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Before Buying a Diamond: 9 Tips Yous Should Know

If you're shopping for an date ring, y'all've probably never bought a diamond before, and things can get disruptive. Here are ix tips you should know earlier buying a diamond.

princess-cut engagement ring - what to know before buying a diamond
Find this Band at CustomMade.com This princess-cut diamond looks stunning in a simple pavé ring. © CustomMade. Used with permission.

#1: Compromise Carefully

Information technology's no secret that diamonds are expensive. Despite this, beginning-time buyers often detect diamonds are pricier than they initially expected. And so, earlier buying a diamond, review your finances and set a budget. Then, have a look at diamond prices to come across what you tin afford.

If you go sticker shock, you might determine to compromise on the diamond of your dreams.

However, compromising doesn't mean you should only buy a bargain-priced diamond. In truth, at that place are no good deals in diamonds. There are fair deals, but if it seems like a diamond is priced lower than the rest, there's a reason for it.

You'll get a better diamond if you opt for a lower carat weight than if yous purchase a diamond that seems like a "good deal" when compared to other diamonds of a like weight. You can all the same get the ring of your dreams, if you compromise a bit on stone size instead of quality.

#2: Consider Alternatives Before Ownership a Mined Diamond

In that location are enough of alternatives to mined diamonds that can make excellent engagement band stones. For example, lab-made diamonds are condign more popular. While these take the same beauty and durability as whatsoever diamonds, they cost about xxx% less than mined diamonds of similar quality.

lab-created diamond in a platinum engagement ring
Find this Band at James Allen Three-rock platinum engagement ring from James Allen with a lab-created diamond center stone, 1.20 cts. F color, VS1 clarity, ideal round cut.

While diamonds are "traditional" engagement ring stones, colored gems are often durable enough for daily vesture and admittedly beautiful in their ain right. Sapphire, ruby, and emerald are the most pop, but gems like morganite and aquamarine also make great ring stones.

white gold engagement ring with sapphire center stone
14k white gilt engagement ring with a sapphire middle stone and two diamond side stones. Photo courtesy of liveauctioneers.com and Hampton Estate Sale.

#3: Cutting Quality is King When You're Ownership a Diamond

A diamond should come up with a grading report from a reputable laboratory like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or American Jewel Gild (AGS). This report volition contain a lot of details, but the easiest way to assess a stone'due south quality is by reviewing the Iv Cs: cutting, clarity, colour, and carat. Of course, you'll still need to examine the diamond closely, but these grades will exist your first indication of the diamond's quality.

For a diamond, the most important of the Four Cs is the cut. A well-cut diamond will make colour and clarity imperfections less noticeable. Since a well-cut diamond will look brighter, it will also appear larger than its carat size.

So, when you're diamond shopping, keep your standards for cut quality high.

#iv: Diamonds Come in Many Shapes

Although about consumers prefer round diamonds, there are many different diamond shapes, and some non-circular shapes will really stand out from the crowd. They're also bachelor at a discount compared to round diamonds.

Most of these non-round shapes actually appear larger than rounds of the aforementioned carat weight. That's because they have an elongated shape or a diagonal length that makes them expect bigger.

heart-cut diamond engagement ring
Find this Ring at James Allen 14k yellow gold solitaire engagement ring from James Allen with a heart-cut diamond, 1.sixty cts, J color, VS2 clarity.

After the round, the 2d-most pop diamond shape is the foursquare princess cut. Oval and pear shapes are currently quite popular, too. If you're considering a shape other than round, check out our shape-specific guides:

Princess • Cushion • Oval • Emerald • Pear • Asscher • Marquise • Radiant • Trillion • Heart • Old European Cut

#5: Carats Influence Price More Than Appearance

Carat weight has a major upshot on diamond pricing. That's considering diamond prices-per-carat go up at sure so-called "magic numbers" or criterion carat sizes: 0.50 cts, 1.00 cts, 1.l cts, ii.00 cts, 3.00 cts, 4.00 cts, and five.00 cts.

Let's say a 0.50-ct diamond of a particular quality costs $3,600 per carat. That means the stone costs $one,800. Y'all might presume that a full-carat diamond of the same quality would cost $3,600. In fact, at the 1-carat benchmark, this diamond has a toll-per-carat of $7,000, so it would cost $7,000.

Diamond prices get up exponentially as carat weight increases. A 2-ct diamond of this quality would cost $27,000, not $fourteen,000, and has a price-per-carat of $13,500!

However, the confront-up size of a diamond doesn't increase in the aforementioned style. In fact, the face-upward expanse of a one-half-carat diamond is more than than one-half that of a 1-carat diamond. And then, dropping to a lower carat weight has a bigger impact on price than information technology does on appearance.

Both these diamonds from James Allen accept Yard color, VS1 clarity, and skillful circular cuts. However, the 1.00-ct stone costs $5,450. The 0.50-ct stone costs $1,170.

#half-dozen: Keep Color and Clarity Simple

Although color and clarity have grading scales, we recommend thinking of these diamond backdrop in terms of "good" or "non skillful." For color, either the diamond will appear colorless or it won't. For clarity, either the diamond will appear flawless to the centre, "eye-clean," or it won't.

With this approach, you won't pay too much for color or clarity grades that your eye can't distinguish. There's no reason to pay more than for a D color diamond if you tin can't tell the divergence between D and H. And there'due south no reason to pay extra for a diamond with Flawless (F) clarity when virtually SI1 diamonds will appear flawless, too.

Both these diamonds from James Allen counterbalance 1.xxx cts and accept excellent round cuts. One has D color and F clarity and costs $nineteen,290. The other has H colour and SI1 clarity and costs $vii,440. Can y'all distinguish these stones based on their colour? At 20X magnification, you can see the SI1 rock has a light-colored flaw near the centre of its table. However, if you utilise the magnification tools on the James Allen site to zoom out to a normal viewing distance, the stone will announced center-make clean.

#vii: Consider the Ring Style

When shopping for engagement rings, many consumers worry more about center diamonds than whatsoever other attribute of the ring. No one volition argue that the diamond is unimportant, but having a ring design that fits your style and personality makes a big difference on how you'll experience about your ring. The ring itself volition also affect your diamond's appearance. Everything from the setting to metal color — white, yellow, or rose — will play a role.

So, have the time to consider what kind of setting you'd adopt: plain, intricate, or something in between. Many people love the await of a band paved with diamonds. Others prefer a simple halo setting. Minimalists and traditionalists might prefer a solitaire setting. Some might desire a design with actress sparkle.

Pick the pattern that will make you and your partner happiest. Consult our in-depth guide to engagement ring settings or try browsing online through all the different setting styles available at James Allen.

#8: Practice Your Research Before Buying a Diamond

Doing your research before you lot purchase anything is always a good idea. If y'all're spending thousands on an date ring, yous want to know that it volition look good and yous're not paying besides much for quality that you won't ever find.

However, many different factors influence diamond quality. No matter how much research you practise, at that place'south no fashion to become an expert without years of grooming. Of form, you don't have to be an practiced to know what looks skilful. If you follow our recommendations, you're sure to find a nice diamond.

#9: Always, Ever, Run into Before You Purchase

For outset-fourth dimension diamond buyers, the fundamental to being happy with your buy is to find one that only looks good. Without actually seeing the diamond perform, you won't know if information technology's a keeper or a dud. Therefore, where you buy your diamond is of import.

If you're shopping at a brick-and-mortar jewelry store, yous'll be able to examine your stone easily. Make sure the jeweler shows you lot the diamond under magnification in its intended setting as well as from different angles.

If yous're ownership online, you still must run into your diamond before you buy. Both James Allen and Bluish Nile offer videos of their diamonds and online magnification tools. As two of the largest suppliers, they take great selections and prices to fit any budget.

Going custom is another peachy selection. CustomMade is a fully-online custom jeweler that specializes in creating an engagement ring that will fit your style and personality perfectly. Plus, their experts can make certain you go the all-time diamond y'all can afford.