29 Incredible Engagement Rings for Every Budget

Whether you’re dropping hints to a significant other, already happily betrothed, or as far from getting married as you are from running a marathon on your lunch break, ogling the best engagement rings never gets old.

Maybe it’s because after finding The One, an engagement ring becomes as permanent a part of someone as their partner, a hugely notable love token that practically embeds itself on the body. Fleeting, impulsive, momentary—none of these terms applies to an emblem of eternity. 

Best Engagement and Diamond Rings

Photo:

Instagram/@hannahalmassi

Then there’s the backstory of a ring. Where engagements are concerned, budgets get blown, heirlooms are passed down and proposals are painstakingly prepared (followed by gasps of “Didn’t they choose well?!”).

Having said that, you don’t always need a real-life proposal for a story. Is there anything more fun than window-shopping, where hours of amusement can be had from making up the fantasy lifestyle you’d need to pull off a rock that costs more than the average mortgage? We think not.

So whether you’re in the latter camp or you need to steer that special someone towards a decision, sit back, and scroll through some of the most beautiful rings you’ll ever set eyes on.

Cartier Engagement Ring

Cartier Destinée Solitaire Platinum Diamond Ring

We're starting with a classic—this beautiful, elegant design is paved with brilliant-cut diamonds for a vintage-style finish. Price on request.

Because you’ll want to stack this with your wedding band—and then some more…

An alternative take on the solitaire diamond. 

This adds a whole glamorous new meaning to the term “pear-shaped.”

Mappin & Webb Ena Harkness Three Stone Yellow Gold Ring £15,500 )

Diamonds and gold—they’re all we need to be happy.

This beautiful piece of craftsmanship is inspired by Aphrodite’s love for her Adonis.

The top of this stunning ring is a hexagon, chosen because it represents union and communication. 

Rose-gold metal and a morganite stone offer an alternative take on the classic platinum-and-diamond solitaire combo.

Check out 1stdibs for one-of-a-kind fine jewellery, sourced from specialist dealers around the world. 

You can’t go wrong with a classic and dazzling halo style.

Looking for a ring minus the bling? Here’s a case for gently glistening brown diamonds.

Ruth Tomlinson’s alternative take on the solitaire diamond is unique.

It’s so beautiful that we could imagine a character from an F. Scott Fitzgerald story sporting this gem. 

Delicate and discreet, this trio of stones on a dainty rose-gold band is everything.

You won’t be able to stop admiring your ring finger with this beauty adorning it.

The intricacy of this white-gold ring tells an everlasting floral story.

Want more inspo? Check out the best celebrity engagement rings. 

Opening Image: Timur Emek/Getty Images

This post was originally published at an earlier date and has since been updated.