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It's important to note that this is all very culture-dependent and even varies from person to person, so there's no one answer here. That said... in the US, the typical situation you see is for an engagement ring (given at proposal time to the woman), followed by a wedding band exchanged at the wedding. Women will typically wear both once they have both.
Diamond rings are the most common engagement ring, which you probably know already. That generally means a single large diamond (like half a karat or more), possibly with other smaller gemstones (of various types) depending on the design. Lots of people don't want that, though. For wedding bands... I certainly have never noticed a trend. They seem to be a zone where anything goes as long as it's a ring. You'll probably want to pick something that goes nicely with your girl's engagement ring, since she'll be wearing them both (and sometimes jewelers have matched sets to make that easier), but that's really about it.
The most important thing when it comes to engagement rings is to get something your girlfriend will like. Some women like diamond rings and won't settle for anything else. Some women absolutely do not want a diamond ring, and prefer other gemstones. Some don't want a ring at all - I have a friend whose fiancee wanted an engagement necklace, not a ring. You're going to need to talk to her and find out what her preferences are and what kind of designs she likes. The way I handled this (and I thought it worked well) was that I went to a few stores myself and found a ring that I thought she would like. Then, I took her ring shopping but did not take her to the store where I had found the one I had in mind. I paid attention to what she liked and didn't like in terms of ring designs and diamond cuts, so that i knew she would like what I got her. That way, I had a good idea she would like the ring, but it would still be a surprise because she hadn't seen it before.
For proposal methods, this is going to be unique to every couple. In movies they love to show the guy taking a knee and producing a ring box, but in real life you don't have to do that at all. The key is just to come up with something that isn't stressful for the woman (so, probably don't do the thing where your propose on the court during halftime at a basketball game), and you both will be able to look back on fondly. The only real advice I can give you is something a coworker gave me when I was figuring out how to propose: if you can, make it at a place which will last. Restaurants come and go, who knows if the one you proposed at will still be there in 20 years time? Ideally you want something you know you can go back to in order to reminisce. For that reason I chose to propose while we were at Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park. I put the ring in my pocket (which was hella stressful, I was so paranoid about a hole tearing in the pocket lol), and when we were walking around the lake we sat on a bench. When the moment felt right I asked her to marry me, and simultaneously pulled the ring out of my pocket and held it up for her to see. The nice thing is, we can always go back to our spot in the future. But that's what made sense for me and my wife, you gotta do what's right for you.
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