The brave man that chooses to buy a diamond engagement ring without any direct input from his partner or her best friend stands to win everything. At best, his partner will love the diamond ring and appreciate his efforts. At worst, his partner may want to change the ring but will still undoubtedly recognise the consideration that went into choosing the ring.

Buying diamond rings is not as simple as walking into a shop and choosing one, because they are many factors to take into consideration when choosing a ring. Style is one of particular importance.

The most popular style of diamond engagement ring is the solitaire ring. As the name suggests, this consists of one diamond in a setting, held by claws which allow the diamond to be positioned perfectly to catch the most amount of light and therefore create the ultimate sparkle.

Cluster rings are designed with lots of small diamonds clustered together to create an eye-catching, brilliant effect. Traditionally, seven stones were used to make a flower design, but now cluster rings can be made up of a number of different stones to create any design at all.

Trilogy rings use three stones to great symbolic effect. One diamond represents the past, the other represents the present and the last represents the future. Trilogy rings are popular with people who want to inject a little colour into their diamond rings, as they allow the incorporation of other stones. Often, a sapphire can take centre place with a diamond flanking either side.

Having some idea as to what style of ring your partner prefers will do a long way in helping to choose what ring to buy. Our top tip is to do some detective work beforehand because this will definitely pay off.