Round Brilliant Engagement Rings: Cut Grade, Sizes, Settings and Prices

Round brilliant solitaire engagement ring in 14k white gold, a lab-grown round diamond held by four claw prongs

By Cameron Malakan, owner of Clairamor and third-generation jeweler · Published October 12, 2026

A round brilliant engagement ring holds the round brilliant cut, a diamond with 57 or 58 facets arranged to return the most light of any shape, and it has been the most chosen engagement ring stone for generations: The Knot's 2026 study put a round on 26 percent of the rings bought in 2025, one point ahead of the oval. A well-cut round measures about 6.4 mm across at 1 carat, 8.1 mm at 2 and 9.3 mm at 3, which on a size 6 finger is 39, 49 and 56 percent of its width. Clairamor makes 38 round engagement ring designs in nine metals, 342 metal variations from $950 in 14k gold before the stone, and the diamond comes from our picker, where on October 11, 2026 a 1 carat lab-grown round started at $651 and a 2 carat at $1,155, so a finished round solitaire started at $1,601. It is also the one shape whose cut is graded to a fixed standard, the one with no length-to-width ratio to choose and no bow-tie to check, and, in lab-grown, no longer the most expensive shape per carat. This guide covers what the round brilliant is, how big each carat weight looks on the finger, what the cut grade means and what it costs, which color and clarity a round needs, how the round compares with the oval and the other shapes, how our 38 settings hold it, what to do about the wedding band, and what the finished ring costs. Our diamond shapes guide compares all nine shapes we set side by side.

Round brilliant solitaire engagement ring in 14k white gold, a lab-grown round diamond held by four claw prongs on a plain 2 mm band — The same round in the three settings people compare most, all in 14k white gold before the stone: the solitaire ($950), the cathedral ($1,000) and the bezel set ($950).

Round brilliant cathedral engagement ring in 14k white gold, arches rising from the band to a four-prong head — The same round in the three settings people compare most, all in 14k white gold before the stone: the solitaire ($950), the cathedral ($1,000) and the bezel set ($950).

Round brilliant engagement rings at a glance

The stone	A round brilliant: 57 facets, 58 with a culet, on a circular outline, cut to the proportions worked out in 1919; the report reads Round Brilliant. "Round cut" and "round brilliant" mean the same stone
Size by carat	About 6.4 mm across at 1 carat, 7.4 at 1.5, 8.1 at 2, 8.7 at 2.5 and 9.3 at 3, and 4 to 5.7 mm deep; a 2 carat covers half the width of a size 6 finger
Cut grade	The one shape with a standardized cut grade: GIA grades cut on round brilliants only, Excellent to Poor; IGI grades our rounds Ideal, Excellent or Very Good. Of the 9,694 rounds between 1 and 3 carats in our picker on October 11, 2026, 24 percent were Ideal, 71 percent Excellent and 5 percent Very Good
Color and clarity	VS2 or VS1; the brilliant facets hide what a loupe finds. D to G all read white in a round at every size we sell, in every metal
Our settings	38 designs in nine metals, 342 metal variations: solitaire, flat band, bezel, half bezel and low profile from $950 in 14k; cathedral and tulip cathedral $1,000; hidden halos from $1,050; pavé band $1,450; bypass $1,500 and wide bands from $1,400; three stone from $1,350; engraved and vintage from $2,050; all before the stone
The stone's price	In our picker on October 11, 2026, D to G and IF to VS2: 1 carat from $651, 1.5 from $889, 2 from $1,155, 2.5 from $1,422, 3 from $1,698; an Ideal cut cost between nothing and $54 more than an Excellent
Wedding band	The easiest shape to pair: a round overhangs the band least, so a straight band sits flush under the solitaire, hidden halo and bezel heads; the cathedral leaves a small gap and the bypass wants a curved band
Best for	The most sparkle at any size, a ring that reads the same from every angle, a stone with no points to chip, and a choice that will look right in fifty years

What a round brilliant cut diamond is

A round brilliant is a diamond cut to a circular outline with 57 facets, or 58 when the point at the bottom is cut flat into a tiny facet called the culet, arranged in a pattern that sends light entering the top back out through the top. The flat facet on top is the table; the sloping facets around it make up the crown; the thin edge where the crown meets the lower half is the girdle, which is what the prongs or the bezel grip; and the cone below the girdle, the pavilion, is the mirror that returns the light. The proportions were worked out mathematically by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919, and every modern round brilliant is a version of his figures, which is why rounds from different cutters look alike in a way that ovals and cushions do not. The name says what the cut does: a brilliant cut is one designed for brightness, and the round brilliant is the shape the pattern was invented on, so "round cut", "round brilliant" and "brilliant cut" in a jeweler's listing all mean the same stone. The oval, pear, marquise, cushion and radiant are the same facet pattern worked onto other outlines, which is why they are called the brilliant shapes, and the emerald cut is the one common shape that is not.

Three things follow from the geometry. A round has no length-to-width ratio to choose, because its length and width are the same within a few hundredths of a millimetre, so one decision that takes a paragraph in our oval guide does not exist here. It has no bow-tie, the dark band across the middle that every elongated brilliant shows to some degree, because the pavilion is symmetrical all the way round. And it has no points or corners, so there is nothing to chip and nothing a prong has to cap; a round is held at four or six places on its girdle and left open everywhere else. The price of the symmetry is depth: a well-cut round is about 61 percent as deep as it is wide, table to culet, so at a given weight it is among the smallest-looking of the brilliant shapes, a 2 carat round measuring 8.1 mm across where a 2 carat oval runs 10.3 by 7.1. What you get for the depth is the most light, and the reason the round has been the default engagement ring stone since the modern cut arrived is that it is the shape the cut was designed for.

How big a round diamond looks: size by carat

A carat is a weight, a fifth of a gram, and for a well-cut round it converts to a diameter more reliably than for any other shape, because every round is cut to nearly the same proportions. The table is what the rounds in our picker measured on October 11, 2026: the middle stone of the lightest 300 at each weight, the least expensive stone at that weight the same day, D to G color and IF to VS2 clarity, and what it makes with our 14k solitaire. The finger column uses a size 6, about 16.5 mm across at the ring; a size 5 is 15.7 mm and a size 7 is 17.3, so take two points off or on.

Carats	Across	Deep	Share of a size 6 finger	Face-up area vs 1 ct	Our picker, from	With the 14k solitaire ($950)
1	6.4 mm	4.0 mm	39%	1x	$651	$1,601
1.5	7.4 mm	4.5 mm	45%	1.3x	$889	$1,839
2	8.1 mm	5.0 mm	49%	1.6x	$1,155	$2,105
2.5	8.7 mm	5.4 mm	53%	1.8x	$1,422	$2,372
3	9.3 mm	5.7 mm	56%	2.1x	$1,698	$2,648

Diameter and depth are the medians of the lightest 300 rounds in each window of Clairamor's picker on October 11, 2026 (1.00 to 1.49 carats and so on), which weighed 1.01, 1.50, 2.01, 2.53 and 3.01 carats at the middle; the 1 carat stones ran 6.3 to 6.6 mm, the 3 carat stones 9.1 to 9.4. Prices are the least expensive stone in each window, D to G, IF to VS2, Ideal to Very Good cut. A 4 carat round is about 10.2 mm and a 5 carat 11 mm; our carat size chart runs from a quarter carat to five.

Two things the table shows. The first is that size grows slowly: doubling the weight from 1 to 2 carats adds 1.7 mm of diameter, 27 percent, and about 60 percent of face-up area, because the extra weight goes into depth as well as width; 1 to 3 carats takes the diameter from 6.4 to 9.3 mm. The second is that on an average finger a 1 carat round already reads as a full ring at 39 percent of the width, 1.5 to 2 carats is where most of our round solitaires land, and from 2.5 carats the stone starts to dominate the hand, which is a look some people want and some do not. The size simulator draws any diameter on a hand of your finger size. One caution, which matters more for rounds than for any other shape because the proportions are so standard: two stones of the same weight can measure 6.2 and 6.6 mm, and the second one looks like a stone a sixth heavier for the same money. A round whose depth is 59 to 63 percent of its diameter and whose table is 54 to 60 percent is spending its weight where you can see it; the medians in our picker were 61.5 to 61.8 percent deep with a 57 to 58 percent table at every weight, so a stone far from those figures is the one to look at twice.

The cut grade: Ideal, Excellent and Very Good

The round is the one shape whose cut is graded to a fixed standard. GIA gives a cut grade, from Excellent down to Poor, to standard round brilliants only, and treats every other outline as a fancy shape with no cut grade on its report; IGI, which reports nearly every stone in our picker, puts Ideal above Excellent on a round and offers a cut grade for fancy shapes, but the oval, cushion and radiant reports we checked carry polish and symmetry grades and no cut grade, so on a fancy shape the cut label in our picker is its own sorting label rather than a laboratory grade. The grade weighs how bright the stone is, how much fire it throws, how its sparkle moves, whether its weight is hidden in depth, whether its girdle is thin enough to be fragile, and how well the facets are polished and aligned. For an oval or a cushion the polish and symmetry grades are the guide and the video is the judge; for a round the laboratory has done the first pass to a standard every cutter works to, which is one reason buying a round is simpler than buying any other shape. Our diamond cut grade guide explains what the grade measures, lines up GIA's, IGI's and AGS's scales and prices each grade. Our picker's cut filter runs from Ideal to Very Good, and we do not list the grades below.

Three numbers from October 11, 2026, among the 9,694 rounds between 1 and 3 carats in our picker. By grade, 2,296 were Ideal, 24 percent; 6,904 Excellent, 71 percent; and 494 Very Good, 5 percent, so the top two grades are the stock, not the exception. By proportions, the typical stone at every weight was 61.5 to 61.8 percent deep with a 57 to 58 percent table and Excellent polish and symmetry, which is the center of the ranges the grades reward. And by price, the top grade cost between nothing and $54 extra: the least expensive Ideal was $656 against $651 for the least expensive Excellent at 1 carat, $964 against $923 at 1.5 carats, the least expensive 2 carat stone of all was an Ideal at $1,155 (the cheapest Excellent was $1,204), at 2.5 carats the Ideal was $1,476 against $1,422, and at 3 carats $1,742 against $1,741. In mined diamonds the top cut grade carries a real premium; in lab-grown it is close to free, so there is no reason to buy below Excellent and little reason to pay attention to the difference above it. Our lab-grown vs natural diamond guide has the full price comparison. Two terms you will meet: "triple excellent" or "3EX" is a round with Excellent cut, polish and symmetry on a GIA report, and "hearts and arrows" is a trade name for a round cut so precisely that a viewer shows eight arrows face-up; it is not a grade and does not appear on a report, and an Ideal or Excellent with Excellent polish and symmetry is as far as the paper goes.

Two more things the reports showed. None of the 1,500 rounds we sampled listed any fluorescence, which is usual for lab-grown stones and removes a question that mined-diamond buyers spend time on. And the reports are IGI's: every one of the 300 lightest 1 carat rounds carried an IGI report, and GIA reports appeared mostly from 2.5 carats up, 89 of the 300 lightest 3 carat stones, all of them older, because GIA stopped grading lab-grown diamonds on October 1, 2025 and now issues a Premium or Standard assessment instead. Our certification guide explains both laboratories; every stone we sell is certified, and if a report is not showing on a listing we will send it.

Color and clarity for a round

The round is the most forgiving shape on both counts, because its facets are small, many and symmetrical, and they break up the view of the inside of the stone more completely than any other cut. On clarity that means VS2, the lowest grade we list, is clean to the eye in a round at every size we sell, and the step to VS1 is cheap: on October 11, 2026 the least expensive 1 carat round in our picker was a D VS2 at $651 and the least expensive D VS1 was $683, and at 2 carats a G VS2 was $1,155 and a G VS1 $1,204. VVS2 and above are grades you pay for and never see, with the premium growing as the stone does; our VS1 vs VS2 guide has the prices grade by grade, and the VVS1 guide and SI guide cover the grades either side, and our diamond clarity chart has all eleven grades on one page. The one check worth making on a VS2 round is the video: an inclusion under the table in the middle of the stone is more visible than the same inclusion near the edge, where the crown facets and a prong hide it.

On color the same facets do the same work. We stock D to G, and all four read white in a round at every size we sell and in every metal; the caveat in our oval guide about a G oval showing a trace of warmth at its tips above 2 carats in platinum does not apply, because a round has no thin ends for the color to gather in, and our color guide has every letter's price. In lab-grown the letters move the price less than the grades do, and in our feed they run the other way from what you might expect: of the 9,694 rounds between 1 and 3 carats on October 11, 2026, 6,191 were D, 2,583 E, 817 F and 103 G, so D is the common color and G the scarce one, and the least expensive 2 carat round that day was a G at $1,155 while the least expensive D was $1,343. Buy the stone, not the letter: a G VS1 Ideal and a D VS2 Excellent of the same size will look the same on the hand, and the one to take is the one whose video you like and whose measurements are the larger.

Round vs oval, and the other shapes

The round is the shape every other shape is compared with, and the comparison people make most is with the oval, which has risen from 2 percent of engagement rings in 2015 to one point behind the round in The Knot's 2026 study, 26 percent to 25. Here is the round against the least expensive 2 carat stone of each other shape in our picker on October 11, 2026, D to G color and IF to VS2 clarity, with the measurements that decide how each one looks on the hand.

Shape, 2 ct	Size	From	Against the round
Round	8.1 mm across	$1,155	The reference: the brightest cut, the same from every angle, no bow-tie, no points, a cut grade to a fixed standard
Oval	10.3 x 7.1 mm	$1,454	About a tenth more face and 2 mm more length up the finger; a bow-tie to check and a ratio to choose; $299 more that day
Elongated cushion	8.5 x 6.6 mm	$1,259	Softer, a little smaller in face, a more vintage sparkle; the rounded corners want prongs that cover them
Pear	11.5 x 7.2 mm	$1,309	The longest look of the brilliants after the marquise, with a point that needs a cap
Marquise	12.7 x 6.8 mm	$1,498	Half again as long on the finger, two points to protect, the strongest bow-tie; $343 more that day
Radiant	9.0 x 6.3 mm	$1,076	A clipped rectangle with a brilliant's sparkle; about the round's face in a longer outline, and $79 less
Emerald cut	8.8 x 6.1 mm	$1,139	A step cut: long flashes instead of sparkle, a window onto inclusions and color, the least expensive shape at 2 carats bar the radiant
Moval	10.7 x 6.3 mm	$1,632	An oval with softened points; rare, so supply sets its price, $477 over the round

Least expensive stone of each shape between 2.00 and 2.49 carats in Clairamor's picker on October 11, 2026, D to G color and IF to VS2 clarity, with that stone's own measurements; the round is the 2.03 carat G VS2 Ideal at 8.08 by 8.13 mm.

Three readings. The first is that the old rule about price does not hold in lab-grown: a round brilliant wastes more of a mined crystal than the long shapes do, which is why a mined round costs more per carat than a mined oval, but grown rough is made for the saw rather than found, and the premium has largely gone; on October 11 the 2 carat round was cheaper than the oval, pear, cushion, marquise and moval and dearer only than the emerald cut and the radiant, and at 1 carat it was $651 against $727 for an oval. The second is that the round gives the most light and the least face for the weight: the 2 carat oval shows about a tenth more area and 2 mm more length, which is where the oval's reputation for looking bigger comes from, and it is a fair reputation. The third is what the shapes do on the finger. A round reads the same from every direction, does not lengthen or widen the hand, sits a touch higher than an oval of the same weight because it is deeper, and never shows a bow-tie; an oval or a pear draws a line up the finger. If you want the brightest stone and a ring that will not date, the round; if you want the hand to look longer or the stone to look larger for the money, the oval, and our elongated shapes guide compares the long shapes with each other. The honest tie-breaker is that both are brilliant cuts with the same facets, and the choice is a matter of outline, not quality.

Settings for a round

A round is the easiest stone to set, because its girdle is the same everywhere and any head that grips it at evenly spaced points holds it securely. Our standard prong heads hold a round in four claw prongs at the compass points of the outline, which show the most stone and are the modern standard; six prongs are the classic arrangement for rounds, the one Tiffany introduced in 1886, and they make the stone read a touch rounder and keep holding it if one prong is damaged, at the cost of more metal on the outline. Our one six-prong round is the tulip cathedral ($1,000), whose six petal-tipped prongs rise from cathedral arches; for more grip on four points there is the double claw ($1,100), which puts two claws where each prong would be, eight in all. A bezel replaces the prongs with a rim of metal around the whole edge, the most protective way to hold any stone and the one that cannot snag; the half bezel leaves two arcs open. A hidden halo sets a rail of small diamonds under the stone, where it shows from the side and braces the prongs without changing the ring from above. A cathedral braces the head with two arches from the band, and a tulip shapes the prongs and basket like petals. The heights below were measured on our renders with an oval; a round of the same weight sits a touch higher in the same head because it is deeper, as our low profile guide explains.

Family	Our round designs, 14k gold before the stone	What it does for a round
Prong solitaires	Solitaire $950 (6.5 mm above the finger), flat band $950 (6.9), low profile $950 (5.9), cathedral $1,000 (6.2), tulip cathedral $1,000 (6.5; six petal prongs, our only six-prong round), split shank tulip $1,000, double claw $1,100 (6.7)	The whole budget in the diamond and the most light into it; the look most people picture when they say round solitaire
Bezels	Bezel set $950 (6.5), half bezel $950, cathedral bezel $1,000 (6.9), low profile bezel $1,300 (4.9), tulip bezel $1,300, split cathedral bezel $2,000, faux bezel on a pavé band $2,300	A clean metal circle around a circle; nothing to catch, the edge protected, and the round is the shape a bezel flatters most
Hidden halos	Hidden halo $1,050, tulip hidden halo $1,050 (6.4), eternity hidden halo $1,050, low profile hidden halo $1,050 (5.4), cathedral hidden halo $1,100 (7.0), bubble band hidden halo $1,200, pavé band hidden halo $1,250, wide band hidden halo $1,500, flat wide band hidden halo $1,650	Sparkle in profile for $100 over the solitaire, with the round's outline untouched from above
Diamonds on the band and sculpted bands	Pavé band $1,450, rounded tapered band $1,400 (4.8), bypass $1,500 (4.8), wide flat band $1,500, double gold band tulip $1,350, floral accent $1,700, Art Deco channel-set baguette band $1,850, cigar band $2,200, celestial $2,200	Presence on the hand; for a round, the 3 mm bands rather than the cigar band, since a wide band takes length from the finger and a round has none to give back
Side stones	Three stone with half moons $1,350, pear shaped side stones $1,400, tapered baguettes $2,200	Width across the finger and a second and third stone to catch the light; the half moons sit with their straight edges toward the round and their curves outward, so the three read as one wide outline
Engraved and vintage	Heirloom cathedral $2,050, engraved cathedral $2,200, vintage inspired $2,400	A ring that reads as an heirloom from the first day; the round is the stone those designs were drawn around

Thirty-eight designs, each in 14k and 18k white, yellow, rose and two-tone gold and in platinum; 18k adds $100 to $600 and platinum $200 to $850 depending on the design. Heights in brackets are measured on our renders with a 1.5 carat oval; every price is the setting without the center stone. The round engagement rings collection holds all 342 metal variations, with sub-collections by setting and by metal, including platinum rounds and unique rounds.

Round tulip style cathedral engagement ring in 14k white gold, six petal-shaped prongs wrapping a lab-grown round diamond above cathedral arches — Three more ways to set a round, all in 14k white gold before the stone: the six-prong tulip cathedral ($1,000), the bubble band hidden halo ($1,200) and the pavé band ($1,450).

Round bubble band hidden halo engagement ring in 14k white gold, bezel-set accent diamonds along the band and a hidden halo under the round — Three more ways to set a round, all in 14k white gold before the stone: the six-prong tulip cathedral ($1,000), the bubble band hidden halo ($1,200) and the pavé band ($1,450).

How to choose among them is mostly a question of what the hand does all day and what you want the ring to say. The solitaire, the hidden halo and the cathedral are the three heads people compare first for a round, and the difference between them is $50 to $100 and a profile: the solitaire is the plain classic, the hidden halo adds a line of sparkle you see when the hand moves, and the cathedral adds architecture under the stone and a small gap for a straight wedding band. The bezel is the choice for a hand that works, gardens, climbs or wears gloves, and it suits a round better than any other shape because a circle of metal around a circle of diamond looks designed rather than defensive. The low profile, the rounded tapered band and the bypass are for anyone who wants the stone close to the finger. And the wide bands, the pavé band and the three stone are for a ring with presence; our wide band guide's advice for a round is the 3 mm bands rather than the cigar band, because a wide band takes length from the finger and an elongated stone gives it back where a round cannot. Our guide to engagement ring settings goes through every family with its trade-offs, and the solitaire guide, pavé band guide, wide band guide, bypass guide and engraved ring guide take each one further. Whatever the head, it holds the stone above the band, so the rule for every ring on this page is the same: take it off for the gym, the garden and any work with tools or ropes, and have the prongs checked when the ring is cleaned.

Round engagement rings with a wedding band

The round is the easiest shape to pair with a band, for a reason the low profile guide measures: what decides whether a straight wedding band sits flush is how far the stone overhangs the engagement ring's band, and a round, whose width is its length, overhangs least. On our solitaire, hidden halo, bezel, low profile and pavé band heads a plain straight band slides under the round and sits against the ring with no gap worth curving a band for, which is why a round solitaire is usually worn with a plain straight band. The cathedral is the exception among the heads, because its arches rise from the band on either side of the stone and leave a small gap that a straight band shows; some people like the air it gives the ring and some order a curved band to fill it. The bypass wants a curved, contoured or notched band made to it, since a straight band rides against one arm, and the cigar band is worn on its own. Band width is the other decision: on a 2 mm band a round of any size looks like a classic ring, and if you want a wide one, the 3 mm bands suit a round better than the cigar band, because a wide band takes length from the finger and an elongated stone gives it back where a round cannot. Our guide to matching a wedding band covers widths, curves and metals, and curved and notched bands are made to order.

What a round brilliant engagement ring costs

The ring is the setting plus the stone, and with a lab-grown round the stone overtakes the $950 settings at about 1.5 carats; only a handful of the engraved, vintage and heaviest band designs cost more than a 3 carat stone. The table takes the least expensive round at each weight in our picker on October 11, 2026, D to G color and IF to VS2 clarity, and adds the five settings people price first, all in 14k gold.

Carats	Round, from	Solitaire ($950)	Bezel ($950)	Cathedral ($1,000)	Hidden halo ($1,050)	Pavé band ($1,450)
1	$651	$1,601	$1,601	$1,651	$1,701	$2,101
1.5	$889	$1,839	$1,839	$1,889	$1,939	$2,339
2	$1,155	$2,105	$2,105	$2,155	$2,205	$2,605
2.5	$1,422	$2,372	$2,372	$2,422	$2,472	$2,872
3	$1,698	$2,648	$2,648	$2,698	$2,748	$3,148

Setting in 14k gold plus the least expensive round of that weight in Clairamor's picker on October 11, 2026: the $651 stone is a 1.00 carat D VS2, the $889 a 1.50 G VS2, the $1,155 a 2.03 G VS2 Ideal, the $1,422 a 2.50 G VS1 and the $1,698 a 3.15 G VS1. 18k gold adds $100 to the solitaire, $150 to the bezel, cathedral and hidden halo and $200 to the pavé band; platinum adds $200, $250, $250, $250 and $300. The next stone up the list is usually within a few dollars, and every stone is certified by IGI, GIA or HRD.

Three readings. The first is that the stone carries the price and the setting is a fixed, known number, so the way to move the total is the carat weight, not the design: from the solitaire to the hidden halo is $100, from 1.5 carats to 2 is $266, and from 2 to 3 is $543. The second is that the lab-grown price per carat falls as the round grows, $651 for the 1 carat, $593 a carat for the 1.5, $578 for the 2 and about $566 for the 3, which is the opposite of mined pricing, where the per-carat rate jumps at every round number; so if you are deciding between two sizes, the larger one is the better value per millimetre, and the question is only how much hand you want it to cover. The third is what the grades cost on top, which for a round is close to nothing: on October 11 an Ideal cut was within $54 of an Excellent at every weight, VS1 was $32 over VS2 at 1 carat and $49 at 2, and a D at 2 carats was $188 over the G. To answer the two questions people ask a search engine: $2,000 bought a 1.5 carat round solitaire or bezel with $161 to spare, and $3,000 bought a 3 carat round solitaire with $352 left over. Our 3 carat guide looks at what that size is like to wear, the lab-grown diamond price guide explains what moves the numbers, and the price calculator estimates any combination.

How to choose a round brilliant engagement ring

Pick the size in millimetres, then find the carats. Decide how much of the finger the stone should cover: 6.4 mm is 39 percent of a size 6, 7.4 mm 45 percent, 8.1 mm 49 percent, 9.3 mm 56 percent. Draw them on your own finger size in the simulator, then shop the weight that gives that diameter, and compare listings by their measurements rather than their carats.
Take Ideal or Excellent, and look at the proportions. The cut grade is on the report and it costs nothing extra in lab-grown; a depth of 59 to 63 percent and a table of 54 to 60 percent is the center of the range, and Excellent polish and symmetry are the norm in our picker.
Buy VS2 or VS1, and let the color be whatever the best stone is. D to G all read white in a round at every size we sell; take the video, the measurements and the price over the letter. VVS and Internally Flawless are grades for the report, not the hand.
Choose the head by the hand's day. The solitaire or the hidden halo for most; the bezel for a hand that works; the low profile or the bypass for a ring that stays close to the finger; the cathedral for the silhouette; a wide band or pavé for presence.
Pick the metal and the band together. White metal makes the round read a shade whiter and yellow gold warmer, and a 2 mm straight wedding band sits flush against every head but the cathedral and the bypass. Our platinum vs white gold guide and two-tone guide cover the metals.
Watch the video and read the report before you buy. Every stone in our picker is listed with both; look for a clean center, Excellent polish and symmetry, and a diameter at or above the typical figure for its weight.

Where Clairamor fits

Clairamor makes 38 round engagement ring designs in nine metals, 342 metal variations from $950 in 14k gold before the stone, all gathered in our round engagement rings collection and sorted by setting and by metal in its sub-collections. The diamond comes from our picker, where every round is lab-grown, D to G in color and IF to VS2 in clarity, Ideal to Very Good in cut, listed with its measurements, its cut grade, its IGI, GIA or HRD report and a video, so you can judge the diameter and the proportions before you buy; on October 11, 2026 there were 9,694 rounds between 1 and 3 carats to choose from, and a 1 carat started at $651, a 2 carat at $1,155 and a 3 carat at $1,698. Every ring carries a lifetime warranty against manufacturing defects, comes with an appraisal for insurance, and includes one complimentary resize within 100 days for clients in the USA. Pick the size by the millimetre, take the cut grade the report gives you, and spend the money you save on the grades on the weight, which is the one thing about a round that shows from across a room.

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Torn between a solitaire and a hidden halo, or between a round and an oval? Book a design consultation.

Frequently asked questions

What is a round brilliant cut diamond?

A diamond cut to a circular outline with 57 facets, 58 with a culet, in the pattern Marcel Tolkowsky worked out in 1919 to return the most light through the top. It is the shape the brilliant cut was designed on, the one shape whose cut is graded to a fixed standard, and the most chosen engagement ring stone for generations. Round cut means the same stone.

Is a round engagement ring a good idea, or is it out of style?

It is the safest choice there is. The Knot's 2026 study put a round on 26 percent of the engagement rings bought in 2025, still the most common shape, with the oval one point behind. A round gives the most sparkle for its size, looks the same from every angle, has no points to chip and no bow-tie to check, and it will look right in fifty years.

How big is a 1 carat round diamond, and a 2 or 3 carat?

A well-cut 1 carat round is about 6.4 mm across and 4 mm deep, a 1.5 carat 7.4 mm, a 2 carat 8.1 mm, a 2.5 carat 8.7 mm and a 3 carat 9.3 mm. On a size 6 finger, about 16.5 mm wide, those cover 39, 45, 49, 53 and 56 percent of the width. Two stones of the same weight can still differ by 0.4 mm.

How much does a round brilliant engagement ring cost?

At Clairamor the setting is $950 for the solitaire, bezel, half bezel, flat band and low profile in 14k gold, $1,000 for the cathedral, $1,050 for the hidden halo and $1,450 for the pavé band, before the diamond. On October 11, 2026 a lab-grown round in our picker started at $651 for 1 carat, $1,155 for 2 and $1,698 for 3: a round solitaire from $1,601, $2,105 and $2,648.

Are round diamonds more expensive than other shapes?

In mined diamonds, yes, because a round wastes more of the crystal; in lab-grown the premium has largely gone. On October 11, 2026 the least expensive 2 carat round in Clairamor's picker was $1,155, against $1,454 for an oval, $1,309 for a pear, $1,259 for a cushion, $1,498 for a marquise and $1,632 for a moval; only the emerald cut at $1,139 and the radiant at $1,076 were cheaper.

What cut grade should a round diamond have?

Ideal or Excellent, which in lab-grown costs almost nothing extra: on October 11, 2026 the cheapest Ideal round in Clairamor's picker was within $54 of the cheapest Excellent at every weight to 3 carats. Of the 9,694 rounds in that range, 24 percent were Ideal, 71 percent Excellent and 5 percent Very Good. Look for a depth of 59 to 63 percent and a table of 54 to 60 percent.

What color and clarity should a round diamond be?

VS2 or VS1 for clarity, because a round's facets hide what a loupe finds and VS2 is clean to the eye at every size Clairamor sells; the step to VS1 was $32 at 1 carat on October 11, 2026. For color, D to G all read white in a round in every metal, and G was the cheapest letter that day, $1,155 at 2 carats against $1,343 for D.

Four prongs or six for a round diamond?

Four prongs show more of the stone and are the modern standard; six are the classic for rounds, the arrangement Tiffany introduced in 1886, and they read a touch rounder and keep holding the stone if one prong is damaged. Clairamor's round heads use four claw prongs, except the tulip cathedral, our one six-prong round, with petal-tipped prongs; the double claw puts two claws at each of four points.

Which setting is best for a round diamond?

The solitaire for the most light and the least ring, the hidden halo for sparkle in profile at $100 more, the bezel for a hand that works, the cathedral for the silhouette, the low profile or bypass for a ring close to the finger, and a pavé or wide band for presence. The round suits every setting, having no direction and no points; Clairamor makes it in all 38 designs.

Round or oval: which should I choose?

The round for the brightest stone, a ring that reads the same from every angle, no bow-tie, no ratio to pick; the oval to make the hand look longer and the stone larger for its weight, a tenth more face and 2 mm more length at 2 carats. On October 11, 2026 a 2 carat round was $1,155 in Clairamor's picker, an oval $1,454. The choice is outline, not quality.

Does a round diamond look smaller than an oval of the same weight?

Yes, a little. A round brilliant is about 61 percent as deep as it is wide, so more of its weight sits below the girdle: a 2 carat round is about 8.1 mm across where a 2 carat oval runs 10.3 by 7.1 mm and shows about a tenth more face, and the oval's length runs up the finger, which reads as size. The round returns more light.

What wedding band goes with a round engagement ring?

A plain straight band, in most cases. A round overhangs the engagement ring's band less than any other shape, so a straight band sits flush under Clairamor's solitaire, hidden halo, bezel, low profile and pavé band heads. The cathedral's arches leave a small gap that some people fill with a curved band, the bypass wants a curved or notched band made to it, and the cigar band is worn alone.