HOW TO BUY A DIAMOND
"Diamonds are Forever." The timeless appeal of a diamond is a testament to its durability, beauty, rarity, and strength; a fitting symbol of love and marriage. Let us offer you and your loved one some guidelines for choosing the perfect diamond.
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When you're picking out your engagement ring, you have two options: The first is a preset ring, in which the designer has already selected a diamond for it. This option has its merits, including not having to spend enormous amounts of time choosing the perfect setting and the perfect stone for said setting.
However, most women choose engagement ring settings where they can select their own center stones. By going down this route, a woman can have near-total control over the stone that'll be at the heart of her forever ring. She can stay within a budget of her choice, as well as filter the qualities that are most important to her in the stone.
But there are many, many factors that go into choosing a single diamond, and it can be difficult to understand them all when you're shopping for one without prior knowledge. For every woman who's asking how to buy a diamond, MILANJ Diamonds provides this handy guide to give you some tips!
Start with the 4 C's
The first thing you should understand about a diamond before you buy it is the 4 C's of the stone in question. Those C's are cut, color, clarity, and carat, the inherent traits of a gem-quality diamond that give it its value. It's important to write up a list of the traits that are most important to you so that you can stay within a predetermined budget when you're shopping.
For example, many women want a huge rock. But a high-carat diamond can be prohibitively expensive when it's also of exceptional color and clarity. You may choose to sacrifice a bit of color or clarity or select a shape with a cut that's better at concealing some inner flaws.
Go by Price
Cost is sometimes referred to as “the 5th C” because it's strongly influenced by the other 4 C's. Because small changes to a diamond can alter its price, it's important to have a budget in mind before you go shopping for a diamond. The overall purchase of an engagement ring is split between the cost of the diamond and its setting, so you'll want to write down your preferred split of the budget for each piece.
Also, keep in mind that certain jewelers like MILANJ Diamonds offer a “trade up” policy, where the value of one's current diamond can be put toward purchasing a more costly diamond later. It may be prudent to spend money on the setting now and save your cash for later!
Look for the Certificate
Gem-quality diamonds are graded by independent laboratories that work along certain in-house metrics to determine the overall quality of the stone. That is to say—the 4 C's don't come out of thin air. They come from a gemologist giving them a thorough once-over. But there are many different independent labs that stamp their imprimatur on diamonds.
Here at MILANJ Diamonds, we only place our trust in the two most trusted labs: GIA and AGS. These laboratories and their certificates are trusted worldwide for their accuracy and lack of bias, and that reputation means that you can trust that a GIA or AGS-graded diamond will be exactly what it “says on the label,” as it were.
Choose Based on Trust
But speaking of trust, it's important to trust your retailer as much as the laboratory that grades your chosen diamond. Sadly, there are retailers who have no qualms about ripping their customers off, and this can manifest as artificially boosting the price of a diamond, misrepresenting the information on the diamond's grading certificate (or selling diamonds that lack certificates), working with inferior laboratories, and engaging in high-pressure sales tactics.
Only work with a jeweler like MILANJ Diamonds when you're looking for a diamond. Our decades of service have cemented our place in the community, and we strive to offer only the most reputable diamonds to women looking to own a perfect engagement ring.
If you're interested in learning more about how to buy a diamond, call us at 610-992-0707 or stop by our showroom in King of Prussia, Pennsylvania today!