How To Buy A Diamond Engagement Ring |
How To Buy A Diamond Engagement Ring.
The day is here you have decided you want to ask her to
marry you, but first you have to get the engagement ring.
You have never invested so much money before, and your
worried because you have no idea what you are doing. There
are some simple rules when buying an engagement ring some
are very easy to learn and others will take a little bit of
time educating yourself on the subject at hand. Lets begin
with the most important question the one that all of you
should ask yourself before you start.
How much can I afford to spend:
Spend what ever you want and what you can afford. Why am I
saying this? because I am sick and tired of hearing that the
standard is 2 months salary. There is the standard rule out
there that you have to spend two months salary on your
diamond engagement ring I do not take to this rule of
thought spend only what you can afford.
Next know what she likes:
Have you looked at her jewelry to see if she is wearing
white gold or yellow gold, does she prefer platinum? If you
do not know you should take the time to find out you look at
her hands see her bracelets, her earrings, necklaces what
color gold are they. If she does not wear any jewelry then
you might just have to come out and ask her what she likes.
The 4c's
You may or may not have herd about this the 4c's are Are the
four variables that are used to calculate the value of a
diamond
Clarity: ( the clearness of a diamond.) The most valued
diamonds are the clearest.
Color: (Diamonds that are colorless or near colorless are
the most prized.)
Cut:(The diamond cut determines the brilliance of the
diamonds. If a diamond is poorly cut,
the light is lost through the sides and bottom of the
diamond and there will be no radiance)
Carat Weight:(CT) (The unit used to measure the size and
weight of loose diamonds)
Clarity
F
Flawless
Free from all inclusions or blemishes.
IF
Internally Flawless
No inclusions visible at 10x magnification
VVS1
Very Very Slightly Included #1
inclusions that are extremely difficult to locate at 10x
VVS2
Very Very slightly Included #2
inclusions that are extremely difficult to locate at 10x
VS1
Very slightly included #1
inclusions that are very difficult to locate at 10x
VS2
very slightly included #2minor inclusions that are somewhat
difficult to locate at 10x
SI1
Slightly included #1
Noticeable inclusions that are very easy to locate at 10x
SI2
Slightly included #2
noticeable inclusions that are easy to locate at 10x
I1
included #1
obvious inclusions somewhat easy to locate with the unaided
eye
I2
Included #2
Obvious inclusions easy to locate with the unaided eye.
I3
Included #3
Obvious inclusions very easy to locate with the unaided
eye.
Cut
Refers to the proportions, finish, symmetry, and polish of
the diamond.
These factor determine the fire and brilliance fo a
diamond.
Well cut diamonds sell at a premium and poorly cut diamonds
sell at discounted prices.
Color
Describes the amount of color the diamond contains.
This can range from colorless to yellow with slight tints of
yellow, gray or brown.
Colors can also range from intense yellow to brown, blue,
green, pink and red.
These fancy colors are rare and therefore more valuable.
GIA COLOR-COMMERCIAL GRADING
D, E, F, G, H, I
COLORLESS (WHITE)
J, K, L
NEAR COLORLESS (WHITE)
M
FAINT YELLOW
N, O, P, Q, R
VERY LIGHT YELLOW
S,T,U,V,W,X,Y,Z
LIGHT YELLOW
Next you should learn your diamond parts, each part of a
diamond has a job to do The table, symmetry of the facets,
the thickness of the girdle, and the pavilion must all work
together to make the diamond sparkle.
What are the parts of a diamond:
CROWN: (top) The crown consists of a large flat area on top
called the table, and a number of facets. As the diamond
catches the light, the job of the crown is to split the
light entering the diamond into white light, which gives the
stone its brilliance, and colored light, which gives it
fire, or dispersion.
GIRDLE: (middle) The girdle is the thin, unpolished band
around the widest part of the diamond.
The function of the girdle is to protect the edge of the
stone from chipping
(even though diamond is the hardest natural substance on
earth, it can be chipped!)
PAVILION: (bottom) The pavilion has the most important job,
which is to reflect the light that passes through the crown
back into your eyes.
The light enters the diamond through the crown, splits into
white and colored light, bounces off the facets of the
pavilion back up through the crown,
where you see it as sparkle! But to achieve the maximum
sparkle the diamond must be well cut and cut in the proper
proportions.
TABLE: The size of the table, as a percentage of the crown,
is important because it determines the amount of brilliance,
or white light, the diamond will reflect. For example, if
the table is 60% of the diameter of the crown, 60% of the
light you see
will be brilliance and 40% will be fire, or dispersion.
Avoid a diamond with a table area of 65% or higher.
It will give the diamond too much brilliance, and not enough
fire--and the diamond will look fuzzy or foggy.
FACETS: The typical diamond is cut with 58 facets, 33 on the
crown and 25 on the pavilion.
On a well-proportioned stone, these facets will be uniform
and symmetrical.
If they are not, the diamond's ability to refract and
reflect light will suffer.
GIRDLE: You don't want a diamond with a girdle that's too
thin, or one that's too thick —
you want one that's just right! The whole purpose of the
girdle is to protect the edge of the stone from chipping.
A girdle that's too thin doesn't give enough protection. A
girdle that's too thick does protect against chipping,
but it doesn't look so good. So you want a diamond with a
medium girdle, neither too thin nor too thick.
How do you tell? Look at the diamond from the side. If it
looks like there's a white chalk line around the middle of
the stone,
the girdle is too thick. If you don't see any girdle at all
with the naked eye,
look at the same area of the stone with a 10X loupe. If you
can't see a girdle with the loupe, it's too thin.
CULET: Finally, at the very bottom of the diamond--the base
of the pavilion--there may be a small facet called the
culet.
If this facet is too large, when you look straight down
through the table it will look like the diamond has a hole
in the middle.
Make sure the stone has no culet or a very small culet.
Diamond shapes:
baguette
emerald
heart
marquise
oval
pear
princess
round
trillion.
The most popular diamond shape has been the round brilliant
because people believed it to be an "ideal cut"
that displayed the most brilliance and sparkle in a diamond.
The design also allows it to hide flaws and imperfections.
However, new technology has made other shapes just as
brilliant, such as the princess cut and brilliant cut.
Today, there is no such thing as an "ideal cut" when it
comes to diamond jewelry.
There are Different types of settings for your diamond
engagement ring some truly beautiful work is being done on
diamond engagement rings.
Settings:
- Bar: Metal bars hold the loose diamonds in a channel-like
setting.
- Bezel: The metal is formed to fit around the diamond,
cupping it into place.
- Channel: A row of small diamond stones are set in a groove
in the diamond rings.
- Chevron: V-shaped prongs that usually hold a marquise or
princess-cut diamond for solitaire style rings.
- Invisible: Diamond set in a groove without visible
prongs.
- Pave: Tiny stones are embedded to look like the piece is
paved with loose diamonds.
- Prong: Several prongs hold the diamonds to let light pass
through without interference.
Do you know if the diamond you are buying is treated:
Treated diamonds are out there, and your jeweler should
inform you if the diamond you are looking at has been
treated.
What is a treated diamond: Some diamonds may be treated to
improve their appearance. Since these treatments improve the
clarity of the diamond, some jewelers refer to them as
clarity enhancement. One type of treatment - fracture
filling - conceals cracks in diamonds by filling them with a
foreign substance.
Another treating - of diamonds that have black inclusions or
pots is Lasering.
A laser beam is aimed at the inclusion. Acid is then forced
through a tiny tunnel made by the laser beam to remove the
inclusion.
Lasering is permanent and a laser-drilled stone does not
require special care. While a laser-drilled diamond may
appear as beautiful as a comparable untreated stone, it may
not be as valuable. That's because an untreated stone of the
same quality is rarer and therefore more valuable. Jewelers
should tell you whether the diamond you're considering has
been laser-drilled.
Imitation diamonds, such as cubic zirconia, resemble
diamonds in appearance but are much less costly. Certain
laboratory created gemstones, such as lab-created
moissanite, also look like diamonds and may not be
adequately detected by the instruments originally used to
identify cubic zirconia. Ask your jeweler if he has the
current testing equipment to distinguish between diamonds
and other lab-created stones. There is an instrument that
can be used to detect a moissanite stone.
Diamond Certification why is it important:
A diamond certificate is a printed report based on a
gemological analysis of a specific stone.
It is prepared in an independent laboratory by certified
gemologists. A diamond certificate should have your
diamond's 4 Cs: (color, clarity, cut, carat weight).
It will describe the diamond's shape, round, princess,
trillion, and so on. Measurements should include: table and
depth percentages, grade the polish and symmetry.
Characteristics should be included: like fluorescence,
graining, and imperfections.
On some certificates will include an estimated replacement
value of the stone for insurance purposes. Finally, the
certificate should include a detailed sketch of the
diamond.(diamond plot)
A certificate assures a diamond buyer of the quality, and
authenticity of their stone. This will provide the stamp of
authenticity you'll need to get a fair price if you should
resell your gem. It is also often required if you are going
to insure the jewel. The certification process should take
no longer than two working weeks, and the price per gem
varies according to weight. Most labs charge roughly $75 to
$125 pre cart.
A certificate may not increase the value of a particular
piece; the gem cannot be undervalued or have its
authenticity questioned.
That makes the certificate an important document. The only
document that travels with the gem is the certificate just
as a birth certificate stays with us forever so does the
diamond certificate. This stays with the stone forever.
So you are ask how can I get one of these certificates? Some
dealers will promote their own certification process, and in
some cases this would be fine, we recommend that if you want
to use a stores certification make sure that there is a on
site certified gemologist. Many diamond jewelry dealers have
regular contact with the various labs and can assist you in
the process you can contact the above authorities directly,
or visit your local jeweler.
Finding the right jeweler:
Now you have all of this information the next step is to
find a diamond engagement ring dealer.
There's a handful of honest engagement ring sellers who will
give you a fabulous deal even if you know NOTHING about
engagement rings. Their focus is not to fool you once-off.
But the most important trait that an honest engagement ring
seller has is that he or she is trying to give you value for
money, and build trust and a long-term relationship with
you. They want you to take the engagement ring home, show it
off to your friends and relatives, and then give good
reviews about where they got the engagement ring and what a
great deal they got for the engagement ring. It's in
engagement ring retailers interest that you buy one
engagement ring, and come back for the wedding ring. It's to
their benefit that you trust and have confidence in them
that you recommend the engagement ring store to your sister,
cousin, aunts and uncles so that they will buy their
engagement rings, wedding rings, and jewelry from them.
What ever you decided to spend what ever diamond shape you
decided to put as your center stone, what ever setting you
chose make sure it is an informed decision you are about to
invest a lot of time, love ,and money into this investment
of a life time your investment should not be an mis-informed
one. Shop around pick a jewelry with a good reputation, ask
your friends, relatives co-works were they bought their
diamond engagement rings from. See if there is an on site
GIA diamond grader. Ask a lot of questions who ever you are
dealing with see if they are willing to spend time
explaining to you what you are buying. Look at your center
stone under a microscope ask to look at the center stone
with your jeweler loupe if they do not have a microscope.
Ask if you can have your center stone certified most
jewelers will be willing to send the stone out at your
expenses if what they are telling you is the truth.
| | Author Info: Kathy Abdelhak is Co-Owner of N.J.Diamonds you can find more information on diamonds and colored gem stones at http://njdiamondsonline.com |
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