Top 6 Tips to Keep in Mind While Buying Diamond Jewelry
People often say that “diamonds are a girl’s best friend” but have no idea how to proceed from there. Not that many people know how to buy the best pieces too. The default thinking is that they need to find a pure diamond for their loved ones.
It’s highly advised that you follow some essential and basic tips before going into any expensive ventures. For example, you always have to cross-reference the gemstone’s clarity and color. You can approach a reliable dealer or jeweler to help you.
We’ll also help by supplying you with essential tips to get the diamond of your dreams. We wouldn’t want you to get duped and lose your hard-earned money. Let’s get into it and discuss the tips to keep in mind while buying diamond jewelry.
1. Be Careful with Compromise
It’s widely and commonly known that diamonds are expensive. However, first-time buyers are often surprised by the difference in the prices they expected. That’s why before buying a diamond, you need to review your finances and set your budget. Then, you can start canvassing diamond prices within your range.
There’s a good chance you’ll get sticker shock and decide to compromise on the diamond. However, that doesn’t mean you should choose the bargain-priced diamond.
The decision shouldn’t be extreme. Instead, there are certain aspects you can compromise on that won’t cost you the diamond of your dreams. There are only fair deals in the diamond industry
Here’s some advice on compromise. You can get a better diamond if you go for a lower carat weight than one with a really “good deal” with a similar weight. You can get the diamond earrings of your dreams by compromising on the stone’s size.
2. There Are More Options than Mined Diamonds
With the advent of technology and science, there are now more alternatives to mined diamonds. And they can make your engagement ring and other diamond jewelry just as excellent.
For example, lab-grown diamonds have been increasingly popular. They’re just as beautiful and sturdy as any diamond. But here’s the perk, they cost almost 30% less than mined diamonds. Keep in mind that despite the price difference, their qualities are similar.
When looking for engagement ring stones, diamonds are the traditional choice. But colored gems are wonderful options too. Sapphire, ruby, and emerald are popular choices. They’re all very beautiful and are durable for daily wear.
3. Go for the Top Cut Quality
You should remember that a diamond comes with a grading report from a reputable laboratory. Those labs can be the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society (AGS). This report has a lot of details but what you can look for is the Four Cs. Those are cut, clarity, color, and carat.
Reviewing those will make it easier for you to assess the diamond’s quality. We still advise examining the diamond closely but those are the first indication of its quality.
Among the Four Cs, the cut is the most important. This is because a well-cut diamond can hide its imperfections and emphasize its brilliance. It will look brighter and larger than its carat size. Hence, when shopping for diamonds, never compromise your standards for cut quality.
4. Round isn’t the Only Shape of a Diamond
Most buyers would prefer round diamonds, especially since it’s the most common diamond shape. However, having a non-round shape for diamonds can also make you stand out. More often, they’re also available at a discount, unlike round diamonds.
The non-round shapes can look larger than round ones, even if they weigh the same. Some have an elongated shape or a diagonal length which helps them appear bigger.
Did you know that the second most popular diamond shape is the square princess cut? Oval and pear shapes are popular diamond shapes too.
5. Simple and Clean: Color and Clarity
Color and clarity have grading scales but there’s a simpler way to judge whether they’re good or not. For example, diamonds are either colorless or not. Colorless means it’s good. For clarity, it may be flawless to the naked eye or not.
You can discern it based on how the diamonds appear to you. That way, you won’t stress yourself out too much concerning color or clarity grades. Those require tools or equipment to see any smaller flaws or tinges of color.
If an SI-1 diamond appears flawless to you, then why buy a Flawless (F) clarity grade diamond? You don’t need to pay more for a highly graded diamond if you can’t tell the difference.
6. Think About Your Style
When shopping for jewelry, many customers worry more about the center gemstones than how it fits their style. It doesn’t mean that the gemstone isn’t important. But if you think about something you’ll wear daily, you have to take jewelry style into account.
The way the jewelry is styled will also affect how your gemstone appears. Everything from the setting to the metal will play an important role. Do you prefer gold, rose, or white gold?
The setting is important because that will complement your center gemstone. You can opt to have a plain or intricate setting. Concerning wedding bands, for example, many prefer to pave them with diamonds. There’s also what they call a halo setting or a solitaire setting.
Conclusion
Diamonds are precious commodities that are essential to special jewelry, like wedding rings. However, they can also be used for everyday jewelry. As such, basic knowledge is important when shopping for it.
They’re precious but you need to be careful that you won’t get duped. With the right information, you can also make the most out of your shopping experience. You won’t needlessly spend on top-quality grades for clarity and color, for example. A flaw or blemish in a diamond that can’t be seen by the naked eye is almost as good as a Flawless one.
What you need to watch out for is the cut because that determines how brilliant your diamond shines. It can hide the flaws of the diamond and make it sparkle well against the light.
As for the source of the diamond, there are more alternatives now to mined diamonds. Lab-grown diamonds boast of being ethically sourced. They make it possible to wear your jewelry with a clean conscience.
Finally, always think of your style when shopping for jewelry, especially precious ones. Even if they do look beautiful, you need to consider how they will look on you. It would be a shame to spend a lot on a piece of jewelry that doesn’t suit any of your outfits.