From the jewelry store at TraxNYC, 47th Street, New York.

This guide answers the questions a buyer brings to 47th Street when the ring is for her: the shape, lab or natural, the carat, what the color and clarity letters mean, the setting, how to find her size without asking, and the metal. The listing carries the price; our engagement rings page carries what a jeweler would tell you before you read it. What moves that price, and how to set a budget: how much should an engagement ring cost.

Shapes: which engagement ring shape to buy

Start with what she already wears: her rings and earrings say round or long, and yellow, white or rose, before any count on our engagement rings page does. Round is on the most listings here; marquise is what sold.

Oval, marquise and pear spread across the finger and look larger than a round of the same weight; emerald and radiant face up about even with a round. Every shape but round here is mostly lab. A marquise ends in two points, a pear in one and a princess in four corners, where a diamond chips first; look in the photo for a prong capping each point.

Each shape pictured on our own rings, and how big each one looks at 1 carat, is in our guide to diamond shapes.

In the past year's sales of that page's titles, marquise led by a wide margin, 48 percent of that page's money, on the strength of one design in four sizes of center.

Lab or natural: lab-grown vs natural diamond engagement rings

Both are real diamonds, the same carbon crystal: one was grown in a laboratory, the other formed in the earth and was mined. Your eye cannot tell them apart; the listing and its paper say which. Grade for grade the grown stone costs a fraction, and its price has kept falling; the mined stone stays scarce, and dealers still price it against a weekly trade list. Neither is the wrong buy.

How a jeweler tells them apart, what sets each one’s price, and the two side by side with our rings in both: lab-grown or natural diamond, how to tell.

Sold in the past year: lab was 86 percent of that page's money, natural 4, and 10 percent sat on titles stating neither.

Carat: how many carats an engagement ring should be

Two carats and up took most of that page's money in the past year's sales. Center carat is the one stone; total carat weight adds the side stones and says nothing about the center.

A one-carat round is about 6.5 mm across. Sold in the past year: 2 carats and up took 58 percent of that page's money, split almost evenly between 2 to 2.99 carats and 3 carats and up; 1 to 1.99 carats 26 percent; under 1 carat 1 percent; and 15 percent sat on titles stating no carat.

Color and clarity: what the diamond grades mean

Most centers here sit high on both scales. Color is a letter: D, E and F are graded colorless and look alike to the eye; G through J are near colorless and read white once set, sooner in yellow or rose gold than in white metal, where a tint shows first. Clarity is what a grader finds in the stone at ten times magnification, cleanest first: flawless and internally flawless, then VVS, VS and SI (very very slightly, very slightly and slightly included; the 1 in each pair is cleaner). VS and above are clean to the naked eye; SI1 usually is, SI2 often is not.

The Clarity filter on our engagement rings page narrows the rings to the grades you pick.

Cut, the fourth C, is how well the stone is faceted; the four Cs article covers all four. Whether a report backs a given center, and from which lab: ask the desk.

Settings: solitaire, halo, hidden halo, three stone and pave

A solitaire is one stone on a band. A halo rings the center with small stones so it reads larger; a hidden halo sits under the center, seen from the side. Three stone flanks the center. Toi et moi is two stones side by side. Pave sets small stones down the band. Cathedral arches the band up to the stone. A bezel wraps the stone in metal.

A wedding band comes next, and the setting decides how it sits: a stone set high on a straight shank lets a straight band sit flush; a low-set stone, a halo or a wide head can leave a gap and want a curved band. Whether a straight band sits flush with the ring you pick, ask the desk. The bands themselves are on our wedding bands for women page.

Prongs hold most centers here. A prong shows the most stone and asks the most care: its tips catch on knitwear and hair where a bezel does not, and they wear thin over the years, so have a jeweler check them every year or two.

Size: how to find her ring size without asking

Start from a ring she wears on the ring finger of either hand. Measure it on the ring sizer on our men's rings page, which measures any hand. Say which hand it came from: the two hands can run about a half size apart, and a ring from another finger is no measure. A broad band grips more of the finger, so give it the half size above.

How to measure at home, how a ring should fit and the average ring size for women: our ring size chart, US 3 to 15 in millimeters. Wide bands and men's sizes: our men's ring size guide.

Sizes 5 through 8 in half sizes are on nearly every ring. A 4, 4.5, 8.5 or 9 is on about half. Under a 4 or over a 9, most listings stop. Where her size is not on the listing, the desk makes the ring to it; ask about the wait.

Bought here in the past year, of the rings sold whose ticket carried a size: 7 led (23 percent), then 6 and 5; 6, 6.5 and 7 were 52 percent. A half size was on 32 percent of those tickets, so measure to the half size rather than the nearest whole. If hers must be a guess, go a half size large: taking metal out of a shank is a smaller job than adding it.

Resizing: a jeweler can usually move a plain-shank ring about two sizes either way; the exceptions are bands with no plain metal to cut, stones or pave the whole way round. For the ring you want, the desk says yes or no, how far and the charge. The refund policy calls resizing custom work, so a resized ring cannot be returned; settle the size first.

Metal and buying: 14K, 18K or platinum, custom and returns

14K is two rings in three here and the one that sold. 18K is a richer yellow and marks more easily than 14K. Platinum stays white on its own and is the heaviest on the hand; it scratches sooner than gold but does not thin over decades; white gold is rhodium plated and re-plated. Karat is the gold share: 14K is 58.3 percent gold, 18K is 75; the rest is on the men's rings guide. Sold in the past year: 14K took 83 percent of that page's money, 18K 17. The ring is light, median 4.0 grams; the stone is the buy.

Made to order: any ring here can be made in her size and her metal, set with the stone she wants, or built from her drawing at our own bench on 47th Street. Her size and the quote: the desk answers on live chat or at 212-872-9692 before you pay.

Returns: the refund policy takes back eligible merchandise sent back new, unworn and unaltered within 14 calendar days of confirmed delivery, less a 5 percent restocking fee. It lists as final sale ring resizing, any item made or modified for an individual, and anything the listing marks final sale or exchange only; a layaway order is store credit only. A ring made to her size can fall on the made-for-you side of that line, so ask the desk which your order is before you pay. Shipping: under the shipping policy an in-stock ring usually ships within 2 to 5 business days, and every shipment is insured. A ring made to her size takes longer, so ask the desk for the date. Ask the desk too about the report, a center swap, engraving, a matching band and a later upgrade.

What buyers wrote after the ring arrived

A few of the five-star reviews buyers left on our engagement ring listings, chosen by us, quoted as written and trimmed only for length.

★★★★★

“Was exactly what i was looking for thank you . She said yes🙌🏼”
Alfredo, December 2025, on Frost Engagement Ring

★★★★★

“My girlfriend - now fiance, loved it! Great service from Nasir and the team at Traxnyc!”
Harrison, September 2026, on Oval Lab-Grown Diamond Solitaire Engagement Ring

★★★★★

“Loved everything about it! … I will be getting the wedding band soon. Love doing buisness with honest people!”
Robert, August 2026, on Marquise Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring, 1.50 carats

★★★★★

“My future wife loved it! Just as expected! Would definitely recommend!”
Jaime, April 2026, on Marquise Lab-Grown Diamond Engagement Ring

★★★★★

“The engagment ring looks great! I love the case it came with and im glad there was a sticker in the package as well! … Thanks Trax! Shes gonna love it”
Jose, December 2025, on Diamond Cluster Square Halo Engagement Ring

Questions we get at the store

What shape engagement ring should I buy?

The shape she wears, and most buyers here chose a long one. In the past year's sales of that page's titles, marquise led by a wide margin on one design in four sizes of center; radiant, pear and cushion followed. Long shapes look larger per carat.

Lab-grown or natural diamond for an engagement ring?

Real either way, the same carbon crystal: the grown stone costs a fraction, the mined stone stays scarce and is priced against a trade list. With a stated weight, the lab median is 2.58 carats and the natural 1.15. Lab was 86 percent of that page's money in the past year's sales. Whether a report comes with a ring, and from which lab: ask the desk.

How many carats should an engagement ring be?

Two carats and up is what buyers here chose: 58 percent of that page's money in the past year's sales, against 26 percent for 1 to 1.99 carats. Lab or natural sets the number: weighed, the lab centers here run a median 2.58 carats and the natural 1.15. Read the center carat, not the total carat weight, which adds the side stones.

What do the color and clarity grades mean?

Color is how much color the diamond carries: D, E and F are colorless to the eye, G through J near colorless and white once set. Clarity is what a grader finds in the stone, cleanest first: flawless and internally flawless, then VVS, VS and SI; VS1 is very slightly included, the cleaner of the two VS grades, and eye-clean.

How do I find her ring size without asking?

Borrow a ring she wears on the ring finger of either hand. Measure it on the ring sizer on our men's rings page, which measures any hand. Say which hand: the two can run about a half size apart. A broad band fits tighter, so give it the half size above. Bought here in the past year: size 7 most, 23 percent of sized units, then 6 and 5; sizes 6 through 7 were 52 percent.

Can an engagement ring be resized?

Most can: a jeweler can usually move a plain-shank ring about two sizes either way. The exceptions are the bands with no plain metal to cut, stones or pave the whole way round. For the ring you want, the desk says yes or no, how far and the charge before you buy. The rule that matters: the refund policy lists ring resizing as custom work, so a resized ring cannot be returned. Ordering her size beats resizing.

14K, 18K or platinum for an engagement ring?

14K for every day; 18K for a richer yellow that marks more easily; platinum stays white on its own and is the heaviest on the hand, scratching sooner than gold but not thinning over decades. Past year: 14K took 83 percent of that page's money and 18K 17; no platinum ring here was among the store's 400 best-selling ring titles. The Metal Purity filter shows one metal alone.

Can I return an engagement ring?

Yes, for a ring shipped as listed and sent back new, unworn and unaltered within 14 calendar days of confirmed delivery, unless the listing marks it final sale or exchange only; the refund policy takes a 5 percent restocking fee. A resized or made-to-order ring is final sale; layaway is store credit only. A ring shipped in a listed size is on the returnable side; whether one made to her size counts as made for you is the desk's call, so ask before you order.

How fast does an engagement ring ship?

Usually within 2 to 5 business days for a ring in stock in a listed size, under the shipping policy, and every shipment is insured. A ring made to her size or in another metal is bench work and takes longer. Before you pay, tell the desk the day you need it and ask for the ship date; ask too whether the order counts as made for you under the refund policy, which makes it final sale. The desk answers on live chat, or call 212-872-9692.

Where to shop

More from the guide

Shop women's engagement rings at TraxNYC, and ask the desk anything on live chat or at 212-872-9692.