If you’re planning to choose the ring for your marriage proposal, it’s vital to pick out something that is suitable for your girlfriend’s unique tastes. All types of jewelry can be personal to the recipient, but an engagement ring should reflect the fact that you understand something about your beloved, and should therefore match her personality.

The Main Types of Engagement Rings

Brilliant Cut

This is one of the more popular types of rings and accounts for around 75% of diamonds sold today. If you’re unsure about what type of ring to go for and your girlfriend is a traditional type of lady then a brilliant cut ring is a fail-safe choice. If however, she is quite quirky then she may find this ring a little bland for her tastes.

Emerald Cut

This is another popular choice due to the fact that it’s fairly safe and traditional. It’s a rectangular shape with the corners cut off and is flattering to shorter fingers. If your girl likes to appear elegant and refined but doesn’t like to stand out in a crowd then the emerald cut is definitely the best choice.

Princess Cut

This type of engagement ring is generally square or rectangular in shape and because it’s cut with numerous facets it easily catches the light. This cut is often found in solitaire style rings but offers a welcome break from the classic round shape of many solitaires. If your partner loves all things girly and would feel comfortable surrounded by all things pink, then a Princess cut ring would be very apt.

Marquis Cut

If you have always considered your girlfriend to be a unique individual then a Marquis Cut ring would be perfect for her as it is different from other types of engagement rings. It’s an unusual elongated shape with distinctive pointed ends and is the ideal way to make shorter fingers appear longer and more slender. Marquis just seems to have something different and gives the wearer a bit of an edge over most other cuts.

Pear Cut

This effortlessly combines the best of the Oval and Marquis cuts and can look a bit like a tear drop, and of course tears don’t always represent sadness, they can also come about because of joy and happiness. Pear cut rings are generally seen as traditional but with a bit of a twist, so they offer a little more originality than other styles.

The key is to remember exactly what it was about your girlfriend that made you fall madly in love with her in the first place. Was it her intelligence, integrity and compassion? Maybe you love how unique she can sometimes be without realizing it. Is your girlfriend very glamorous and confident? Or is she cute and a little quiet? All of these personality traits should be taken into account when you’re looking at engagement rings because some styles will not suit certain women. For example, would you really imagine that a shy retiring lady would want a ‘gumball’ machine style ring that attracts too much attention? If you think carefully before parting with any cash then you should not go too far wrong. Of course, if you’re really frightened of getting it completely wrong, ask a close friend of your girlfriend’s to come along with you. In this case it’s always better to be safe than sorry!

Grace Pamer is the author of www.RomanceNeverDies.com, a blog dedicated to putting together winning marriage proposal ideas for couples in the UK. As featured in Cosmopolitan.com, FoxNews.com, CanadianLiving.com, YourTango.com and many more. Connect @RomanceNvrDie