Buying a diamond engagement ring

How do you get the best deal on a diamond engagement ring? WSRG has done the research for you. This guide to buying a diamond engagement ring will teach you how not to get ripped off, and how to make your fiancée happy.
Make sure you know follow all the advice here, because thinking you know the facts before you actually do will be your downfall.  You got to be smart and prudent, so don’t rush. Common mistakes and scams to avoid when buying diamond jewelry
Use this advice no matter what jeweler you go to, and you can save yourself some big bucks.
  • Never buy a diamond over 3/4 carat without getting a GIA diamond grading certificate, or an AGS certificate or equivalent.
  • Make sure the diamond jeweler to puts in writing the exact 4Cs grading of the diamond on the sales invoice, otherwise do not buy.
  • Do not accept ANY appraisal from the store that is selling you the diamond engagement ring. Insurers don't accept them, so why should you?
  • DO not buy diamond in the Islands, they lie like crazy, they have bogus guarantees of how your diamond jewelry will appraise.

Getting diamond prices and diamond ring quotes for your engagement ring
 
You should search major online jewelry sites to get a consensus of diamond prices right from your PC.  Be sure to use "build your ring" and "compare diamond rings" features of online diamond jewelry stores to get your free price quotes, which usually beat mall diamond stores.  While getting diamond prices, you are under absolutely no commitment to buy unless you enter your credit card in the shopping cart, so load up as many rings as you like into shopping carts, and choose the ring you want with the best price.  Some sites even let you save your diamond ring comparison list and come back days later to compare more diamond ring prices and quotes, maybe add a platinum wedding ring set, or abandon your cart if you find a better ring on another site.

Is it safe to buy diamond engagement rings online? Yes, because there's no obligation to buy

When you buy from online diamond stores, the retailer should list the GIA grading report, so you know what you are getting. That way, there’s no need to hug your diamond before you buy. Online diamond ring prices are equivalent to wholesale diamonds that you can't get at many mall jewelry stores. Most ship FedEx overnight, and have 30 day money back guarantees. Avoid diamond jewelry stores who have less than a 30 day return policy.


What size diamond ring should I buy? What is an good diamond ring carat size? Platinum or gold?

The consensus among girls is that diamond engagement rings should be one carat. Engagement ring diamond prices per carat jump after 1 carat, so diamond cutters whose stones are .99 carat instead 1.0 carat are scolded. Some prefer a 1.05 ct loose diamond of lesser quality than a 0.95 carat loose diamond.

AGS or GIA Certified Diamonds, A Must Have

We recommend you only buy a diamond if it has a GIA Diamond Grading Report or equivalent, which only certifies loose diamonds, not diamond engagement rings. Jewelers call them "GIA Certs". Dated certifications are laminated and typed. Don't confuse this with a diamond appraisal, it's a diamond grading report, accurate the date of grading. Most jewelers will get a GIA if it's over 3/4 carat. You want GIA certificates dated 1 year or less, unless the diamond was in a vault unused. The GIA lab experts grade diamonds with microscopes, UV lights, etc. With the GIA cert, jewelers can't overstate your diamond, a violation of FTC rules. The GIA cert "maps" your loose diamond, showing inclusions and blemishes plotted as viewed from above or below. The GIA cert aids you to spot inclusions when you view the diamond through a 10x loupe. GIA reports might be stale if the diamond had abuse since it was graded. When you shop, they should list the GIA cert online before you buy. 0.

The "Four C's" Of Loose Diamonds

Welcome to the 4 Cs of loose diamond buying You've heard the "Four Cs" a million times while buying engagement ring diamonds, but what are the 4 C's?? They are Carat, Cut, Color, Clarity. Each "C" effects reflected light in it's own way. The Four C's are 4 important parameters that are used to define the quality (or lack thereof) in a diamond. These 4 parameters work together to control selling prices and how diamond engagement rings look

1) Diamond Carat Weight


This is the weight of the loose diamond, one carat = 200 mg. The engagement ring diamond I bought was 1.03 Ct. Marketing tradition says spend 2 months salary, and get the best diamond you can that fits the bill. Most girls have psychological goals of 1 carat. It's amazing how diamonds smaller than 1 carat look really small. For many girls, Carats are the most important part. They show off their diamond engagement rings to their friends like a trophy, and the bigger it is the crazier they get. Some girls don't care about size. For some girls 1/2 to 0.75 Ct. is fine by them. Don't buy a 2 carat diamond engagement ring just because it's 2 carats. It could be a yellow 2 carat diamond ring loaded with flaws. You'll need the other 3 C's to ensure you get a quality diamond. Ask for the EXACT carat weight, you don't want to hear "It's about a carat". It's either 1.0 carat, or it's not.

Diamond engagement ring carat weight misleading advertising

Other diamond-buying guides fail to warn you about Total Carat Weight (TCW). It may appear as "Carat Weight Total", "CWT", "Ct. TW". It's the total weight of all diamonds on the engagement ring, i.e., one big diamond, 2 tiny diamonds. You're shopping for platinum engagement rings and the tag says 1.5 Ct TW, tricking you into thinking the big diamond is 1.5 Ct. But hang on, Casanova. The big diamond and the 2 smaller diamonds together weigh 1.5 Carat Weight Total. Big difference.
2) Diamond Color

Most diamonds range in color from clear to yellow, clear being the best. This diamond color chart shows how jewelers rate diamond color:



Most jewelry stores use the GIA letter scale. Ideally you want engagement ring diamonds that are D, E, or F in color. But your wallet determines the color grade, not you, most likely a J or a K color diamond. Most people get G, H, or I. Colors like J,K,L are more affordable. D,E,F are rare and expensive, out of range of us common folk. Don't consider M-Z, they have no business in diamond engagement rings, they belong in costume jewelry. Still some jewelry shops pawn them off on you as excellent diamonds. This is why I tell you to bring the Diamond Ring Buying Guide with you to the jeweler and refer to the color charts so the jeweler knows you researched your diamond wedding rings.

Some people like yellow diamonds in the "Z" color range, referred to as fancy color diamonds, or fancy yellow diamonds. Some jewelers trick you by making a yellow diamond look white, and show the diamond on a black velvet pad or background. It sure does make the diamond look great but INSIST on seeing the stone on a white background (Even a white piece of paper). Black will make even the most yellow diamond appear white. If jewelers refuse you, WALK OUT! Better yet, hold it against a GIA color stone guide.

What is most important in choosing an engagement ring diamond? Cut, color, clarity or carat?

3) Diamond Cut
Diamond cut probably controls more variables affecting the quality and subsequent pricing of your engagement ring diamond. If diamonds are not cut to the right shape and proportion, the effects are less than optimal, even if it has great color and clarity. If the diamond is cut too deep, you'll see large dark shaded areas when viewing it through the table. Quality of the cut is why GIA certificates are so important, as they include data that salespeople won't point out: Depth % and Table %, ratios compared to the width of the diamond. A good table cut should be 53-64% of the width. Good Depth % are 58-64%. Anything outside this range means the diamond is too deep or too shallow. Polish and symmetry (i.e. facet alignment) fine tune the price. You want the GIA cert to declare at least "Good" for both. In a nutshell, the 4 C's mean squat without good proportion data.

Princess Cut Diamonds

Princess Cut diamonds don't have the same proportional requirements as round diamonds. For princess cut diamonds, just make sure the depth percentage is 60% to 71%. The industry is still undecided on good specs for Princess Cut diamonds. No trade agreement has been established on them yet. Make sure your special girl likes princess cut diamonds before you rush out to buy that engagement ring. And make sure she comes back here to visit BridalTips.com once you are engaged.

Hearts On Fire Diamonds

"Hearts On Fire" is a trademarked brand name owned by Hearts On Fire Company, LLC. These diamonds start from the top 1% of all diamond cuts. When you look through the bottom of the Hearts On Fire diamond you can see a heart pattern and the diamond is very brilliant. You'll find other marketing names similar to this out there. According to the company, every Hearts On Fire diamond meets or exceeds the AGS 000 rating. Many people mix up the name and ask us about "Hearts Of Fire", there is no such name. My guess is they are thinking of the Hearts On Fire brand.
4) Diamond Clarity

Diamond clarity is important. Diamonds have natural flaws called inclusions and blemishes inside the diamond. These can be tiny air bubbles, black carbon deposits, clouds, or feather cracks. Look at ice cubes, you'll see they crack inside and look like white feathers. On the external surface blemishes can be chips, imperfect corners, scratches, or pits on the surface. Some diamond flaws are so small you need a microscope to see, or a 10x loupe. Some flaws are so bad Mr. Magoo can see them. The easier flaws are to see, the worse the diamond is. The diamond will not properly bounce light as it should and will not sparkle as much as you'd like. Ideally you want zero inclusions in your diamond. But life is a trade off, the fewer inclusions, the more it costs. The more it costs, the more inclusions you'll be willing to live with! Once again the GIA and the AGS are there for us with more standards. Below is the GIA Color Grading Scale, and the AGS scales, graded by looking at the diamond through a 10x loupe. Most jewelers use the GIA scale. As you shop the mall jewelry stores, the tags may have the GIA letters on them. The ones you'll see the most of are VS2, SI1, and SI2, typically the ones you and I can afford. Diamond color clarity has a big effect on price.