Engagement rings?

[Zizzle]

I've just been looking at engagemant rings on the tinternet and came to the conclusion that I have zero idea what I'm looking at in regards to cut and clarity etc. Is there like a standard cut, clarity and colour? Also, what do they mean

 

[Sarah lo]

Basically it means the shape that the diamond is cut into. The more surfaces the diamond has, the more sparkly it looks as the light hits it from more angles. If you look in google images you'll see what I mean x

 

[Zizzle]

That makes so much sense thank you! Your avi is adorable by the way! x

 

[huggybear]

I was told (don't quote me on this) but the whiter the colour of the diamond plus the lease inclusions the more expensive the rock is, a big stone isn't always the most expensive. X

 

[jenkins]

Cut - the only influence man has on a diamond, the rest is up to nature. The better the cut the better it handles light and sparkles more. A well cut diamond is one that is cut with the most ideal proportions. Unfortunately looking online you simply cannot tell the quality of the cut as you need to see the diamone in person.

Colour - many diamonds you find on the high street are actually tinged yellow, you perhaps wouldn't notice straight away by looking at it but next to a whiter diamond it's quite obvious. The colour grades start at D through to Z. For a diamond to be White and not have a hint of yellow it must be graded colour D,E,F,G or H. The closer to D the more expensive.

Clarity - or 'natures fingerprints'. These are small marks in a diamond that can range from black marks, 'clouds' lines or any imperfections. A certified 'flawless' diamOnd is the best and most expensive. However if you are not loaded then a perfectly acceptable to most would be no lower than Si2. Si2 and above may have flaws but they will not be able to be seen with the naked eye, you would need x 10 magnification.

Carat weight - the actual weight of the diamond. For example you could get a whole carat of diamond but if the other qualities are poor then it will be worth much less than a smaller diamond with higher qualities.

For me it's all about balance and getting a good combination of all of the above

Hth

 

[Zizzle]

Jenkins! You star, thank you so much! Massive help xx

 

[Bittersweet]

If it's pretty and sparkly I want! Lol

 

[Dragonfly]

https://pinterest.com/ladydragonflyt/jewellary-i-want/ I have some cool rings saved on pintrest I will never be able to afford or even get if you want inspiration. I found the old ones tend to be nicer.

 

[hopeandpray]

Remember, you don't have to get a diamond! Although they are beautiful I don't think I'd get one just because they are so over-priced.

 

[bigbetty]

Cut - the only influence man has on a diamond, the rest is up to nature. The better the cut the better it handles light and sparkles more. A well cut diamond is one that is cut with the most ideal proportions. Unfortunately looking online you simply cannot tell the quality of the cut as you need to see the diamone in person.

Colour - many diamonds you find on the high street are actually tinged yellow, you perhaps wouldn't notice straight away by looking at it but next to a whiter diamond it's quite obvious. The colour grades start at D through to Z. For a diamond to be White and not have a hint of yellow it must be graded colour D,E,F,G or H. The closer to D the more expensive.

Clarity - or 'natures fingerprints'. These are small marks in a diamond that can range from black marks, 'clouds' lines or any imperfections. A certified 'flawless' diamOnd is the best and most expensive. However if you are not loaded then a perfectly acceptable to most would be no lower than Si2. Si2 and above may have flaws but they will not be able to be seen with the naked eye, you would need x 10 magnification.

Carat weight - the actual weight of the diamond. For example you could get a whole carat of diamond but if the other qualities are poor then it will be worth much less than a smaller diamond with higher qualities.

For me it's all about balance and getting a good combination of all of the above

Hth

Exactly this - I worked in a jewellers for 5 years before having Fran. Although we call the clarity "natures hallmark" lol.

The diamond in my ring has a black speck in it that is visible to the naked eye, but that doesn't make me love it less. In fact if it ever went missing and was recovered, I would know it was mine straight away!

Round brilliant cut is the most popular for diamonds as it makes them sparkle the most and is easiest to sit a wedding ring next to. I never thought about that when I got my ring (didn't work in the jewellers at the time) - it's a square princess cut sat on the bias and I had to have my wedding and eternity rings made especially to fit around it!

Solitaires are timeless classics - 1/3 or 1/2 carat is usually just a nice size. Mine is 1/3ct. A trilogy is also a lovely choice because the 3 stones represent past, present and future. Some people choose eternities for their engagement rings but I always mention the fact that if they have one as their engagement ring then it takes the option away of having another ring at a later date - eternitiy rings are often given as a 1st wedding anniversary present or after having a baby.

You could also go for a coloured stone with diamonds to compliment it. We had a customer who chose a diamond trilogy but had the 2 end stones replaced with blue topaz and ruby because they were their birthstones - how lovely an idea is that?

The best thing to do is to spend lots of time looking in different shop windows and don't be afraid to go in and ask lots of questions and try them on. Quite often what you like in the window doesn't suit you at all and the assistant will bring different styles out and make recommendations for you.

And above all don't feel pressured into making a decision there and then. If you aren't sure just say you need time to think about it and walk out.

Hope you enjoy the experience of choosing your special ring xxx

 

[Missy86]

Cut - the only influence man has on a diamond, the rest is up to nature. The better the cut the better it handles light and sparkles more. A well cut diamond is one that is cut with the most ideal proportions. Unfortunately looking online you simply cannot tell the quality of the cut as you need to see the diamone in person.

Colour - many diamonds you find on the high street are actually tinged yellow, you perhaps wouldn't notice straight away by looking at it but next to a whiter diamond it's quite obvious. The colour grades start at D through to Z. For a diamond to be White and not have a hint of yellow it must be graded colour D,E,F,G or H. The closer to D the more expensive.

Clarity - or 'natures fingerprints'. These are small marks in a diamond that can range from black marks, 'clouds' lines or any imperfections. A certified 'flawless' diamOnd is the best and most expensive. However if you are not loaded then a perfectly acceptable to most would be no lower than Si2. Si2 and above may have flaws but they will not be able to be seen with the naked eye, you would need x 10 magnification.

Carat weight - the actual weight of the diamond. For example you could get a whole carat of diamond but if the other qualities are poor then it will be worth much less than a smaller diamond with higher qualities.

For me it's all about balance and getting a good combination of all of the above

Hth

Thanks for that its very interesting, my engagement ring has a diamond grading report so I was just comparing it to what you said

Colour H
Clarity I1
Shape Brilliant
Weight 0.33

So do I take it that it has a good colour but not great clarity

 

[jenkins]

Cut - the only influence man has on a diamond, the rest is up to nature. The better the cut the better it handles light and sparkles more. A well cut diamond is one that is cut with the most ideal proportions. Unfortunately looking online you simply cannot tell the quality of the cut as you need to see the diamone in person.

Colour - many diamonds you find on the high street are actually tinged yellow, you perhaps wouldn't notice straight away by looking at it but next to a whiter diamond it's quite obvious. The colour grades start at D through to Z. For a diamond to be White and not have a hint of yellow it must be graded colour D,E,F,G or H. The closer to D the more expensive.



Clarity - or 'natures fingerprints'. These are small marks in a diamond that can range from black marks, 'clouds' lines or any imperfections. A certified 'flawless' diamOnd is the best and most expensive. However if you are not loaded then a perfectly acceptable to most would be no lower than Si2. Si2 and above may have flaws but they will not be able to be seen with the naked eye, you would need x 10 magnification.

Carat weight - the actual weight of the diamond. For example you could get a whole carat of diamond but if the other qualities are poor then it will be worth much less than a smaller diamond with higher qualities.

For me it's all about balance and getting a good combination of all of the above



Hth

Thanks for that its very interesting, my engagement ring has a diamond grading report so I was just comparing it to what you sai
Colour H
Clarity I1
Shape Brilliant
Weight 0.33

So do I take it that it has a good colour but not great clarity

Yeah that's right, and I think it's great that you know the quality of your diamond too because in some jewellers on the high street they cannot actual tell you for sure because their diamonds aren't certified

 

[amjon]

Cut is partly the shape and partly how well they cut it to allow light in. I have a round cut. Clarity is how many inclusions it has or how cloudy the stone is. (It can also have carbon inclusions which are black and not white.) Color is how clear or yellow the stone is. Generally the clearer (less yellow) the better until you get to a canary yellow, then it's even more expensive than totally clear. There are also colored diamonds (pink, champagne, blue, green, yellow, red, etc.). They are generally more valuable (unless they have been artificially given their color). You probably won't see a huge difference in the colors unless you get way down the list and it's highly unlikely you would see inclusions from a distance (unless they are the black carbon ones).

 

[amjon]

Thanks for that its very interesting, my engagement ring has a diamond grading report so I was just comparing it to what you said

Colour H
Clarity I1
Shape Brilliant
Weight 0.33

So do I take it that it has a good colour but not great clarity

H is fairly far down the list. The one my ex-husband got me was E, so pretty much colorless. Anything smaller on the alphabet is good. I1 would be pretty big inclusions. SI is less.