If
you're a man, you're probably thinking of giving your bride-to-be a
diamond ring and would like to ask her to marry you. The idea seems
simple enough; you'd go to a jewelry store, select a diamond worthy for
your beloved, pay for it and you're ready to go. In reality however,
this is not always what it feels like especially if you are able to get
a hold of the price tag of your chosen sparkler and you would soon
realize how intimidating it is to purchase diamond jewelry gifts. If
you have the intention to purchase a diamond in the near future, it is
important that you know the tricks of the trade for you to take charge
of your transactions and get a run for your money.
According to Fred Cuellar,
gemologist and one of the world's top diamond experts, there are
basically four things that a consumer has to remember when he or she
intends to purchase diamond jewelry gifts, and these could be summarized
as BEST: B-budget, E-expectations, S-savvy, and T-timetable. In terms
of budget, you should try to figure out first how much you intend to
spend on buying diamond, and you should stick to that budget outlay; a
month's salary could already be a good starting point. For expectations,
it is important that you know and understand the needs and wants of
the person to whom you are going to give the diamond so that you will
have an idea what to look for and what to pick out from the bunch.
Being savvy requires you to know the given cost of diamond in the
market and the best designs available, as they say knowledge is power;
and for the element of timetable, you must have a laid plan about when
and where you intend to give the diamond, do not haste things and be
sure to give yourself enough time to analyze things.
Now that you have a crash course
about making diamond purchase, you should also know where to buy your
sparklers. You have two options where you could get your diamond
jewelry gifts, first is for you to go online and second is to check
your local jewelry shops. Buying online is probably one of the most
practical means to buy diamond gifts because you don't have to break a
sweat and everything is just one click away; however, the drawbacks
with this are you cannot appraise the diamond and the possibility of
scams are high but if you really want this option, be sure to do a
background check on the online stores where you intend to purchase. The
latter option of buying your diamond gifts on you local jewelry store
is a better choice because you would be able to appraise the diamond
personally and long time jewelers could help you out with your
questions, which would assist you in arriving at the right decision.
As for the diamond, always
remember the 4Cs: clarity, color, cut and carat; all of which are
important elements that determine the real value of sparklers. Clarity
is what determines how free from blemishes and inclusions a diamond is.
Different types of diamond are assigned with clarity grades that may
range from flawless to obvious inclusions. Sometimes, due to quality
issues there are diamond pieces that are treated to reduce their
imperfections by irradiation, filling imperfections, or laser drilling,
these are known as clarity enhanced sparklers which are usually lesser
in value.
When it comes to color, diamond
pieces are available in virtually all colors; however, colored
sparklers are rare and truly expensive so chances are, the sparklers
you would see during your shopping are either white or yellow in color
but between the two, it would be better to go for whiter diamond
pieces. This is because the yellow coloring of sparklers came from
nitrogen which affect their sharp and sparkly features; hence, as a
rule of thumb, the yellower the diamond, the cheaper it becomes. When
it comes to cut, diamond pieces could be cut in different ways, the
most common of which is the round brilliant cut. More than indicating
the shape of the diamond, a cut also determines how sparkly such
gemstone will be.
It is never enough for a diamond
to be clear and white, because your diamond will not sparkle unless it
is cut properly. As cut is extremely hard to analyze, the three things
that you should look at are brilliance, fire and scintillation;
however, if you really want to make things easier, the standard round
brilliant cut is probably the most preferable choice compared to other
cut. Lastly, the carat refers to the unit weight of a diamond. Majority
of diamond pieces used for fine jewelry often weight one carat or
less; this is because a fraction of a carat can make a big difference
on the value of diamond.
Purchasing diamond jewelry gifts is a
daunting task. Hence, it is always best to be an informed buyer in
order to get the most out of your money. Not because a diamond is round
brilliant cut doesn't mean it's already a good purchase. Remember that
there are still three remaining Cs that you have to consider. A
clarity enhanced diamond might be inexpensive but also consider the
quality. Educating oneself is a good way to make the right purchasing
decisions.