Your engagement diamonds,
your choice

About Aurate

Diamonds for all
things, made your way

If you ask us, there are many things worth getting a diamond ring over: an engagement, sure, but also a promotion, a birthday, a new addition to the family. Whatever the occasion, we’ve got dozens of diamonds for it, made special just for you. Literally – the magic of having options is in your hands. Into lab grown? We have that. Natural diamonds? Got that, too. All set in our 100% sustainable 14K gold, 18K gold, or platinum of your choice, of course. So how’s a discerning gal (or guy, or neither) supposed to choose? That’s why we’re here. Consider this your go-to guide for understanding your dream diamond and making it come true.

Our Founders

Choose your character: Lab Grown vs. Natural

If you know us at all, you know we were designed around empowerment and choice. You’re always in the driver's seat, and now it applies to your jewelry too. Since you’ve got all these fabulous diamond options, we wanted to give you the knowledge and power you need so you can decide which one is right for you: lab grown, or natural? All education, zero judgment. You do you.

So, what's the difference?

We all know where natural diamonds come from, but what even is lab grown? It’s in the name, to start: it’s a diamond that was created in a laboratory in only 6-10 weeks using either high pressure and high heat, or a chemical process. If you had one of each in front of you, it would be virtually impossible to decipher the difference between natural and lab. Good news for all!

No matter what option you pick, rest assured that all of our solitaire engagement diamonds come with a GIA or IGI certificate.

And, because we’re glass half full kind of people, so we’re detailing all the pros to each for you here:

Natural

  • Sourced from all over Mother Earth - ethically, of course
  • The Kimberley Process ensures that any diamonds we purchase come from a conflict-free nation. The actions that guarantee this take place on a federal level across 54 participants and 81 countries, including the United States, meaning that only KP cleared diamonds can cross the border
  • Likely to retain or increase in value over time, in comparison to its lab-made counterpart

Lab grown

  • Looks just like the natural, organic thing – literally the human eye can’t see a difference – so no one’s going to know (wink wink)
  • No need for digging deeper into the Earth – a win for all!
  • Hands down the most affordable way to get your hands on beautiful diamonds

Choose your shape

So many shapes, too little time. We know you’re busy and don’t want to get caught up in option paralysis (oh trust us, it’s a thing), so that’s why we’re giving you the basics behind each diamond shape to help you find the one that makes your heart sing.

Round

Round brilliant cut diamonds are the go-to pinnacle of perfection when it comes to diamonds and engagement jewelry. Known for their unique brilliance and shine, round shaped diamonds usually have 57 facets or cuts that are mathematically formulated for maximum sparkle and the hiding of inclusions. This is the stone shape for anyone seeking a classic aesthetic.

Oval

Known for their ability to bridge the gap between classic and unique, oval diamonds allow their wearer to bear the 57 facet sparkles known for brilliant cuts in a more unique shape that expresses individuality. The long shape of the oval covers the finger in shine, and each oval always has a slight variation allowing more room for creative shape choices.

Cushion Cut

Take a cut right from the pages of history is the cushion diamond, a softened square with rounded edges that is one of the oldest cutting styles formerly known as “mine cut” because of how gorgeous the diamonds sparkled in candlelight. The cut has been modernized since the 1700’s, and this historical connection could be why it is the most popular celebrity choice of diamond shape.

Princess Cut

Conceived of in the 1970’s, the princess shape is the modern take on the brilliant cut and sparkles uniquely with 57 facets hiding small imperfections with ease. Clean lines and crisp edges converge in this popular style of diamond that has quickly found its way to the center of our hearts, where any princess belongs.

Emerald Cut

Emerald cut diamonds are smooth with geometric lines and clean corners that showcase the quality and color of the diamond. Developed in the 1500’s for emerald cutters and sometimes called a step cut, this stone shape has since captivated the gaze of diamond lovers with its depth and simple elegance that elongates the finger and shows what a difference high clarity diamonds can bring.

Know your size

A no-brainer, yes. In fact, knowing you, you probably have all your ring sizes for each and every finger committed to memory. But, for a big, hulking diamond, it never hurts to triple-check. Read up on the best way to measure your finger and calculate your ring size.

View our size guide

Our
materials

We’ll be the first to admit that we are Picky with a capital “P,” so you can bet that our materials are world class. No matter what you choose, it’ll do no wrong, but here’s the download on what you need to know about your choice of metal.

14k

The homecoming queen of gold, 14 karat is the most popular worldwide and is the go-to standard for engagement jewelry. About 90% of the world’s engagement jewelry is made in 14k because of its approachability and rich color, so much so that most people associate the color of gold with 14k.

18k

Purely practical AND practically pure, 18 karat gold is the benchmark for luxury. It’s as close to 24k as possible without sacrificing all functional durability. More is more when it comes to 18k!

Platinum

The epitome of elegance and timeless sophistication, platinum is the most popular white metal for engagement rings. Alloyed only with other platinum group metals, platinum alloys are 100% precious metal and perfect for sensitive skin.

Know your C’s

That sure doesn't look like any math we remember from school, but when it comes to diamonds, it’s the formula for success. What we are talking about is the four Cs: color, clarity, carat & cut. If there’s anything that you absolutely need to know, it’s this. Think of it like the prettiest math formula you’ve ever seen, and lucky for you we majored in sparkle so we took the time to lay out what we know so you can ace your purchase.

All of our solitaire engagement diamonds meet GIA’s or IGI's highest of standards and come with an authentic GIA or IGI diamond grading report that certifies the quality of your hand-selected diamond.

What is it?

Quite literally, what color is your diamond? Diamonds naturally occur in a variety of colors, but white diamonds are the most popular and they are graded on their own scale: the higher the grade the higher the value, with white diamonds being graded on a scale of D-Z: D, E, and F being colorless, G and H being near colorless, and all the others varying in tint.

We’ve got you

G and H diamonds are what we prefer for our diamonds at Aurate and are the standard choice for our engagement collection. Once set in jewelry, either large or small carat, to an untrained eye these diamonds are imperceptibly colored so you get all the look of the highest quality diamonds without having to smash open your piggy bank. White gold, yellow gold, or platinum - there is no wrong choice with how to set one of these beauties.

Don’t see what you like or have a special request? Submit your diamond hopes and dreams here and we will help your custom dream come to life.

What is it?

Diamond clarity refers to the absence of inclusions and surface flaws within the stone. Diamonds, either lab or natural, require intense heat and pressure to be created and in that process small trace elements other than carbon can be introduced, or blemishes on the surface may occur. How a stone is graded depends on the size, color, and location of these blemishes and inclusions within a diamond, and there are multiple GIA scores a diamond can receive: there’s FL, IF, VVS1 & VVS2, VS1 & VS2, SI1 & SI2, and lastly, I1, I2, & I3. It’s like a different language, we know.

We’ve got you

At Aurate, you can expect VS1 to VS2 diamond clarity for all our engagement rings. This is what we think is the sweet spot for diamond clarity and is what comprises our standard offering. VS diamonds remain eye clean, meaning you would need magnification 10x to see any blemishes and inclusions, and represent a very practical level of quality and luxury.

What is it?

Not to be confused with karat, which is a purity measurement for gold, the carat of a diamond is a direct reference to the weight of a diamond or apparent size. Something else to note is a term you may see, TCW, which stands for total carat weight, and refers to the complete sum of all diamonds on a singular piece of jewelry or in a preselected lot.

We’ve got you

Diamond size is the first thing people notice, and we only want the best for you, so all of our Aurate engagement jewelry comes with a hand-chosen center diamond between .95 and 1.05 carats. If you are looking for something larger or smaller to fit your lifestyle or budget, fill in our form and our diamond expert will connect with you.

What is it?

Often confused for shape (round, emerald, princess), cut is actually a quality determinator based on the facets of a diamond and how well they interact with light - in a nutshell, it is THE most important element of sparkle. Cut is rated on a scale of Poor to Excellent, and is measured by three primary factors: brightness, fire, and scintillation. GIA’s diamond cut grade also considers the design and quality craftsmanship of the diamond, including its weight relative to its diameter, symmetry, and quality of polish.

We’ve got you

A proper cut can make all the difference between a sparkler or firework on your finger. Diamond cutting is a mathematically precise art that has many different styles, most popularly brilliant cut and step cut (the two cuts we use for our engagement collection). We know you want your diamond to be as scintillating as you are, so Aurate is only offering Very Good to Excellent cut diamonds.