As precious as they are for jewelry like engagement ring, diamonds need precious time to be understood to be able to get the best one for yourself or someone important. As hard a mineral as they are, diamonds can be hard to choose from an array of diamond rings in various shapes, colors, sizes and the prices if you are not knowledgeable about how they are priced . If you really want to get the best buy for your money, get the diamond that you really want, then you’ll need to get to know more about it. Let no jewelry salesman sweet talk you into getting the diamond that you do not really want. Finding an accommodating jeweler who listens to you and understands what you want may be easy, but for him to understand what you want, you should be able to talk about what diamonds you prefer. A basic knowledge about this gemstone can be yours if you take the following steps to better understand diamonds.
Before the First Step
Diamonds are the best way to express love, appreciation or adoration for someone, and it could also be acquired just for the sheer joy of having it, the most frequent reasons for buying it. Diamonds are not an investment. As it is for the joy and pleasure of the receiver, you therefore must make the best and the right choices in buying a diamond ring.
The First Step
Understandably, the first step is to decide on how much money you are willing to spend. This will define your choices of a diamond ring. Once you know how far you will go as to its cost, you start your search for the diamond that can match your budget. Information is readily available from the Internet. As a guide, it pays to know that in buying diamond rings, the bulk of the price covers the cost of the diamond itself so you must know what you actually like as to its setting to know exactly how much you have left to pay for the diamond. An idea of the cost will show the jeweler that you know what you are looking for.
The Second Step
In selecting your diamond, you must take into account the four C’s that play an important role in its pricing. The 4 C’s are cut, color, clarity and carat. Start with knowing which of the four C’s is most important for you and list them in descending order from first priority to last. To better understand these C’s, here are some important points to remember. The cut or the shape of the diamond is responsible for its fire of rainbow colors that flashes inside the stone as well as its brilliance. There are many shapes to choose from like the classic round, the “new” classic, the square shape, known also as the “princess” cut, or the elegant European classic like the emerald shape or the asscher cut.
The other C is for color which is very influential in the appraisal of the diamond. The less color, the higher the price. Its color ranges from colorless which is the most expensive to light yellow which is the least expensive. Although the human eye cannot tell the difference, choosing the setting relative to the color of the diamond is important for properly selecting the diamond. You have a choice of either a white metal such as platinum or white gold or a yellow gold ring. Selecting a yellow gold ring for a diamond that is colorless is not wise because the yellow color of the ring will be reflected to some extent in the diamond making it look darker than it really is. It doesn’t make sense to spend extra money for a colorless diamond when it will be set in a yellow gold ring. If you really prefer the yellow gold ring, a diamond with an H, I, or even a J color which are near colorless will look great in the ring. If you are going for a white metal, you have to go with the colorless and the near colorless like the H and higher.
Another C in a diamond refers to clarity. Although it is difficult to detect higher clarities by the naked eye the differences in price are staggering. Here is a way to decide what is right for you. Try looking at it at arms length by extending your arm down the side of your body and bending back your hand as in admiring a ring on your finger, if you can’t see anything, then you can go with a clarity scale of slightly included 3 (SI3) to included 1 (I1) where there are inclusions of tiny crystals, feathers or clouds. If at elbow range (approx. 12 inches away) you see no flaws, you can go with an SI2 to SI3 clarity range. At nose length and you don’t see anything then you’ll need to go with SI1 clarity or a very good SI2. If you don’t see anything under magnification such as a jeweler’s loupe then you’ll have to go with VS2 clarity or a very good SI1 clarity. Actually, there are 11 clarity scales to a diamond, these are from the highest to the lowest – flawless (F), internally flawless (IF), very very slightly included (VVS) 1 and 2, very slightly included (VS) 1 and 2, slightly included (SI)1 and 2, and included (I) 1, 2 and 3. Though the difference in the range is difficult to see with the naked eye, clarity should be deeply considered as it plays a significant role in dictating the price of the diamond.
The Last Step
The last factor to consider in buying a diamond is its weight or carat. But you cannot determine its weight only by looking at the item because the cut of a diamond may make it appear larger or smaller than its actual weight. If you have decided to buy a round diamond that has an H color and SI1 clarity with your $5,000 for the diamond alone, ask your jeweler for the largest round diamond with the H/SI1 grade for your $5,000 and he can give you the right choices. Bear in mind, however, that if you are looking for a diamond that is of high clarity and over 1 carat size, get only diamonds certified by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), recognized by all diamond experts and jewelers throughout the jewelry industry as the most accurate and unbiased opinion when it comes to grading diamonds.
Alternative option in order to get what you want
If, after getting quotes from several sources you still don’t like the sizes presented to you, you have the option of clarity enhanced diamonds. You will typically be able to get a 30% to 40% larger diamond for the same price with a clarity enhanced diamond as a non-enhanced diamond. On the other hand, if you like the size of the non-enhanced diamond you were presented with in the first place you will be able to get the same size for 30% to 40% less cost with an enhanced diamond.
A word about Ring Sizing
Surprising someone with a gift of a diamond ring is wonderful provided you know her or his ring size. To be sure that the ring fits, here are some ideas to know a person’s ring size without asking her or him directly:
- Ask her/his mom or sisters if you think they can keep a secret.
- Pay attention to the ring(s) she/he usually wears and when she/he takes it off trace it on a piece of paper. Make sure you trace the inside of the ring not the outside.
- If she/he doesn’t wear rings, simply take a piece of string and wrap it around her/his ring finger when she’s/he’s asleep. Mark the length of the string without squeezing it too tight. Measure the length on a typical ruler in either inches or centimeters. Give your jeweler this measurement and they’ll convert it to the proper ring size.
- Always keep in mind that the ring has to make it past the knuckle first.
If the ring still does not fit exactly right it can always be resized and most jewelers charge between $25 and $75 depending on how many sizes up or down is necessary.
Ring Size Charts
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