How Do I Get The Best Value For
My Engagement Ring Budget?

Rose Cut Diamond

One of my favorite cuts is rose cut. The basic rose cut has a flat base, which means it lacks a pavilion or point on the bottom. It has a crown composed of triangular facets, usually 12 or 24, rising on the top in an arrangement with six-fold rotational symmetry reminiscent of rose petals, thus the name. The rose cut diamond has been in use since the mid-16th century. The classic rose cut is round, but other shape variations are available.

A diamond's cut is evaluated by trained graders, with higher grades given to stones whose symmetry and proportions most closely match the particular "ideal" used as a benchmark. In determining the quality of the cut, a diamond grader is evaluating the craftsman's skill. During the diamond cutting process, the diamond cutter wants to get the heaviest diamond out of a rough stone because diamonds are valued in part by weight. Sometimes the desire for carat weight and the desire for an ideal cut can be at odds, lowering cut grade rather than sacrificing carat weight.

Diamond Grading System for Cut

The GIA Cut Grading System applies to the most popular cutting style – the modern round brilliant – and all clarities across the D-to-Z color range. There are five cut grades: Excellent (EX), Very Good (VG), Good (G), Fair (F), and Poor (P).

Consistently across the board, more than 60% – 70% of searches based on the diamond cut is for an excellent cut grade. Searches for Ideal Cut and VG cut diamonds are less than a third of the searches for excellent cut. These results may reflect the ongoing diamond industry education of shoppers but not the reality of actual purchases. Many factors impact diamond appearance and beauty but you should be aware that the difference between a VG and EX cut in diamond appearance is most often minimal. Yet, from the consumer perspective, the excellent cut grade far outweighs consideration of even the Ideal Cut. You may find fancy shape diamonds are a bit harder to access and compare.

Unlike round diamonds, the grading reports for fancy shape diamonds do not contain a cut grade, which indicates its light performance.

Platinum

Our most popular choice for wedding and engagement rings due to its hardness, rarity and naturally white sheen that will never fade or change color. Platinum rings are 95% pure, which means they are heavy, strong and naturally hypo-allergenic. The best choice if you have the budget for a prestigious ring that will last you a lifetime.

White Gold

White gold jewelry uses pure gold alloyed with other white metals such as palladium and silver, to produce a beautiful polish and shine. As a standard, white gold rings are plated with rhodium to give its brilliant white luster. Rhodium plating is hypo-allergenic and helps to protect the white gold. Although strong, rhodium wears away over time. Re-plating is a simple process that can be done to restore whiteness at any time.

Yellow Gold

Yellow gold is the traditional choice for wedding rings, we offer 14K or 18K rings. A mixture of pure gold, copper and silver gives yellow gold jewelry its signature warmth. Depending on what carat you choose, the color and hardness of the ring will differ. Currently, 14 karat yellow gold is 15% of the wedding and engagement ring metal searches.

Rose Gold

Also known as pink gold or red gold, rose gold adds a touch of romance to your jewelry. If you are looking for a ring that is traditional, yet distinguished, then rose gold could be the metal for you. Rose gold is often used in bi-colored rings to offset the more traditional white or yellow gold. Like yellow gold, depending on what carat you choose, the color and hardness of the ring will differ. About 5 percent of engagement ring searches are for 14-karat rose gold

5. Get Your Finger Sized Correctly

This may seem obvious, but make sure you both get your ring fingers measured correctly. A ring should feel snug but comfortable. You don't want a ring that's cutting off your circulation or, even worse, so loose it's at risk of falling off.

6. Consider How Your Engagement Ring Will Look with Your Wedding Band

While it is easy to get caught up shopping for the perfect diamond, the engagement ring is only one half of the equation. Your wedding band—you know, the actual symbol of your marriage—is the oft-overlooked other half. Definitely think about what style of wedding band would go with your ring. Some engagement rings don't allow a band to fit flush against them, so it's important to consider the full package of prong versus pavé and channel-set stones before committing to an engagement ring style. 

7. Have a Diamond Carat Weight in Mind

Carat is a measure of physical weight in metric carats and is the most objective grade of a diamond. One carat equals 1/5 gram and is divided into 100 units, called points. For example, a half-carat gemstone would weigh .50 ct. or 50 points. Carat is not a measure of size. Diamonds are priced per carat, which is the price of the diamond divided by its weight.

The age-old question of quality versus quantity also applies to engagement rings; some people prefer a larger stone to a whiter stone, while others want the absolute clearest possible diamond, despite the carat count. People say size isn't important, but it makes a great starting point for diamond shopping. Color and clarity can always be tweaked to find something within your budget. 

Understanding diamond weight is one of the biggest and easiest ways to reduce costs when buying diamond jewelry. The price per carat increases as the weight goes up and diamond prices increase significantly when they weigh the most desired weights. Online diamond size searches represent a clear and easy to understand picture of consumer preferences. 1 ct. to 1.25 ct. represent 20% of all searches and is one of the most popular sizes for engagement rings. Diamond click searches for above 1.25 ct. represent 40% of diamond searches. However, in real time purchases the larger diamond click searches appear to be more aspirational than actual real time purchases of diamonds.

8. Understand Color

The color of gem-quality diamonds occurs in many hues. Colorless diamonds are the rarest. Most natural diamonds fall in a normal color range between white and pale yellow or brown. The grading scale for diamonds in the normal color range used by internationally recognized laboratories is from D, which is colorless to Z, which is a pale yellow or brown color.
Traditionally, diamonds that possess a pale yellow or brown hue, are the least desirable for jewelry but that has changed. Diamonds in brown shades are stylish and called champagne, cognac, and chocolate diamonds. Diamonds of more intense color (usually yellow but in some cases red, green, or blue) are called fancy color diamonds.

On the Gemological Institute of America's scale are valued according to their clarity and color. Grades "D" or "E" are considered colorless and is much more valuable than an "R" or "Y" rated diamond, which is light yellow or brown. Supply and demand establish the value. High color diamonds are rarer, and consumers more desire bright white appearance.

When buying a diamond, near-colorless grade diamond ("G" or "H" rated) is more cost-effective than purchasing a colorless grade diamond ("D" rated). If compared, they are nearly indistinguishable to the naked untrained eye, especially when mounted on a ring setting. Other natural colors (blue, red, pink, for example) are known as "fancy," and their color grading is different from white colorless diamonds.

The G color maintains a slight lead in diamond clicks compared to the other grades. Of clickable searches, 70% are in the D – H color ranges, and 40% of searches surprisingly are in the D-E-F color ranges. 

Amazingly, many consumers search for diamonds in the D – F color range, because to the naked eye, the perceived increase in color would not be noticeable, but the price increase is dramatic. However, 30% of searches are for G-H color diamonds, which also happen to be the most popular colors at retail stores. Value-oriented shoppers search in the I color range, which makes up 11 ½% of searches. 

Let's bring into perspective the discussion of cut and color. The prices of diamonds increase with their scarcity, so the rarer the diamond, the more expensive it is. A high diamond color diamond costs more than a low color diamond not just because it is better color - but also because these are extremely hard to find. The same goes for large diamonds. It is by far harder to find a gem-quality diamond weighing 2 carats than a similar diamond weighing 1 carat. 

9. Importance of Clarity

Diamond clarity is the quality that relates to the existence and visual appearance of internal characteristics of a diamond called inclusions, and surface defects, called blemishes. Diamonds without inclusions or blemishes are rare; however, requiring magnification to see.

Inclusions are solids, liquids, or gases that were trapped in a mineral as it formed. They may be crystals of a foreign material or even another diamond crystal or may have produced structural imperfections, such as tiny cracks that make a diamond appear whitish or cloudy. The appearance of the stone is affected by the number of inclusions, their size, location, and how visible they are. Most inclusions present in gem-quality diamonds do not modify the diamonds' performance or structural integrity and are not visible to the naked eyes.

Clarity is rated from IF/ FL (Internally Flawless / Flawless) to I1 (Included – 1st Degree) with varying degrees in between. Keep in mind that the inclusion size is in relation to the size of the diamond. When buying a 4 carat diamond, a VS2 is more likely to be visible than in a 1 carat diamond. The following will help you compare clarity ratings.

Diamond clarity is one of the critical value factors for shoppers in diamond searches. Almost 40% of all diamond searches are for VS 1 and VS 2. For the consumer who understands the definition of SI 1 as slightly included, the apparent preference is for a VS stone. However, 30% of all searches are for SI 1 and SI 2. For all consumers, the eye clean diamond is extremely important, and the majority of purchases based on diamond clicks will be SI and above. Understanding diamond clarity grades help clarify these choices in diamond beauty because they are very straightforward and easier to understand compared to cut grades and D-F diamond colors.

The key element when evaluating diamond clarity and how it affects your budget is how it appears to the naked eye. The difference in price between an SI1 or SI2 clarity diamond and a flawless diamond is significant.  

10. Certified Confirms What You are Buying

Simply put, certified diamonds are diamonds that have been evaluated by an independent certifying agency, and a unique identification number and certificate accompany them. Some certified diamonds are laser inscribed with the ID number for your peace of mind. Whether lab created diamonds or natural mined diamonds are selected from the Lisa Robin diamond selector, they will come with certification. You can find the certificate on the diamond listing by clicking the little document symbol.

• The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) is probably the laboratory with the highest standards. Sometimes these diamonds also include a laser inscribed serial number or bar code on the girdle of the stone.
• The AGL (American Gemological Lab) is more known for grading colored stones but does grade diamonds usually per the GIA standards.
• The EGL (European Gemological Lab) is a lab with locations in the US and many locations internationally. Their standards have come under scrutiny in recent years, and I typically look at these diamonds with a much more critical eye.