By Maks, TraxNYC, 47th Street, New York. The counts are the listings live on September 21, 2026 and the twelve months of sales before it.

On September 21, 2026, we counted 244 women's engagement rings live on our engagement rings page. 159 are 14K gold, 63 are 18K and 21 are platinum; one states no metal. 117 state a lab-grown center and 65 a natural one, in a field or the title; 62 state neither. 180 name the center shape, round most often. Of the 164 that state a center weight, the median is 2.02 carats. 96 of the store's 400 best-selling ring titles of the past year are live on our engagement rings page, and they took 45 percent of the ring money in those titles.

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. Counts are the listings live on the census day, sales the twelve months before it. The listing carries the price; our engagement rings page carries what a jeweler would tell you before you read it.

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. Of the 244 live on September 21, 2026, 180 name the center shape: round 50, emerald 23, oval 21, cushion 18, marquise 17, pear 16, radiant 13, and 22 more in princess, baguette, heart and asscher; 64 name none.

A round sits compact and is the natural-stone shape here: of the 50 rounds, 32 state a natural center, 16 a lab one and 2 neither. 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.

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 graded on the same letters; one was grown, the other mined. Grade for grade the grown stone costs a fraction; the mined stone stays scarce and holds its resale better than a grown one. Neither is the wrong buy.

Of the 244 live on September 21, 2026, 117 state a lab-grown center and 65 a natural one; for the 62 that state neither in a field or the title, the listing's text and the desk say. The 104 lab centers with a stated weight run a median 2.58 carats, 87 of them 2 carats or more; the 60 natural ones a median 1.15, 16 of them 2 carats or more. The Origin filter on our engagement rings page reads one field, so it lists fewer rings than these counts; a ring whose origin sits only in its listing's details does not answer it.

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.

Of the 244 live on September 21, 2026, 164 state a center weight, median 2.02 carats: under 1 carat, 21 rings; 1 to 1.49 carats, 26; 1.5 to 1.99 carats, 14; 2 to 2.99 carats, 49; 3 to 3.99 carats, 33; 4 carats and up, 21.

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. One center here states internally flawless; on the 28 stating an SI grade, one of them an SI3, a grade below SI2 on the scale, ask the desk what shows.

Of the 244 live on September 21, 2026, 148 state the center's color and 126 are D through G, F 63 leading; 151 state the clarity and 123 are VS or better, VS1 47 leading. 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: 22 titles name it among the 244 live on September 21, 2026, and 28 are filed under it; see all 28 solitaires. A halo rings the center with small stones so it reads larger: 19 titles, 7 of them a hidden halo that sits under the center, seen from the side. Three stone flanks the center: 5. Toi et moi is two stones side by side: 5. Pave sets small stones down the band: 4. Cathedral arches the band up to the stone: 2. A bezel wraps the stone in metal: one ring here names it; for more, ask the desk. 172 titles name no style; read the photos.

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. One title here is a bridal set, band included; whether a straight band sits flush with the ring you pick, ask the desk.

Prongs hold most centers here: a prong or claw of some kind is in the setting field of 220 of the 244; pave 7, channel 2, bezel 1, blank 14. 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, or trace its inside on paper for the desk. 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.

Sizes 5 through 8 in half sizes are on nearly every ring: each is on 210 or more of the 239 live on September 21, 2026 with a size option. A 4, 4.5, 8.5 or 9 is on about half: a 4 on 101 of the 239, a 4.5 on 107, an 8.5 on 145, a 9 on 129. Under a 4 or over a 9, most listings stop: a 9.5 is on 33, a 10 on 30, a 3.5 on 11. 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 848 rings sold whose ticket carried a size: 7 led (199, 23 percent), then 6 (151) and 5 (116); 6, 6.5 and 7 were 52 percent. A half size was on 32 percent of those 848 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. Of the 244 live on September 21, 2026, 159 are 14K, 63 are 18K, 21 are platinum and one states no metal; 220 offer a color option, almost all in yellow, white or rose. 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 on 241 weighed; 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: a personal jeweler 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.

By shape: the 244 live listings and the past year's sales, counted September 21, 2026

Center shape Live listings naming it (of 244) Median center carat (rings weighed) Centers stated lab-grown or natural Sold in the past year: units, share of that page's money Where to look (its own live count)
Round 50 1.42 ct (48) natural 32, lab 16 18 units; 3 percent Round engagement rings (51 live)
Emerald 23 3.00 ct (18) lab 19, natural 2 47 units; 5 percent Emerald engagement rings (23 live)
Oval 21 3.00 ct (21) lab 18, natural 3 45 units; 6 percent Oval engagement rings (24 live)
Cushion 18 2.75 ct (18) lab 12, natural 6 60 units; 7 percent Cushion engagement rings (15 live)
Marquise 17 2.03 ct (15) lab 14, natural 3 582 units; 48 percent Marquise engagement rings (22 live)
Pear 16 2.05 ct (13) lab 13, natural 2 70 units; 7 percent Pear engagement rings (17 live)
Radiant 13 2.01 ct (12) lab 11, natural 2 82 units; 9 percent Radiant engagement rings (14 live)
Princess 9 1.61 ct (6) lab 4, natural 2 3 units; about 1 percent Princess engagement rings (8 live)
Every shape, the whole page 180 name a shape, 64 do not 2.02 ct (164) lab 117, natural 65, 62 state neither 1,068 units; 100 percent This page; all women's diamond rings (541 live)

Shape is each listing's center diamond cut, the same as our engagement rings page's Shape filter, or the title where that is blank, over the 244 rings live on September 21, 2026. The median carat is of that shape's rings that state a center weight, the count in parentheses. The origin cells count the rings that state lab-grown or natural. The count beside each Where to look collection is that collection's own live total on the same day, a separate count from the shape column, so it can sit above or below it. Units and money shares are the past year's sales of that page's titles among the store's 400 best-selling ring titles, each share taken of that page's money in those titles; baguette (58 units, 4 percent), heart (17 units, 1 percent) and titles naming no shape (86 units, 8 percent) have no row here, so the eight shape rows do not add to the total. The sizes bought in the Size section are counted from the size on each ticket, a smaller base than these totals.

Questions we get at the counter

What shape engagement ring should I buy?

The shape she wears, and most buyers here chose a long one. Of the 244 rings live on September 21, 2026, 180 name a center shape: round 50, emerald 23, oval 21, cushion 18, marquise 17, pear 16, radiant 13, and 22 in princess, baguette, heart and asscher. 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, graded on the same letters: the grown stone costs a fraction, the mined stone stays scarce and holds its resale better. Of the 244 rings live on September 21, 2026, 117 state a lab center and 65 a natural one; 62 state neither. 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. Of the 164 live rings stating a center weight on September 21, 2026, the median is 2.02 and 103 are 2 or more. 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. Here, on September 21, 2026, 126 of 148 rings stating a color are D to G and 123 of 151 stating a clarity are VS or better.

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, or trace its inside on paper and send the desk the tracing. 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 848 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. Of the 244 rings live on September 21, 2026, 159 are 14K, 63 are 18K and 21 are platinum. 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.