Happy Valentine’s Day!  Since today’s the day of love and romance, I figured we would talk about the ever important bling!  The engagement ring is the item that everyone oooh and aaahs over once you’re newly engaged!  The sparkly diamond on that ever important finger.  Every bride-to-be has heard of the 4 Cs of diamonds, and if you have ever stepped foot in a jewelry store like Robbins Brothers, you likely had a mini-course on diamonds and how Cut, Clarity, Carat, and Color affect the price and beauty of a diamond.

And if you’re like me… you forgot what all that means!! So, for all the single or newly engaged girls, I found this fun little infographic to explain it all to us.  Infographics make it so much easier to understand data….. so here’s a little chart that should make shopping for an engagement ring easier!

It also gives some fun little known stats like I really had no idea that the most popular shape was the round cut (I have a princess cut diamond!)

Here is the full infographic:

I love how at the end the graphic also gives you a great idea on how to shop for a ring (grooms!) and how to set aside a budget for a ring.  Most surprising is I don’t think many Tacori rings fall into many of these “How much to spend based on your income”, but hey, a girl can dream!  My advice: don’t completely rule out the smaller jewelry stores.  My ring was not bought at a chain store, but at a smaller boutique a friend recommended to us, and my ring gets compliments all the time!!

What were the most important factors in choosing an engagement ring?  Did you get to help your fiance with the ring?