Beginner’s Guide to Diamonds

Being a hopeless romantic, I still personally prefer the classic and romantic way of proposal where Prince charming proposes on one knee and with a beautiful engagement ring in hand. But I am not saying that the other alternatives are not as equally romantic. More and more couples are actually buying the engagement ring together which I am sure can be a lot of fun in its own right and at the end of the day, the most important thing is that you get to celebrate the fact that you are getting married!!

Whatever road you decide to take, we suggest you educate yourself about diamonds. It’s not every day that you purchase a diamond, and to the untrained eye it is easy to end up with something that you didn’t want. This beginner’s diamond guide will teach you a few simple rules so that you will be in a better position when you come go buying a diamond.

The first thing that you have to learn when buying a diamond is the ‘Four Cs’: Cut, Clarity, Colour and Carat. The following diamond guide provides more details about each of these.

Diamond Guide: Cut

The cut of a diamond is the most important characteristic to consider when you are looking for a beautiful diamond ring. This relates to its shape and proportions which greatly influence the beauty and sparkle on a diamond. You can find many diamond shapes like cushion, assher, marquise, round, pear and heart to name a few, but while the actual shape is not graded, the proportions are.

It is importnat that you have a good understanding of the diamond’s cut grade because this is the main factor that allows for the diamond to  produce the most brilliant sparkle and this diamond’s light performance really depends on how the diamond is cut.  This is one of the main factors to affect the appearance of the diamond, and therefore its value.  Ask what your chosen diamond is graded before buying it (it ranges from Shallow, Ideal, Good, Fair, Poor), although you will probably be able to see which is the better diamond from the amount of sparkle that it produces.

Diamond Guide: Colour

Colour grades for white diamonds go from D down to Z, with D being the superior due to its very lack of colour. This is the second most important factor after the cut of the diamond.

Basically, the whiter the diamond is, the more it will cost. A high-end diamond will be quite noticeable compared to a low-end, or yellow-coloured, diamond. However, the exact grades may not be noticeable to the naked eye, so always ask what grade your diamond is. ‘D’, ‘E’ or ‘F’ grades are classed as colourless and will be very expensive.

Diamond Guide: Clarity

When you are buying a diamond, it’s important to know that nearly every diamond will come with some imperfections, and this is what the clarity refers to. Some of these may be so small that you cannot see them at all, and for this reason it is the least important factor to consider.

Imperfections, or blemishes, can be external and internal. They are graded from ‘F’, which is flawless and very rare indeed, through ‘IF’, which is internally flawless and also very rare, down through ‘VVSI’ (Very very slightly inclusioned) and ‘I’ (Inclusioned). Only in ‘I’ grades are the imperfections visible to the naked eye.

Diamond Guide: Carat

The carat of a diamond is its weight. However, with a diamond it is overall the effect that is important, so a diamond with a lower carat can often seem bigger for other reasons. Carat should always therefore be considered in combination with the cut of the diamond and the distance across the top of the diamond, because this is how it will be viewed on the ring.

The cut will affect how the light is reflected and will therefore affect how big the diamond looks from the top. So if the cut is good, you could have a smaller carat and it would still appear to be a bigger diamond.

Which cut to go for? Phew – now you know a little bit about diamonds. But remember that buying an engagement ring is one of the most romantic purchases you will make in your lifetime, and it’s a ring that your wife-to-be will wear for the rest of her life on her ring finger together with her wedding band. Therefore we’d advise you to give it some thought rather than adopting a  ‘herd’ mentality and scooping up the first round-brilliant cut diamond you see that meets your $$$ and carat criteria. Yes it’s probably the most classic cut and it may well be the ideal cut for your fiancee, but know that there are many other diamond cuts and settings out there which could suit her better. Have a read of our article entitled ‘What your engagement ring says about you‘.

Buying engagement rings online We’re now firmly in the internet age and yes you can even buy engagement rings online and many people now do so. But we at Dolce Sposa very highly recommend sticking to reputable diamond retailers like Blue Nile. Should you decide that you’d much rather buy your ring in person at brick and mortar establishments such as Tiffany’s, de Beers or elsewhere, Blue Nile will nonetheless be an invaluable resource if you’re researching what you can get for your money based on cut, colour, clarity and carat. Good luck and happy shopping!

Photos courtesy of Leviev and diamond illustrations courtesy of Blue Nile

Related posts:

1. Top Tips for Buying an Engagement Ring
2. What Your Engagement Ring Says About You….
3. Asprey Cut Diamond
4. Celebrity Engagement Rings
5. Romantic Marriage Proposals