Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
October 2, 2010
What can I say? I'm no millionaire. I want to buy my fiancé a gorgeous diamond engagement ring which she'll love but I just can't afford to go crazy. How can I get the best diamond for my money?
September 13, 2011
August 10, 2011
-The best place to start is to determine your budget. It is common to spend about 2 months salary, but this is really up to the individual.
-Next, make sure you know her taste, whether you want to talk to her directly, get hints from friends, or just try to get a sense from looking at the jewelry she already owns.
-Then, try to decide which of the 4 C's (cut, clarity, color, carat) is most important to you, because inevitably as you shop around, you will be faced with trade-offs. So, you want to know where you are willing to make sacrifices and where you are not.
-Now you are ready to start doing research and shopping around.It is really important to know your source and only shop with reputable jewelers, whether online or in store. Take your time and shop around.
-Look for stores with GIA-graduate gemologists that offer GIA-graded stones.
-Insist on a GIA grading report for any stone you are considering buying. This is really important because you want to be comparing apples to apples when you are deciding between stones. If you are comparing diamonds with grading reports from different grading labs with different standards, you are comparing apples to oranges.
-GIA is the scientific, nonprofit lab that developed the 4 C's in the first place. They provide unbiased, accurate grading reports and are considered the industry standard.
-Once you make your purchase,get it appraised and then insured. Oh, and somewhere in there, propose! Good luck!
October 7, 2010
Here are a few useful tips on how to get the most for your money when buying diamond jewelry:
1. I know that most women dream of a large carat diamond, which could play to your advantage. How? A diamond's value is determined, not only by its carat weight, but also by its color, clarity and cut. If your fiancé has her heart set on a large carat diamond, you could cut your costs by buying her a diamond that has a large carat weight, but that has a low color or clarity grade. For example, a 3 carat diamond with an N color grade and I1 or I2 clarity will often cost less than a 1 carat D color, VS1 clarity. I recommend you have a look at online diamond price indexes, compare and contrast diamond qualities and their respective values.
2. Avoid fancy cuts. When it comes to diamonds, the simplest, and the most popular diamond cut is the round brilliant. As such, round brilliant diamonds are very easy to come by, and since they are so abundant, they often cost less than fancy cut diamonds (diamonds cut into specific shapes such as hearts, stars, flowers, etc.). Also, if we're already on the subject of cut, the diamond's cut grade need not necessarily be Excellent for the diamond to be beautifully shaped. A Good diamond cut grade is your best bet
3. If your diamond is relatively small, its clarity will not be much of an issue since inclusions and blemishes are usually not that visible, and will be even harder to spot in a small carat diamond.
4. Instead of buying a solitaire diamond, consider buying a number of small diamonds. A good idea is to buy a ring pave set with tiny diamonds. Diamonds that are set closely together give the illusion of one large diamond, without costing quite as much. Not to mention that this kind offsetting is designed to maximize the tiny diamonds' brilliance. The result is a very glittery ring, which is very appealing to ladies who prefer a sparkly engagement ring.
5. Buy a smaller diamond, but choose a ring setting that'll enhance its brilliance and give it the appearance of a larger diamond. A prong setting, for example, would be a good option since prong settings leave most of the diamond exposed, causing it to look larger than it actually is. Avoid settings in which a diamond is almost completely submerged in the setting's metal (settings such as bezel and channel).
6. Consider buying an artificial diamond. Artificial diamonds look almost identical to diamonds, and some types even have the same exact characteristics and chemical compounds as diamonds. Artificial diamonds are considered less desirable since they are synthetic, which is why they are cheaper. No one but a professional gemologist using specialized instruments will be able to tell the difference between an artificial diamond and a natural one.
7. Consider treated diamonds. Treated diamonds, much like artificial diamonds, are less desirable than natural, untreated diamonds. Diamonds are treated to improve their clarity and their color. Some enhancement treatments leave tiny, marks on the diamond's surface, or within its crystallized structure. However, a treated diamond will only be distinguishable under 10X magnifying loupe, so you need not worry that your fiancé will be able to tell whether the diamonds had undergone treatment.
8. If you don't want to skimp on the diamond, then perhaps you should skimp on the ring's design. Choose a relatively simple design, with a simple setting, or go with an inexpensive, semi-precious metal for your ring's design (for example, metals such as silver and low karat gold are a lot more affordable than high karat gold, white gold or platinum).
