What to look for when buying Diamond Rings
Buying diamond jewellery should be a memorable occasion. Diamonds have been used for centuries to make beautiful jewellery, to signify love and rarity, and diamond rings continue to be used as tokens of love to this day. Faced with such a choice of diamond rings on the market these days, it is worth spending a few minutes on preparation prior to shopping. The following tips are an indication of what to consider before buying diamonds.
The Carat
Many people believe that the measurement of a “carat” of diamond represents its size. In fact, it refers to its weight. Diamonds range in weight from 0.25 of a carat upwards, with the most common weight for diamond rings and necklaces being between 0.5 and 2 of a carat. The size and weight of a diamond affects is the main factor affecting price. The higher the price is, the higher the carat is likely to be.
Colour
It is a little known fact that most diamonds are not colourless. The majority have a slight yellow tint that will not show up in costumer or fashion jewellery, or even when set into a complementary gold ring. The most highly prized diamonds, known as white or colourless diamonds, are much rarer and therefore considerably more expensive. These sorts of diamonds tend to be used in solitaire diamond rings. As a rough guide, diamonds rated by the jewellery trade as grades D to F represent the best choice in terms of colour.
Platinum Court Wedding Ring
The Cut
Diamonds are cut into a range of shapes, with the most common being round, princess diamond (square), emerald diamond (rectangular), heart and cushion diamonds. The cut of the diamond will affect how it reflects light and sparkles.
Clarity
Most diamonds will have small inclusions- tiny natural marks within the diamond. These are nearly always invisible to the naked eye. Jewellers rate diamonds according to how many and how visible these inclusions are. Diamonds with no inclusions are very rare, and very expensive, and most diamonds that are used in necklaces, pendants, earrings or rings will have very slight inclusions. A professional jeweller will advise you on the different levels available but as a rough guide, the clarity scale runs from “F” (flawless) to “I” (Included). These measurements are taken through powerful magnifying lenses, which magnify the diamond by ten times its usual size.
A reputable jeweller will be able to provide you with advice and guidance on these four “C”s. A jeweller should also be able to provide written certification from an independent laboratory that verifies the quality of the diamond that you are purchasing. Lastly, you may wish to try to avoid purchasing conflict diamonds. Conflict diamonds are so named because the sale of diamonds smuggled out of Africa by rebel soldiers has helped to fund civil war across the continent. Diamond jewellers such as www.thebeautifulcompany.co.uk aims to get written assurances from its suppliers that the diamonds it users in its beautiful jewellery are conflict free.