Useful Tips to Buy the Perfect Diamond Engagement Ring

If you got the answer ‘yes’ from your girlfriend, it means that both of you are ready to enter married life. Now that you’re both engaged, it’s now time for you to get a stunning diamond engagement ring for your fiancee. You may be excited for the engagement itself but you may also feel nervous when you’re going to buy an engagement ring. But you’re not alone on that, as many other people do not have much an idea about diamond rings. It’s only natural to feel confused and lost, at least from the start.

Wearing the Ring

But you don’t have to worry, as this article is made for all those who are searching for a diamond engagement ring. You can learn from the following tips that will help you to get the perfect diamond ring for your engagement.

Fix a budget

Just like buying a house or a car, a diamond engagement ring is something that requires considerable spending, so you should save up first before buying one. But keep in mind that you cannot spend beyond your limit for purchasing a ring. You don’t want to squander all of your savings on some rock, and besides, there are other important things to save on as your wedding is approaching. Thus, it is important to fix a budget in advance and search for a ring as per that budget. Once you have the budget, you can go to the jewelry shops and showrooms and inquire about rings that look good but will also fall under your budget.

Collect InformationCollect information

A diamond engagement ring is a very expensive thing and hence you cannot buy such a thing without having proper knowledge about the diamonds. First, you should be aware of the four C’s: cut, clarity, color, and carat. These four elements are very useful determinants of a diamond’s value.

 

  1. Cut: A diamond refers to its angles and facets in relation to its reflective quality. A diamond that has an ideal cut will absorb light through the “table” (or the top surface of a diamond), and bounce that light back through the table and to the observer’s eye. In this way, the diamond will have an attractive sparkle and “fiery” quality. A diamond that has a shallow cut won’t produce enough sparkle because the light that it absorbs just leaks through the bottom. In a diamond which has a cut that’s too deep, on the other hand, the light will escape to the sides which makes it appear dull and glassy. Regardless of the size or the clarity of the diamond, if it has a superior cut, it will sparkle the brightest – even smaller diamonds with a good cut will shine more brightly than a bigger diamond of a poorer cut. To maximize your budget, choose only a diamond ring that has a good cut as long as your budget allows it.
  2. Carat: A carat is a unit of mass for gemstones such as a diamond. A one-carat diamond is equal to 0.2 gram. As with the other factors, larger and heavier diamonds are rare and thus more expensive. A one-carat diamond is big enough for a ring, and it’s usually expensive for an average Joe (it can fetch around $4,000 up to about $26,000 per carat, depending on the shape or rarity). There are other options, though, to help you save some thousands of dollars on a ring. You can go down half a carat but make sure that it has a good cut to make it really sparkle. You can also choose to work on a design for your diamond engagement ring – for instance, look for an attractive shape and design for your engagement ring’s band or shaft. Or choose the three-stone setting consisting of the diamond as the center stone and two side gemstones that are more affordable such turquoise or amethyst, or organic “stones” like amber and pearl. This will make an attractive contrast of colors.
  3. Color: A diamond is graded by color starting from “D” (colorless) to “Z” (light yellow or pale brown). Generally, a diamond that’s clear and colorless is expensive, but there are some cases that colored diamonds such as green and red fetch a higher price than their colorless counterparts. Remember that all diamonds have pretty much the same level of mineral properties, regardless whether they are colorless or colored. Which means that a colored diamond has pretty much the same quality and durability as the colorless one. It’s just that most people prefer the colorless ones because they give out the most sparkle, while a growing number of other consumers appreciate the colored ones because they are unique.
  4. Clarity: The clarity of a diamond is measured by the number and size of inclusions – or in plain words, imperfections, flaws or blemishes. The clarity is graded from “flawless” to “included.” A “flawless” diamond, as the name suggests, has nearly no inclusions at all, making it look crystal-clear. An “included” diamond, on the other hand, may appear a bit spotty or cloudy. But these inclusions are not obvious to the naked eye, as they can be viewed only under a 10x loupe magnification. An included diamond will still appear lovely when you buy it from the jewelry store; it is also generally cheaper than the clearest diamond.

Studs Diamond Ring

 

The setting for your ring

A setting is a metal design that supports the center stone (like a diamond) in an engagement ring. It is an important thing and thus you should select the best one out from the available and some of the many most popular options:

 

  1. Four-prong setting – It is the most common and popular setting. It places the diamond on the pedestal – literally. You can see the diamond in its virtual entirety and the sparkle that comes with it.
  2. Bezel – Bezel is another popular type of ring setting. The center stone is surrounded by a metal wrapping, securely placing it. This is a practical choice for women who have an active lifestyle as bezel prevents the diamond from snagging on things or falling off as it knocks against surfaces.
  3. Pavé – A pavé setting has one or more rows of stones that are fixed as close as possible and set within the level surfaces of the ring. It will give your ring an endless sparkle but because there are many gemstones in it, a ring with a pavé setting can be expensive.
  4. Wide band – It is called “wide band” because the band has the same width as the center stone. Wide band rings have become more popular nowadays because of its modern look, as well as the durability that it offers.

Trusted DealerBuy it from a reputable dealer

As you are going to buy an expensive and valuable item like an engagement ring, it’s natural that you become cautious towards fraudulent dealers. You must choose a dealer who runs its business legally, has a good reputation in the market and provides you with originality certificates of their jewelry. Don’t even think of getting a diamond engagement ring without the certificates that prove its originality.