The best widespread of engagement traditions could be the groom presenting his bride to be which has a ring. Most often, the engagement ring is a diamond ring. Though diamonds are the best desired by brides to become, diamonds are not the only precious stones utilised in engagement rings.

If you are choice of engagement ring is often a diamond ring, be ready to spend. The diamond jewellery retail market is really a $30 billion market. Over $5 billion is spent on engagement ring in the U.S. market.

Into the untrained eye, most diamonds look very similar. Most people will differentiate between diamonds determined by size, shape, and price. A lower cost commonly means lower diamond quality, not necessarily a bargain.

Judging diamond quality requires skill and experience, and it involves grading a ring based on a combination of characteristics such as cut, clarity, color and carat weight. The above characteristics are called the “4 Cs”. A diamond’s weight is measured in carats, similar to one fifth of a gram. Typically diamonds range from 0.25 up to many carats. Weight is only one method of valuing a diamond, color is another. Colorless diamonds are the most rare and they’re the most valuable. Colored diamonds with a hint of yellow tend to be more common and less expensive.

Diamond colors are coded from D to Z. A D grade is the most useful and Z is least valuable. Diamonds graded D-F are considered colorless and they’re the best valuable. Lots of reputable jewelry stores will not sell K thru Z grade diamonds.

The most precious color grades:

D: Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare.
E: Colorless. Only minute traces of color might be detected by an experienced gemologist. A rare diamond.
F: Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert gemologist, but still measured a “colorless” grade. A higher-quality diamond.

Another essential factor determining the purchase price of a diamond is its cut. The same as color, cut, is equally difficult to guage to the untrained eye. The grading certificate that typically is included with the diamond provides you with a superb idea. Independent testing laboratories, such the GIA, provide certificates which has a diamond’s grading from excellent to poor. A licensed diamond also means a bigger value tag.

The quality of a diamond only refers to its purity. Most diamonds have minuscule markings called “inclusions”. A flawless (no inclusions) diamond is very rare and precious, while a diamond riddled with inclusions is less expensive. Clarity is ranked from “flawless” (FL) to “imperfect” (I1 to I2). Most diamonds fall between those with very, very small inclusions (VVS1) to rocks with slightly larger inclusions (S1). If you are willing to compromise on clarity, you are able to expect to save. To verify a diamond’s clarity, examine the laboratory certificate.

If you are on a tight budget, try and stay away from the big name jewels stores. Brand name usually comes with a larger price tag. Purchase wholesale could be an option. Normally the wholesaler’s core business is selling diamonds to retailers, but they also sell towards public. Because they do not advertise in the traditional methods, nor are they located in shopping malls, you have to seek them out. You will see that some wholesalers listed as diamond merchants in the Yellow Pages.