Non-surprising confession: I am a sucker for all things sparkly. Celebrity ring close-up paparazzi shots may be the only thing that keeps my subscription to US Magazine active, and my Safari jewelry bookmarks are over-run with the likes of Harry Winston, Van Cleef, and Graff– to name  few. It’s kinda sick.

One the one hand, I love when our brides stick to the classics- an exquisite emerald cut stone with baguettes or trillions, a giant Asscher cut on the teeniest band filled with prong-set diamonds. Then the edgy bauble devil in my other ear whispers sweet nothings about Blake Lively’s rose gold + pink diamond moment or a sliver of emerald in Erin Fetherston’s engagement ring, and I swing moodily back toward high drama.

Just to whet your whistle, I’ve rounded up my latest cravings so you too can drool over Edwardian milgrain detail, pavé halos, semi-mounted radiants, and more.

Also, here are a few top tips as you research (in stealth or in the open):

1. If you haven’t heard it by now, get your sweet little ostrich head out of the sand. The five Cs are cut, color, clarity, carat weight, + certification. A heady place to start is on the most respected certification site, GIA. If that’s too technical for you, try this site. It can’t hurt to know your terms- from the girdle to the table, from a cloud inclusion to a feather inclusion.

2. Consider a “fancy” shape. I know, hysterical- kinda an 80s word. Round diamonds are the most common (who wants common?) and that drives the price point (classic supply + demand). Stepped stones (emerald cut, Asscher cut, Ashoka like Reese Witherspoon’s, etc.) have to be significantly bigger to appear “same” as their counterparts to the naked eye- thus ratcheting up the price point again. Great fiery brilliant-cut fancy shapes to consider are the timeless cushion (whether pillow-shaped in ratio or more rounded/fat), the radiant (often mistaken for a rectangular Princess cut), and the pear (remember Selma Blair’s character Vivian Kensington’s Harry Winston pear diamond in Legally Blonde? Yeah, me too).

3. Always be thinking about the “friends” you’re going to stack with abandon down the road. Click here for our article with sources + top tips on fabby stacking bands to keep your sparkler company. Personally, I’m still all about a micro-pavé band (or 10) from someone like Martin Katz.

Super classic emerald cut excellence from Kwiat.

Erica Courtney nails it every time. The detail!

Shreve, Crump, & Low for the wine with this monster beauty.

Penny Preville knocks it out of the park with this semi-mount “suspended” cushion cut stunner.

Erica Courtney again- I have a thang for her.

Kwiat‘s Edwardian angle on one of their original antique designs- love the bit of sapphire.

Harry Winston can do no wrong with this lovely brilliant oval surrounded by prong-set round brilliants in its halo.

Single Stone is doing some amazing things these days – curating both vintage pieces and making new to look vintage.

Penny Preville again- but in a very geometric + architectural setting. Hint: plays nicely when the right hand has a cocktail ring that is more organically-shaped and not squared-off at all.