FREE Career Information From Top Schools!

Articles


How To Purchase Diamond Jewelry

by Lorraine Jacobs

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 enough; you'd go to a jewelry store, select a diamond worthy for your beloved, pay for it and you're ready to go. Realistically speaking though, this isn't always the case because when you first look at the price tag of your chosen sparkler you'll soon realize how nerve-racking it really is to purchase 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. In terms of budget, you should try to figure out first how much you intend to spend on buying diamond, and you should stick to that budget outlay; a month's salary could already be a good starting point. 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 a crash course about making diamond purchase, you should also know where to buy 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 second option which is to check on your local jewelry shops is still the best because aside from the fact that you could personally appraise the diamond, the jewelers could also assist you on your purchasing decisions.

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 an indication of how clear the gemstone is and how free it is from blemishes or external imperfections and inclusions or internal imperfections. Every diamond is assigned with clarity grades that could go from flawless to obvious inclusions. In fact, there are so-called clarity enhanced sparklers that are treated to reduce their imperfections via irradiation, filling imperfections, or laser drilling, but they are cheaper than diamond pieces that aren't treated.

With regards to color, diamond pieces are available in different shades; however, colored diamond pieces are very rare and expensive, so it is more likely that when you visit shops you'd observe that only white and yellow sparklers are available but between these two colors, it's always best to settle 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.

It is never enough for a diamond to be just white and clear, unless cut in the right manner your diamond will not sparkle. As cut is extremely hard to analyze, the three things that you should look at are brilliance, fire and scintillation; however, if you really want to make things easier, the standard round brilliant cut is probably the most preferable choice compared to other cut. Lastly, the carat refers to the unit weight of a diamond. Majority of diamond pieces utilized for fine jewelry often weight one carat or less; a fraction of a carat could significantly change the amount of the diamond.

If you intend to buy diamond jewelry gifts, chances are, you're having trouble with what to pick. Regardless if you want to buy a round brilliant cut diamond or clarity enhanced diamond, it is always advised to adhere to the BEST guideline which refers to budget, expectations, savvy and timetable. You should also consider the 4Cs of diamond which stands for carat, color, clarity and cut.

Published July 22nd, 2010

Filed in Women

As Seen On:

Privacy Policy Terms of Service Disclaimer Frequently Asked Questions Glossary Contact Us Site Map Schools View Our Articles