Diamond Engagement Ring Essentials: Things You’ve Got to Keep In Mind

A diamond is a serious investment. It is something that holds a lot of value, both financially and emotionally. Diamond engagement rings in particular may be considered as the single most important piece of jewelry anyone will ever buy. It always has a lot riding on it and holds an immense amount of sentimental value. Most people go all out when it comes to buying diamond engagement rings. 

Understandably, people would want to make one of the most important events of their lives extra special. What if we told you that we can help you save up on your diamond engagement ring without compromising on its quality. Our guidelines will enable you to get closer to procuring that perfect diamond ring at the best possible price. Here are all the things you need to keep in mind when buying your diamond engagement ring. 

Diamond-Cut Quality

Rather than clubbing all the diamond 4Cs together, it is best to understand the significance of each of the aspects of the 4Cs and what impact they have on your diamond. The cut quality is the most important aspect of the diamond 4Cs. This is because your diamond’s cut designates how proportioned it is. This is concerning your diamond’s depth and symmetry. 

Also, the cut quality of your diamond affects its fire and brilliance, which are very important diamond qualities.

Brilliance is the ability of a diamond to reflect white light to our eyes. The light that enters the diamond is reflected off the facets and onto our eyes. The brilliance of your diamond affects its ability to sparkle

Fire is the ability of a diamond to disperse white light into a spectrum or a rainbow. 

A poorly cut diamond is dull and lacks luster. The GIA grades diamond quality from ‘Excellent’ to ‘Poor’. Regardless to say, it is always recommended to buy Excellent cut diamonds. However, the GIA does not grade the cut quality of fancy diamonds. In this case, your diamond’s cut quality has to be figured out by assessing the diamond’s depth percentage, table percentage, and length to width ratio. These aspects affect a diamond’s proportions. 

Depth Percentage

The height of a diamond from the culet to the top of the table determines its depth. The depth of a diamond is measured in percentage. A lower depth percentage affects your diamond’s ability to reflect light properly. This makes your diamond appear darker and less sparkly.

Table Percentage

If you divide the top surface area of your diamond by its diameter, it gives us its table percentage. The table percentage of a diamond affects its ability to reflect the light off its crown and facets. A low table percentage amounts to a lesser amount of light being reflected in our eyes. The ideal table percentage depends on the shape of your diamond. 

Length to Width Ratio

As simple as it sounds, dividing the length of your diamond by the width gives us its length to width ratio. This helps us determine how proportionate your diamond is. 

Besides these aspects your diamond’s symmetry, brilliance, fire, and polish also play a crucial role in determining your diamond’s cut quality. Paying close attention to your diamond’s cut quality will make sure you have a diamond with a high level of brilliance. It is recommended to always check the GIA certification when buying round-cut diamonds. 

Color and Clarity Grade

The same rule applies to both these aspects of the 4Cs when shopping for diamond engagement rings. Rather than spending a ton of money on premium color grades or clarity grades, it is recommended to buy eye-clean diamonds. Eye clean diamonds show no blemishes when viewed with the naked eye. Similarly, they show no hint of color when viewed with the naked eye as well. 

Diamonds are formed under extreme heat and pressure under the earth’s surface. This is the reason diamonds develop inclusions and blemishes. The ability of diamonds to hide these blemishes determines their clarity grade. The GIA grades diamond clarity from IF to I2, IF being internally flawless. Concerning your diamond, choose the suitable clarity grade. For example, Round cut diamonds are excellent at hiding blemishes as compared to Asscher cut diamonds so it is important to choose a clarity grade that hides all noticeable blemishes. 

The GIA grades color from D to Z, D being free from any kind of color. Diamonds in general have a signature yellowish tint to them. The ability to mask this color determines a higher color grade for your diamond. Certain diamond cuts like round cut diamonds are excellent at hiding color but Asscher diamonds are not so good at hiding color. Also, the color of your diamond can be masked with the help of your ring setting. Choosing the right ring setting is also an important part of choosing your diamond engagement ring. 

It is always recommended to consult an expert when choosing color and clarity grades. 

Carat Weight

Diamonds are priced per carat, however, the price per carat increases exponentially with a rise in carat weight. It is always recommended to not go for very high carat weights because of multiple factors.  First of all, the higher the carat weight, the more observable blemishes are there in your stone. Secondly, finding perfect pieces of high carat weights is rare and lastly, the price difference is a lot. For example, if the price per carat of a specific cut of a diamond is $4000, the price per carat of a 2-carat diamond or a 2.5-carat diamond will be about $6000 to $8000, depending on the cut.

It must also be stated that your diamond’s carat weight has got nothing to do with its size. Carat is a unit of weight, not size. Certain diamond shapes of lower carat weights might appear bigger than other diamonds of higher carat weights. For example, comparing a Marquise diamond of a lower carat weight with an Asscher diamond of a slightly higher carat weight. 

Ring Setting of Your Diamond

Choosing your ring setting is just as important as choosing your diamond. The material used in your ring setting, whether it is white gold, yellow gold, or platinum, has a considerable effect on the overall price of your diamond engagement ring and has a major effect on how low you can go on your diamond’s color grade without compromising on your diamond’s quality. The right ring setting also depends on your taste and choices.

A Halo ring highlights your diamond by surrounding it with small melee diamonds to enhance its sparkle. In this case, you may use a diamond that does not offer impeccable brilliance and still enhances its brilliance using melee diamonds. 

The three stone diamond ring setting is a relatively modern setting featuring three stones on a ring setting of your choice. These three stones need not be all diamonds. You can choose to have a diamond centerpiece with two gemstones as flank stones. You may also choose to use three diamonds of 1 carat each to increase the overall carat weight of your diamond engagement ring. The 3 stone engagement ring allows you to highlight your centerpiece with the assistance of the two flank stones.  

From a Pave to a Solitaire the choices for settings are several. It is important to choose the right setting for your diamond. It is important to remember that your diamond’s setting will have a significant impact on your diamond. 

Finding the Right Jeweler

A reliable jeweler will make your diamond buying experience simple and worthwhile. It is important to always buy diamonds from an authentic jeweler or local jewelry store. Always keep the following in mind when scouting for jewelers.

• Ask for recommendations from family and friends. The jewelry industry is relationship-driven and the best suggestions often come from your close social circles.
• Always make sure the jewelry store you’re buying from is JA recognized. A simple way of determining this is by looking out for the J logo at the door of the store.
• Best to find a jeweler with good credentials. Vetted jewelers from authentic and prestigious institutions like the GIA are more likely to help you find a better product. 
• Buy certified jewelry. When buying diamonds always check if it is GIA or AGS graded. These certifications help authenticate your jewelry. 
• When shopping online it is important to check the reviews of the online store.
• Check to see the payment gateway of the website you are buying from. Having regular payment methods assures the fact that the website is authentic and safe.
• Any functional and legitimate website will have a wide range of products. When shopping online for diamond engagement rings make sure to check the range of products the particular online store has.
• Always check the certifications and seller credentials of the website. 

The Best Place to Buy Diamonds

Jewel Hero has addressed and found an easy solution to finding the right jewelers. All you have to do is log in to our website and fill out the information about what you are looking for. Our algorithm will send you a list of jewelers near you with whom you can connect virtually. So what are you waiting for? Your perfect diamond engagement ring is just a click away. Visit our website now and get a step closer to procuring the diamond ring of your dreams.