Tacori describes color as how a diamond finds value; "how close it is to colorless—and colorless diamonds are extremely rare, gives a diamond its value. Choosing a stone as near to colorless as possible is considered ideal for beauty. The scale begins with the letter D, representing colorless, and continues, with increasing presence of color, to the letter Z.With the exception of fancy-color diamonds, the less color a diamond has, the more rare it is, and the greater its value." Take their fun engagement ring quiz at: http://www.tacori.com/Engagement-Ring-Quiz

Carat: The professional team of gemologists at Robbins Brothers defines carat as a measurement of weight and size. However, the notable distributor does not suggest that it is the most important aspect about choosing a spectacular ring. On the contrary, the largest diamond is not the most "important factor in determining the value of a diamond, the cut, color, and clarity are equally important."

*Many jewelry store representatives can help you identify the four Cs in whatever ring you are interested in. Shopping for a ring armed with this knowledge can save yourself and your future husband time, money, and heartache when it comes to committing to a lifelong purchase such as this one. Here are some spectacular shape ideas to get you started...