How to Purchase a Diamond Engagement Ring

 

Know what you want to spend

You will be confronted with a dizzying array of choices when it comes to engagement rings. Have a price range in mind. Going in with fairly specific parameters will help your jeweler find the right engagement ring to fit your budget.

What kind of jewelry does she already wear?
Is she more classic or modern? Feminine or sophisticated? Does she wear more silver or gold? Do her pieces tend to be more delicate or chunky? Simple or ornate? Have these preferences in mind when you set out to shop. If you buy something similar to what she already likes, you can't go wrong.

Know her ring size
If she wears rings, borrow one she already owns. Trace the inner circle on a piece of paper, or press the ring into a bar of soap for an impression. You can also slide it down one of your own fingers and draw a line where it stops. A jeweler can use these measurements to identify her approximate ring size.

Experience Actual Diamonds - How to Buy a Diamond Ring

About Diamonds

Does the thought of purchasing a diamond ring overwhelm you? Maybe you think you don't know enough about certificates, cuts, shapes, grading scales, or colors to make a well informed buying decision. There's good news — contrary to what some sales clerks and web sites would like you to believe, buying a diamond isn't rocket science.

An understanding of diamond grading will give you the technical information needed when making purchasing decisions. And learning about the available diamond shapes will help you narrow down your choices.

Where to Start When Buying Diamonds

If you want to learn the basics of diamond buying, start with our section on the "four Cs of diamonds" which explains the grading system for diamonds.

On the other hand, if you'd rather skip all of the studying and just jump to hand-selected links to diamonds you can purchase today, we've picked out close to 200 diamonds in a wide range of prices.

• Asscher Cut Diamonds
• Cushion Cut Diamonds
• Emerald Cut Diamonds
• Heart Shaped Diamonds
• Marquise Cut Diamonds
• Oval Diamonds
• Pear Shaped Diamonds
• Princess Cut Diamonds
• Radiant Cut Diamonds
• Round Brilliant Diamonds

Diamond Cuts - Round Brilliant Diamond Shape

In contemporary times, the round brilliant diamond has become the most popular diamond shape for the engagement ring.

But diamond cutters have been studying and refining the round cut for much longer than the current popularity — and diamond cutters now use advanced theories of light behavior and precise mathematical calculations to optimize the fire of a round diamond.

Because of the popularity of round diamonds, all diamond stores are well-stocked with round diamonds, providing customers with the greatest range of flexibility in terms of balancing cost versus quality. In other words, whether you are on a limited budget or the "sky's the limit", you will likely be able to find a suitable Round Brilliant Diamond in your price range at most stores.

Choosing a Round Brilliant Diamond

For the round brilliant diamond, selecting the highest quality cut you can comfortably afford is important. For those that can afford it, "Ideal" or "Signature Ideal" is the perfect choice, but gorgeous diamonds can still be purchased with less demanding cut grades.

Diamond Cuts - Radiant Cut Diamond Shape

If you love the fire of the traditional Round Brilliant Cut (the standard diamond engagement ring cut) and the shape of the less fiery Emerald Cut and Asscher Cut, you just may love the Radiant Cut Diamond.

Most square or rectangular cuts just don't live up to the round brilliant for sparkle, but the Radiant Cut was designed for getting maximum brilliance. Like the emerald cut, the radiant cut diamond is often a rectangle (sometimes square) with cropped corners, but that's where the similarities end. Where the emerald cut has long trim lines, the radiant cut is faceted for fire.

Choosing a Radiant Cut Diamond

When purchasing a radiant cut diamond online, be sure to check width and length — there are no "rules" for length/width ratios for the radiant cut and you must review these numbers to determine if the stone is rectangular or closer to square.

Diamond Cuts - Princess Cut Diamond Shape

If you love the fire of the traditional Round Brilliant Cut (the standard diamond engagement ring cut), but want something a little different, you might just fall in love with the icy fire of the square Princess Cut Diamond.

Most square or rectangular cuts just don't live up to the round brilliant for sparkle, but the Princess Cut was designed for getting maximum brilliance from a square cut.

Always ensure that the setting for your princess cut diamond protects the four pointed corners — these are the points most likely to chip (and why most rectangular or square diamond cuts have cropped corners).

Choosing a Princess Cut Diamond

The princess cut diamond is more forgiving of diamond flaws and weaknesses than the less sparkling Emerald Cut Diamond or the Asscher Cut Diamond, so we provided two sets of "minimums" -- one giving more weight to quality and one giving more weight to budget.

Our minimum recommendations for buying princess cut diamonds are as follows (please remember these recommendations are opinion only, and your tastes may vary):

Diamond Cuts - Pear Shape Diamonds

The pear shaped diamond is also called the "teardrop diamond" because of its shape. The pear shaped diamond is a combination cut of the round-brilliant and the marquise (to see examples of these two shapes, visit our diamond shapes page.

The Pear Shaped Diamond is a fiery cut with lots of wonderful sparkle and flash. The elegant lines of the Pear Shaped Diamond lends a sophisticated air to both the simplest and most elaborate ring settings.

Choosing a Pear Shaped Diamond

When purchasing a Pear Shaped Diamond, it's extremely important to pay attention to quality and to select the highest grade cut you can afford. Pear-shaped diamonds are prone to two cutting issues: the bow-tie effect and "high" or "uneven" shoulders.

The image to the left is a simulation of the bow-tie effect. It's not unusual to see "some" bow-tie if you examine a pear-shaped diamond from various angles and in different lights, but what you don't want is an obvious black/dark spot that is dull from every angle and in all lights. If you're "wondering" if the diamond you purchased is suffering from the bow-tie effect, it probably isn't. It's one of those defects, that, when present is obvious.

The picture to the left is a simulation of "uneven shoulders". The non-pointed end of the pear shaped diamond should have a nice round and gentle arc. In addition to "uneven shoulders", sometimes cutters, to increase the carat weight of the diamond "square off" or give a "rounded triangle" end to the pear-shaped diamond. High-shoulders and uneven shoulders decrease the value of the diamond and should be avoided.

Diamond Cuts - Oval Diamonds Shape

The Oval Diamond has beautiful brilliance that's similar to a round diamond. Oval diamonds are also very popular as their length can accentuate long, slender fingers.

The history of the brilliant-cut oval diamond is relatively easy to track because it is a relatively young shape. Created by Lazare Kaplan in the late 1950s -early 1960s, the oval brilliant cut is an elipitical variation of the more common round brilliant.

The modern oval cut is a fiery diamond that reflects light brilliantly. It's a wonderful selection for someone who loves the sparkle of the round brilliant, but desires a less common shape.

Choosing an Oval Diamond

When purchasing an Oval Diamond, it's important to select both the highest grade cut and color that's within your budget.

Our minimum recommendations for buying Oval Diamonds are as follows (please remember these recommendations are opinion only, and your tastes may vary):