What To Know When Buying Diamond Jewelry Gifts
So, you are a young man in love, with that burning desire in your heart to offer your bride-to-be a diamond ring and ask her to marry you. The idea seems simple, all you have to do is go to a jewelry store, purchase a diamond ring, and propose to her. Unfortunately though, this isn't always the case because when you see the price tag of your prospective sparkler, you might think twice before you actually get your hands on those sparkly diamond jewelry gifts. If you are planning to buy a diamond, it is imperative that you take charge of your transaction, and in order to do so you must be well informed about the tricks of the trade in order for you to get the most for your money.
Fred Cuellar, a gemologist and world-renowned diamond expert, believed that there are four things that a buyer has to consider when purchasing diamond jewelry gifts: budget, expectations, savvy and timetable. When it comes to budget, you should be able to allocate the amount that you could afford and as much as possible should not exceed your laid budget plan; a month's salary could already suffice for you to buy a diamond. As for expectations, it is advised for you to know and understand the needs and wants of the person to whom you're about to present the diamond; by doing this you would have a feel of what diamond type would be appropriate for that person. Being savvy requires you to know the given cost of diamond in the market and the best designs available, as they say knowledge is power; and for the element of timetable, you must have a laid plan about when and where you intend to give the diamond, do not haste things and be sure to give yourself enough time to analyze things.
Now that you have an idea about the basics of purchasing diamond gifts, you must also be aware where to purchase your sparklers. You have two options where you could purchase your diamond jewelry gifts: go online or visit local jewelry shops. Buying online is probably one of the most practical means to buy diamond gifts because you don't have to break a sweat and everything is just one click away; however, the drawbacks with this are you cannot appraise the diamond and the possibility of scams are high but if you really want this option, be sure to do a background check on the online stores where you intend to purchase. The latter option of buying your diamond gifts on you local jewelry store is a better choice because you would be able to appraise the diamond personally and long time jewelers could help you out with your questions, which would assist you in arriving at the right decision.
Now for the diamond itself, you must always consider the 4Cs of diamond which stands for clarity, color, cut and carat as they are the determining factor of how the diamond will cost. Clarity is what determines how free from blemishes and inclusions a diamond is. Every diamond is assigned with clarity grades that could go from flawless to obvious inclusions. Sometimes, due to quality issues there are diamond pieces that are treated to reduce their imperfections by irradiation, filling imperfections, or laser drilling, these are known as clarity enhanced sparklers which are usually lesser in value.
When it comes to color, diamond pieces are available in virtually all colors; however, colored sparklers are rare and truly expensive so chances are, the sparklers you would see during your shopping are either white or yellow in color but between the two, it would be better to go for whiter diamond pieces. The yellow coloring of sparklers came from nitrogen; hence the yellower the stone, the lesser its value this is because such color makes the diamond less sharp and sparkly. As for the cut, diamond pieces could be cut in wide variety of shapes such as round brilliant cut, marquise, box and more. When you look at the cut always remember that aside from indicating the stone's shape, it also determines how sparkly your diamond could become.
Aside from being clear and white, a diamond cannot be considered as a diamond unless it sparkles, which could only be achieved by properly cutting it. Though cut is extremely difficult to evaluate, you could be able to do this by identifying three of its characteristics: brilliance, fire and scintillation; but if you want to take a short cut, the standard round brilliant cut is probably the best choice as all the other cut are considered as fancy shapes. Lastly, carat determines the standard unit weight of sparklers. Most diamond pieces utilized for fine jewelry are often one carat or less in weight.
Purchasing diamond jewelry gifts is a daunting task. Hence, it is always best to be an informed buyer in order to get the most out of your money. Not because a diamond is round brilliant cut doesn't mean it's already a good purchase. Remember that there are still three remaining Cs that you have to consider. A clarity enhanced diamond might be inexpensive but also consider the quality. Educating oneself is a good way to make the right purchasing decisions.
Published July 22nd, 2010
Filed in Women