Lab-grown 2 carat diamond rings cost $2,499 to $5,950 at Liori. Natural runs roughly $4,000 to $30,000 and up. A 2 carat round is about 8.1 mm across.

The best time to buy an engagement ring on sale is late November, when Black Friday deals often run 10% to 30% off. Order 3 to 4 weeks before you propose.

Eternity band prices follow total carat weight, with popular bands near 2 to 3 carats. The budget for a mined half band often buys a full lab-grown one.

Men's wedding bands with diamonds hold up best in flush or channel settings, so nothing snags. The popular default is 6mm in 14k white gold.

Pavé vs micropavé: micropavé uses even smaller stones, about 1.3 mm or less. Set well, they rarely fall out. A hard knock or worn bead causes most losses.

For a canary diamond ring, look for a yellow diamond graded Fancy Intense or Fancy Vivid. Lab-grown looks the same as natural at a fraction of the price.

A hidden halo engagement ring sets tiny diamonds under the center stone, so it sits higher and looks bigger from the side. Prices at Liori start at $1,895.

A toi et moi ring, French for 'you and me,' sets two stones side by side. Pear with oval is the favorite. Napoleon proposed with one in 1796.

Rose gold tennis bracelets run from about 1 to 15 carats. Most buyers do best with 5 carats in 14k, which is pinker and harder than 18k and costs less.

A 10 carat diamond ring costs about $20,000 lab-grown. The same ring with a natural stone is about $295,000, and your eye can't tell the two apart.

Yes, Liori Diamonds is legit: rated 4.9 on Trustpilot and A+ by the BBB, with no lawsuit on record. See the reviews and how to check any diamond's report.

Radiant cut vs emerald cut: a radiant sparkles and can look clean at SI1 or SI2. An emerald's mirror-like facets show flaws, so budget for VS1 or better.

Black diamonds trap light. Graphite darkens natural stones, and heat or radiation darkens treated ones. GIA grades them Fancy black, with no clarity grade.

A CVD diamond is a real diamond grown from methane gas, one carbon layer at a time, in about one to four weeks. See each step and how it compares to HPHT.

Rose gold engagement rings are still in style, and now a lasting classic. The warm metal makes a cheaper H to J diamond look as white as a D to F stone.

A solitaire engagement ring is one diamond on a clean band, the default since 1886. Pick six prongs for security or four to show more diamond.

Black diamonds are real diamonds, rated 10 on the Mohs scale. Most in jewelry today are treated, and only a lab report tells you if yours is natural.

Diamond cut quality does more for sparkle than color or clarity. A G-VS2 with an Excellent cut outshines a pricier D Flawless with a Good cut.

The diamond color chart runs from D to Z. Once set, a G or H looks as white as a D to most eyes and often costs about a quarter to a third less.

The diamond clarity chart runs from FL to I3, 11 grades in all. Under 2 carats, a VS1 or VS2 stone looks flawless to the eye and costs far less than VVS.

Cushion cut diamonds usually cost less per carat than rounds, but one name covers three looks. Pick the look, then the color and clarity worth paying for.

Full vs half eternity bands: for daily wear, go half. It resizes and sits flush with a solitaire. Full has about twice the diamonds but can't be resized.

Compare all 10 diamond shapes in one chart. Round sparkles the most. Oval, pear and marquise look 10 to 25% bigger than a round of the same carat.