Yesterday we shared our love for pearls, and today we're dishing about a girl's best friend: diamonds. Tiffany & Co. diamonds, to be exact.

Earlier this week we found ourselves seated at an elegant dining table in the gorgeous Grand America Hotel surrounded by glittering Tiffany & Co diamond engagement rings and stacked club sandwiches--forget breakfast at Tiffany's, we were having lunch with Tiffany's. During the luncheon, we received a lesson in Tiffany & Co. Engagement Rings 101. Being hands-on learners, we were thrilled to not just hear about and see the sparklers, but to also wear the rings. Not a bad day at the office.

A Tiffany & Co. diamond engagement ring at the Grand America luncheon

Did you know that Tiffany & Co. created the diamond engagement ring as we know it today? In 1886, founder Charles Lewis Tiffany first introduced the iconic Tiffany Setting, and the style continues to be popular with modern-day brides. The six prong design was a bold departure from the flat bezel-set rings most common in Charles Lewis Tiffany's era. The Tiffany Setting features a brilliant-cut diamond solitaire lifted above the band to capture light and proudly display the sparkling stone.

The iconic Tiffany Setting

The Tiffany Setting was such a hit, it stood alone in the Tiffany & Co. engagement collection for more than a century before the company introduced additional rings. Today, the Tiffany Setting's sidekicks include the Soleste, Novo, Lucida, Embrace, Grace, Legacy, Bezet, Etoile, and Harmony. Tiffany diamonds are cut to maximize brilliance rather than carat weight--think quality over quantity.

Clockwise from top left: Soleste, Novo, Harmony, Legacy

According to Julie Peterson, director of Salt Lake City's Tiffany & Co. at City Creek Center, the most popular Tiffany setting with Utah brides is Soleste, a cushion modified brilliant diamond encircled by a double-row of glittering bead-set diamonds. Not only is the ring beautiful, it's surprisingly affordable--prices range from $4,000 on up. Peterson notes that the halo-style platinum ring offers a big look without a big price tag. In fact, we were excited (and surprised!) to learn that many of Tiffany & Co.'s engagement rings are available in a wide range of prices--grooms, take note!

Tiffany & Co Engagement Ring Finder app

We were also excited to be introduced to the Tiffany & Co. Engagement Ring Finder app. Download the app to your iPhone, iPad, or Android, and you can browse ring styles, determine your ring size, view carat weights, and virtually try on Tiffany's collection of engagement rings. How cool is that?

Once you've checked out the app, try Tiffany's engagement rings on for real at the Tiffany & Co. boutique in downtown SLC: City Creek Center, 50 South Main Street, Salt Lake City, 801-359-2005.

Many thanks to Tiffany & Co. and the Grand America for schooling us in the fine art of Tiffany diamonds and engagement rings!