11 Tips for Buying a Stunning Diamond Engagement Ring

If you are planning to buy a diamond engagement ring and have never bought a diamond before then things can get confusing. There are many things that are needed to be considered by every buyer while buying a diamond ring. Here are the 11 essential tips that you must know before you buy a diamond ring online or offline.

1) Know the 4Cs of Diamond

These are the major traits of diamonds that help you to know the quality of the diamond. The 4cs are – Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat. Once, you will know about all the 4cs then you can decide which C is the most important for you. And if not that let’s discuss what are the 4cs and which one is the most important factor to consider: -

Color

D to Z are the grades of the diamonds that actually rate a diamond’s lack of color. The clearer the diamond is the rarer it is thus, the most expensive.

Cut

The cut of the diamond is different from its shape so don’t get confused. Cut of a diamond determines how well it unleashes its light.

Clarity

This refers to the absence of inclusions and blemishes in diamonds.

Carat

This refers to the weight of the diamonds that determines a diamond’s size.

This is the universal language to determine the quality of the diamond. If you can actually speak this language then you can buy an engagement ring in diamond with confidence. Read our blog to get detailed information about the 4Cs of a diamond.

2) Compare and Compromise Carefully

We all know that diamonds are expensive because they are rare. But the sparkling beauty of diamonds still lures people and it has become a tradition to buy engagement or wedding rings in diamonds. Despite the fact that diamonds are expensive, first-time buyers still find them expensive initially. So, it’s really important to set your budget before you visit a diamond store or showroom. Take a look at diamond prices so that you can know how much you would actually need for buying the diamond ring of your dreams.

However, compromising doesn’t mean buying a bargain-priced diamond, but it means to know where you should actually compromise. Knowing the 4cs of the diamond will help you to know whether you should compromise on the color, clarity, or carat of the diamond. But, to buy the diamond of your dreams you should compromise on stone size instead of quality.

3) Know the Basic Difference of Diamond Shapes, Cutting Styles, and Cut Quality

Well, a diamond’s cut and shape are two different properties but people often get confused with these terms and think it’s the same thing. Bu, in reality, the diamond’s shape refers to the outline of the diamond when viewed face-up. The most common shape of diamonds is round, but there are many other fancy shapes as well like Marquise, Pear, Square, Heart, Oval, and Rectangle.

The cutting style of the diamonds refers to how the stone’s facets are arranged. For example- 57 and 58 facets are the most common facet arrangement of round diamonds. The other cutting style of diamonds includes an emerald cut that is a square shape, categorized by four longer facets along the sides. Apart from this a radiant cut diamond also has a square or rectangular shape, but cut in a brilliant style.

When it comes to the cut quality then it refers to how the diamond’s facet interacts with light. This differs in size, thickness, polish, and symmetry. These differences impact the diamond cut quality.

4) Diamond ‘Cut Quality’ is King

It is said that a diamond must come with a grading report from a reputable laboratory that must include the details of the stone’s quality in the report. But the easiest way to know the quality of the stone is to review the four C’s. While buying the diamond, these grades will be your first indication of its quality. But, the most important factor amongst all the four Cs is the ‘Cut’.

A well-cut diamond has the ability to make the color and clarity imperfections less noticeable. If the diamond is well cut, it will look brighter and also appear larger than its carat size.

5) Diamonds Come in Numerous Shapes

Most people prefer round shape diamonds for engagement rings and wedding rings as well. But, you will be amazed to see the availability of diamond rings in numerous shapes. And if you really want to surprise your bride-to-be then go for non-round shapes that will stand out from the crowd and also available at discount compared to most round shape diamonds.

You will be happy to know that most of the non-round diamonds look actually bigger in size than the round diamonds of the same carat weight. That’s because of the elongated shape or diagonal length of the diamond that makes them look bigger.

The second most popular diamond shape is square princess cut diamonds. Apart from this Pear and Oval shapes are in vogue and people are considering it especially for their engagement rings. If you want to get a unique diamond engagement ring for your fiancé then you can go for any of the following shapes – Emerald, Princess, Marquise, Heart, Old European cut, Oval, Pear, and Cushion.

6) Metal of the Band Plays a Vital Role

Just like the center stone plays an important role, the engagement ring band also plays a vital role in making your engagement ring look sparkling and perfect for the day. The metal you choose for the band actually affects the overall look of the ring. Also, you will have to be specific to your needs or your partner’s choice while selecting the metal for the engagement ring band.

The most popular choice of the band is white gold and platinum as it’s perfect for both a sleek and modern look. These metals are actually a perfect choice for the colorless diamonds as it highlights the diamond’s colorlessness making it look more sparkling. Here are the top metals that are perfect for the diamond engagement ring band: -

• Platinum
• Gold
• Rose Gold
• White Gold
• Silver

Though people use sterling silver in jewelry, they are not considered for engagement rings as this is not as durable, and most metals and tarnishes over time.

7) Choose the Setting

The ones who have never purchased a diamond ring might have never heard of this, but the diamonds in any ring are held in place by a setting. The different settings work differently on the ring. Some protect the stone from damages and some enhance the beauty of the ring. Different settings have different levels of protection.

Let’s know about the most common types of settings in diamond rings: -

Prong

Four to six prongs are used to hold a diamond in place. This was an uptick in popularity in the 19^th century. This setting helps in creating the illusion that the stone is floating above your finger in the first look. When prongs are used to secure a single stone then such types of rings are often called a ‘Solitaire’.

Halo

For this type of setting a thin metal is fixed or hammered around the stones to hold it in place. The Halo setting gives excellent protection to the center stone as well as the other small stones.

Bezel

This setting is a ring of small accent stones that encircle the center stone. This means small diamonds are encircled around a larger center stone, which makes the ring look more sparkling and the center stone bigger.

8) Carat Influence the Price

You know that the diamond’s color, cut, and clarity determines the price of a diamond, but the carat weight has a major effect on the price of the diamond ring. Diamond prices go up as the carat weight increases. So, when you choose a lower carat weight than it has a larger impact on the price than it does on the appearance.

9) Pick the Best Ring Style

We know that you cannot go beyond your budget, but at least choose the ring style that suits your partner’s style and will make both of you happy. Before you opt for any shape, design, cut, or style of the diamond ring, consider her style and try to find the right ring that will perfectly match her style. From the metal setting to everything like color, stone size, cut, clarity, designs, etc. should be according to her preferences.

The best way to know her choice is to simply ask her. And if you want to keep it a surprise for her then you can do the following things to find out her style:-

• Observe what type of jewelry (preferably rings) she wears.
• Ask her friends for help. If she hasn’t shared it with you, chances are she has with her friends.
• Go shopping together or browse online sites normally to see what pieces of jewelry grab her attention.

10) Know Your Budget

There’s a common myth related to diamond engagement ring shopping. People say that it is good to spend three month’s salary on an engagement ring. But this doesn’t have much merit. In fact, we would suggest you learn about the 4cs of diamond so that you can compare the diamonds and also pick the ones that not suit your style but budget as well. This will help you to determine the real worth of the diamond and why it is expensive or inexpensive. Then you can finally make a decision about how much you should actually spend.

11) Pick a Jeweler

All the above things we have discussed matters a lot, but everything is pointless if you are not buying a diamond ring from a trusted jeweler or diamond jewelry store. Make sure you are choosing the trusted jeweler.

Final Words

If these are not enough for you, we have plenty of diamond buying guides for you to read. All these guides would definitely help you to pick the best diamond engagement ring for your partner to make the day extra special and memorable for you two.