If you want a bigger diamond (or other center stone) but don't want your guy spending movie-star bucks on your engagement ring, you should probably check out rings with rose-cut stones, like Jennifer Aniston's. (Obviously hers is enormous, so "movie-star bucks" still applies, despite the cut.) Here's a zoomed-in snap of Jen's, as a reminder:
See how the diamond lies flat against her finger? That's because a rose-cut diamond is shaped like this; that's a top and a side view. A more traditional cut (here's a round brilliant) is thicker, so there's more going on below the "table," the part that you see when you look at a diamond from overhead. So if you look at a 1-carat rose-cut diamond and a 1-carat round-cut diamond from above, the rose-cut diamond will look bigger. Get it?
Here are some engagement rings with rose-cut stones. All of 'em are by Megan Thorne, who's pretty much the queen of amazing rose-cut rings, in my book.
Engagement Ring 1
Scalloped Bezel Ribbed Scallop Shank Ring.
Engagement Ring 2
Wood Nymph Solitaire Ring With Guard.
Engagement Ring 3
Scalloped Bezel Ribbed Scallop Shank Ring With Pink Rose-Cut Ruby.
Would you want an engagement ring with a rose-cut stone? Which of these engagement rings is your favorite?