Education about "diamond" needed
Registered User
Joined: Sep 2004
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Well, I'm no expert, but when you go to a jewelry store and pick something out, ask to look at it with a loop (the magnifying glass looking thing). If the diamond appears yellowish, cloudy, or has dark specks in it, it's not a great quality. Take note of the way it captures light (the clearer the better). Also, diamonds are rated on a letter scale, where the higher the letter, the lower quality of diamond. Certified diamonds are more expensive, but much clearer and have more luster/shine. Maybe someone with more knowledgable can expound on this...
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Joined: May 2001
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From: Tree Town
Any good jewelry store would be more than happy to explain everything to you. They'll show you all about the 4 Cs (carat, clarity, color, cut) and tell you about your options.
You can pretty much pay whatever you want for an engagement ring. You can easily move the price up and down by choosing between gold or platinum, a huge diamond or a small one, many extra rocks on the ring, or just one, the quality of the diamond, etc.
A general price "rule" is to aim for around 2 months pay. Not sure where this number came from, but that's about what I ended up spending. Feel free to go higher or lower - it's totally your choice.
I actually just bought an engagement ring about a month ago. I ended up going for a slightly smaller diamond so that I could put 2 sapphires on the side of it and 6 more smaller diamonds inside the band. So I chose to have 9 smaller rocks instead of 1 big honking diamond by itself. It's all about your preference.
Good luck! (with the ring and the proposal)
You can pretty much pay whatever you want for an engagement ring. You can easily move the price up and down by choosing between gold or platinum, a huge diamond or a small one, many extra rocks on the ring, or just one, the quality of the diamond, etc.
A general price "rule" is to aim for around 2 months pay. Not sure where this number came from, but that's about what I ended up spending. Feel free to go higher or lower - it's totally your choice.
I actually just bought an engagement ring about a month ago. I ended up going for a slightly smaller diamond so that I could put 2 sapphires on the side of it and 6 more smaller diamonds inside the band. So I chose to have 9 smaller rocks instead of 1 big honking diamond by itself. It's all about your preference.
Good luck! (with the ring and the proposal)
Registered User
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,260
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From: Tree Town
One more thing:
There was a discussion on here a while ago about white gold vs platinum. After several "experts" gave their opinion, the consensus seemed to be that platinum scratches very easily but white gold turns yellow over time.
The experts said making white gold white again is 100x easier than getting scratches out of platinum.
After reading that thread I went with white gold. More money to spend on the rocks!
There was a discussion on here a while ago about white gold vs platinum. After several "experts" gave their opinion, the consensus seemed to be that platinum scratches very easily but white gold turns yellow over time.
The experts said making white gold white again is 100x easier than getting scratches out of platinum.
After reading that thread I went with white gold. More money to spend on the rocks!
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Joined: May 2001
Posts: 1,260
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From: Tree Town
No no, not engagement ring = white gold,
liebernoodle's preference = white gold.
You can certainly get yellow if you prefer! I only brought up white gold because often the white gold vs platinum debate comes up.
The proposal went wonderfully. No date set yet, but I am engaged! No longer can "the women" be a reason for my S2000!
liebernoodle's preference = white gold.
You can certainly get yellow if you prefer! I only brought up white gold because often the white gold vs platinum debate comes up.
The proposal went wonderfully. No date set yet, but I am engaged! No longer can "the women" be a reason for my S2000!
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Joined: May 2005
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From: Orange County, CA
I can get into this into more detail, if you want, but pm me and I can talk to you about it. I'm no longer in the jewelry industry, but worked in it for quite sometime. Movado and Whitehall/Marks Brothers are two of the more recognizable co. I've worked for. But here is Diamonds 101
The 4 C's above as stated.
Clarity wise, if you are looking at a decently priced diamond, you are going to want to stick with anything that is a VS2 or better, when the light hits the diamond, a VS2 will look very clear with minimal inclusions, even close up. You'll notice much more "carbon" or dark speckles inside with a magnifying glass, but to the naked eye, you won't notice too much. If you're a baller, or want to spoil your bride to be, I'd step it up to VVS1 or VVS2 quality. VS1 is a great compromise between the two. NEVER go with anything SI quality, at LEAST not for a wedding ring.
The scale goes like this, from best to worst.
F, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, and then crap...SI. etc... Don't even bother trying to look for a F(lawless) or Internally Flawless... They don't really exist unless you are Diddy...
Cut is very important because you don't want a diamond that is too fat, or too skinny, again a trusted jeweler can get into a great bit of detail with this. But in the long run, if you want it to hold its value(not that you are planning on ever selling it) but either way, make sure your diamond is GIA certified, it will tell you its cut, and have it in writing. EGL certs. are OK, but most insurance companies prefer GIA, as it is the most trusted.
Carat - This is really all up to you. How big you want to go is all personal preference. IMHO, I think woman prefer to have a bigger rock over less clarity, because unless you point it out to them, they won't know the difference(I say this with caution). But I'm screwed either way, because I taught my gf allllll about this, my mistake. But I would stick with 1/2 ct or bigger, at least for the center stone, and if you stick with VS2 or better, the larger it gets the more bling you get, but again, if the cut is bad, you will lose on light refraction, or the "BLING" So make sure to emphasize a good cut.
Color - While not one of the most IMPORTANT aspects of the diamond, you don't want a piss yellow diamond either. But you have to remember this one rule. The lights that most higher end Jewelry stores use, are metal halide, these are pure bright white lights. They will inject no color into the diamond you are looking at at the store. Once you take it outside, or look under halogen, flourescent, incandescent, whatever, there will ALWAYS be more yellow. While color is never really too noticeable in the store, prepared to know that it will defn. be more yellow, outside the store. so again, choose as your budget allows, but if possible, ask to see the diamond under regular light, or take it out of the focus of their spotlight, and see its light refraction that way. Oh yeah, those metal halide lights also are INCREDIBLE, for adding bling in the showroom, so again, be wary.
With the metal choice. I'd go with White gold all the way. Platinum is incredible, in that it is a PURE white. Will never change colors, BUT its a soft and brittle metal and WILL scratch quite easily. It requires a lot of maintenance to make it look magnificent all the time. Also Platinum takes much more skill in terms of repair, so you will need a trusted jeweler who has the skills when repairs are needed. White gold is cheaper, and has an incredible luster. BUT it is rhodium plated, and that rhodium, will fade over time, thus turning yellowish. However, rhodium plating is a fairly simple process, and the result will be incredible, fast, and maintence free, other than your simple jewelry cleanings. But again, platinum stays true to its color, but doesn't have quite the luster of white gold, after you wear it for a month or so.
If you get gold, stick with a minimum of 18k, although 14k is usually more than fine as well, never anything below 14 though.
So, again. Congratulations. Find a trusted jeweler,or just shop around QUITE a bit. Don't be overwhelmed but rather enjoy it. Most jewelers will be happy to explain to you and work with your needs. I say MOST. so make sure to work with someone you are comfortable with.
If you need any more info or questions just pm me.
PS - If you want a real bling ring, check out the Movado diamond from the Movado boutiques. Its REAL bling. the Leo Diamond (can be found in many jewelry stores) is also great. But in the end, the specialty diamonds are nice, because they are cut in a specialized way. But a well cut diamond in the traditional cut, will still bling bling the way to your fiance's heart. haha.
and one last word of advice. The standard round cut diamond emits the MOST light, and will give off the MOST bling. Princess cuts aren't very good at giving off bling. Neither are emerald cuts, and other different cuts.
Good luck and let your diamond journey be enjoyable.
The 4 C's above as stated.
Clarity wise, if you are looking at a decently priced diamond, you are going to want to stick with anything that is a VS2 or better, when the light hits the diamond, a VS2 will look very clear with minimal inclusions, even close up. You'll notice much more "carbon" or dark speckles inside with a magnifying glass, but to the naked eye, you won't notice too much. If you're a baller, or want to spoil your bride to be, I'd step it up to VVS1 or VVS2 quality. VS1 is a great compromise between the two. NEVER go with anything SI quality, at LEAST not for a wedding ring.
The scale goes like this, from best to worst.
F, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, and then crap...SI. etc... Don't even bother trying to look for a F(lawless) or Internally Flawless... They don't really exist unless you are Diddy...
Cut is very important because you don't want a diamond that is too fat, or too skinny, again a trusted jeweler can get into a great bit of detail with this. But in the long run, if you want it to hold its value(not that you are planning on ever selling it) but either way, make sure your diamond is GIA certified, it will tell you its cut, and have it in writing. EGL certs. are OK, but most insurance companies prefer GIA, as it is the most trusted.
Carat - This is really all up to you. How big you want to go is all personal preference. IMHO, I think woman prefer to have a bigger rock over less clarity, because unless you point it out to them, they won't know the difference(I say this with caution). But I'm screwed either way, because I taught my gf allllll about this, my mistake. But I would stick with 1/2 ct or bigger, at least for the center stone, and if you stick with VS2 or better, the larger it gets the more bling you get, but again, if the cut is bad, you will lose on light refraction, or the "BLING" So make sure to emphasize a good cut.
Color - While not one of the most IMPORTANT aspects of the diamond, you don't want a piss yellow diamond either. But you have to remember this one rule. The lights that most higher end Jewelry stores use, are metal halide, these are pure bright white lights. They will inject no color into the diamond you are looking at at the store. Once you take it outside, or look under halogen, flourescent, incandescent, whatever, there will ALWAYS be more yellow. While color is never really too noticeable in the store, prepared to know that it will defn. be more yellow, outside the store. so again, choose as your budget allows, but if possible, ask to see the diamond under regular light, or take it out of the focus of their spotlight, and see its light refraction that way. Oh yeah, those metal halide lights also are INCREDIBLE, for adding bling in the showroom, so again, be wary.
With the metal choice. I'd go with White gold all the way. Platinum is incredible, in that it is a PURE white. Will never change colors, BUT its a soft and brittle metal and WILL scratch quite easily. It requires a lot of maintenance to make it look magnificent all the time. Also Platinum takes much more skill in terms of repair, so you will need a trusted jeweler who has the skills when repairs are needed. White gold is cheaper, and has an incredible luster. BUT it is rhodium plated, and that rhodium, will fade over time, thus turning yellowish. However, rhodium plating is a fairly simple process, and the result will be incredible, fast, and maintence free, other than your simple jewelry cleanings. But again, platinum stays true to its color, but doesn't have quite the luster of white gold, after you wear it for a month or so.
If you get gold, stick with a minimum of 18k, although 14k is usually more than fine as well, never anything below 14 though.
So, again. Congratulations. Find a trusted jeweler,or just shop around QUITE a bit. Don't be overwhelmed but rather enjoy it. Most jewelers will be happy to explain to you and work with your needs. I say MOST. so make sure to work with someone you are comfortable with.
If you need any more info or questions just pm me.
PS - If you want a real bling ring, check out the Movado diamond from the Movado boutiques. Its REAL bling. the Leo Diamond (can be found in many jewelry stores) is also great. But in the end, the specialty diamonds are nice, because they are cut in a specialized way. But a well cut diamond in the traditional cut, will still bling bling the way to your fiance's heart. haha.
and one last word of advice. The standard round cut diamond emits the MOST light, and will give off the MOST bling. Princess cuts aren't very good at giving off bling. Neither are emerald cuts, and other different cuts.
Good luck and let your diamond journey be enjoyable.