Solitaire ring and loose diamond buying guide

CLASSIC SOLITAIRE ENGAGEMENT RING

If your better half is both classy and classic with a minimalist fashion style taste, a solitaire ring would be the best choice to pop the question.

A solitaire ring purchase requires some thought and consideration as the diamond should be the center of attention to woo her. So you require to spend tons of time to search and huge amount of money to find the right high carat diamond!

Here, you can find a collection of useful information to be well-acquainted with the right diamond before you visit any online or brick and mortar store.

The first step is to go through the 4 c’s of Diamond :

  1. Color: D-Z diamond color grading system shows if the diamond is ranged from colorless to light. Colorless diamonds are more rare and therefore more expensive, but the distinction between a specific range of color is so subtle that can be hardly perceived by the untrained eye, unless you compare apple-to-apple

2. Cut: Diamonds’ cut grading represents how well is the diamond faceted to show an ultimate sparkle and reflection of light

3. Clarity: Clarity refers to the presence level of inclusions or blemishes in the diamond which can range from Flawless to Included:

  • Flawless(FL) : No inclusions and no blemishes under 10 X magnification
  • Internally flawless(IF): No inclusions under 10 X magnification
  • Very very slightly included(VVS1-VVS2): Inclusions are so slight that could be very difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10 c magnification
  • Very slightly included(VS1-VS2): Inclusion are observed with effort under 10 x magnification
  • Slightly included(SI1-SI2): Inclusions are noticeable under 10 x magnification
  • Included(I1-I3): Inclusions are obvious under 10 x magnification

Those are the diamond grading according to GIA, but the Non-GIA grading diamonds are slightly different.  Here, you can find different types of authentic diamond certificates such as:GIA (Gemological Institute of America)IGI (International Gemological Institute)EGL (European Gemological Laboratory)AGS (American Gem Society)Which comes with slightly different grading factors.

4. Carat Weight: Carat weight  measures the diamond size. As the higher carat of diamonds are more rare and more desirable, they are more expensive too.

 

  • Fluorescence is a non-grading factor, but it’s good to have knowledge of it. Fluorescence is neither good nor bad; diamonds with high intensity in Fluorescence may look slightly hazier in natural light. A GIA study found that level of fluorescence has no wide perceptible effect on the color appearance or transparency of diamonds. Some trade professionals believe fluorescence can make a faint yellowish (I-M in color range) diamond appear more colorless in natural light.

Now that you are well-educated about diamonds in general, you need to check out different settings to see which one wow her.

Browse through thousands of diamonds on RAPNET  initiated Diamond search to have authentic result for available diamonds, the direct grading report from GIA and  the source of diamonds.

There are some factors like shape, setting and table size that can slightly affect the size of the ring with a fuller look.

  • The same size of pear, marquise and emerald shape diamonds can look bigger than the same carat weight of a round or princess cut diamonds

  • A halo around any solitaire diamond can make the ring more sparkly and bigger

  • The larger table size can make the diamond look bigger. Just bear in mind that the diamond would look bigger for a better price, but a larger table size means a smaller crown facet area and therefore less fiery effect and a little bit more boring

You are always more than welcome to talk to our diamond advisers for any further question or book your free consultation to see your diamond choices that could meet your price budget.

Do not forget to get your rings cleaned frequently for the utmost sparkle. At Fame Diamonds we offer a complementary jewelry cleaning and inspection to give you a piece of mind and let you enjoy all the sparkles.

                                                                                 Beth Behfar, Jewelry Blogger

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