Many men deem selecting a diamond engagement ring to be a daunting task. Buying an engagement ring is not just simply choosing a beautiful design. Other aspects about the diamond must be taken into consideration too!
Fret not men, here’s a little diamond ring buying guide for you!
You have always been hearing about the ladies gush about the 4Cs of a diamond. So what exactly is it?
Cut
The cut of the diamond determines the brilliance and shine of the diamond. An experienced cutter will know exactly which spots cut to eliminate the imperfections and the best angles to cut for the ultimate brilliance.
Colour
The colour of a diamond is graded from “D” to “Z”. D grade diamonds, being colourless, are considered the best in colour while Z grade diamonds are a light yellow in colour and considered to be of the lowest grade in colour.
So how are the diamonds graded?
Colour Grade | Colour |
D-F | Colourless |
G-J | Near Colourlesss |
K-M | Faint Yellow |
N-R | Very Light Yellow |
S-Z | Light Yellow |
The less colour you observe, the higher the grade of diamond and consequently, the higher the price.
Clarity
This is what determines if a diamond is perfect or flawed. It is relatively uncommon to find a diamond with no imperfections and if you are so lucky to find one, it will come with a astronomical price tag. Most diamonds come with some imperfections. Some imperfections are so small that they are visible only under magnification, while others are more prominent and may be visible to the human eye.
The grading of clarity are:
Clarity Grade | Also Known As | Flaws |
F | Flawless | No internal or external flaw |
IF | Internally Flawless | No internal flaws, but some surface flaws |
VVS1/VVS2 | Very Very Slight Inclusions | Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under magnification |
VS1/VS2 | Very Slight Inclusions | Minute inclusions seen with difficulty under magnification |
SI1/SI2 | Slight Inclusions | Minute inclusions more easily detected under magnification |
I1/I2/I3 | Inclusions | Inclusions visible under magnification and visible to the human eye |
Carat
This tells us the size of the diamond. A larger diamond is rarer, and will consequently cost more per carat. A 1 carat diamond ring is not just double the price of a similar quality 0.5 carat. It can sometimes be up to 4 times more expensive!
Selecting a diamond engagement ring for your proposal can be mind boggling. Our advice? Strike the best balance between all the components, and buy the best that you can afford.
Photo Credit: spotlightforest
Thank you for the great info. I have been wanting to know more about diamond engagement rings as my fiancé is looking for a proposal ring :)