Diamond Engagement Rings

Sure, buying the first diamond engagement ring can be a stressful experience. With so many diamond engagement ring brokers out there, it is easy for you to lose your way. To make sure that you are not taken advantage of, it is important that you understand a few key terms: Cut, Clarity, Carat, and Color. Once you find the diamond jewelry of your dreams, it's time to request a certificate to guarantee authenticity. With any luck, you will quickly find the ring she will want to say "yes" to.

Diamond Cut
Expert cutters cut diamonds to form a variety of styles including solitaire, asscher, princess, trillion, marquise, and emerald. The most popular is the solitaire diamond cut because it allows more light to enter and refract in the stone, revealing more brilliance.

Diamond Color
Diamond color is measured using a scale from D to Z, D being white and Z being brown. Traditionally, clear or white diamonds are the most desirable for diamond engagement rings.

Diamond Clarity
Diamonds with tiny cracks and fissures are considered worthless, unlike some other gemstones, such as emeralds. Diamond buyers look for:
Flawless: The stone is perfect inside and out.
Internally Flawless: The stone may have minor blemishes on the outside.
VVS1, VVS2: have very very small inclusions.
VVS1 inclusions can only be seen through the pavilion.
VVS2 inclusions are more visible.
VS1, VS2: have very small inclusions.
VS1 inclusions are harder to see than VS2.
SI1, SI2, SI3: have small inclusions.
I1, I2, I3: have inclusions visible to the naked eye.

Diamond Carat
There are 100 points to a carat. If a diamond is 50 carats, then it is ½ a carat (there are 5 carats to a gram). Take into account only the size of a diamond and not it's weight. Sometimes, a .90 diamond will be sold as a 1 carat, even though it is substantially less expensive.