What Do You Want To Know When Buying That Diamond Engagement Ring For A Significant Other?
In 1953 Marilyn Monroe performed a song entitled "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" in the movie, "Gentlemen Prefer Blondes". This song has lasted in the American scene ever since and diamonds remain a favorite engagement gift.
A Diamond Engagement Ring
There is much to consider when purchasing a diamond - especially diamond engagement rings! The tradition of presenting a woman a diamond engagement ring when proposing began in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian presented a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy. And in most cases today, the woman you plan to propose to will expect a ring to accompany that proposal.
The Cost of a Diamond
First, determine how much ring you can afford. Most people use the 'two months salary" rule. This means that the ring should cost the equivalent of two months of your current salary. Because you have other bills to pay, saving up this amount of money may take quite a bit of time. You should consider financing. Simply go to the jeweler of your choice and tell that person that you plan to buy an engagement ring, and that financing will be necessary. Go ahead and get the credit check out of the way, find out what your payments will be, and how much of a down payment is required. Make sure that the jewelry store you buy the ring from will allow you to return the ring, if that is required, or allow your girlfriend exchange it for another if she isn't happy with it.
Judging Diamond Quality
If you want to begin judging the diamond's quality, you must first learn and understand the 4 C's, which are four characteristics of diamonds that give the gemstone its overall value. The 4 C's for judging diamond quality include the diamonds color, clarity, carats and cut.
Judging Color
Most diamonds are considered to be ideal if they are transparent or colorless. Diamonds rated as colorless are the most expensive of diamonds. The colors of diamonds are rated with an alphabetic grading system starting with "D" and ending with "Z". Completely colorless diamonds fall in the "D" and "E" grade while colored, fancy diamonds are at the other end of the alphabet at "Y" and "Z".
Judging Clarity
The clarity of a diamond refers to whether or not the diamond is clear all the way through or whether it has tiny flaws and cloudy areas within the gemstone. It's actually very rare to have a diamond with absolute perfect diamond clarity and no flaws, but most of diamond flaws are not visible to the naked eye and can only be seen with a magnifying device.
Judging Carat Weight
Carat is the term we used to describe the weight of a diamond gemstone. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams of weight. A single diamond with a high amount of carat weight is more expensive than the equivalent amount of carats in multiple stones.
Finally Judging Cut
When judging diamond quality on the cut of a diamond, look at the stone in a well lit area. If the light seems to go into the stone and bounce back showing a sparkling reflective surface, the diamond has a good cut. The angles and shapes of a diamond are important to judging diamond quality and the overall appearance of your diamond.
Good Luck on one of the most important investments you will be making!
