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 to spend?
Spend what ever you want, and what you can afford. Why am I saying this? 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.
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 #2 minor 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. 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 to look for a good girdle? 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.
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.
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.
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 is fracture filling.
Fracture filling conceals cracks in diamonds by filling them with a foreign substance.
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.
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 jeweler.
There are honest jewelers who will give you a good deal even if you know nothing about “engagement rings”. They do not want the one time sell they want to build trust with you an honest jeweler wants your long term business. The honest jeweler wants 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 from, and the great deal they got for the engagement ring. It’s in 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 jewelery store to their sister, cousin, aunts and uncles so that they will buy their engagement rings, wedding rings, and jewelry from them.
Pick a jeweler 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 diamond 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.
What ever you spend what ever diamond shape, center stone, and setting you decide on 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 a mis-informed one.
Kathy Abdelhak is Co Owner of N.J. Diamonds a jewelry store located in Dearborn, MI. You can also see more information about diamond jewelry at http://njdiamondsonline.com
