Advice On Selecting Affordable Engagement Rings

November 23, 2009 by OldRomantic  
Filed under Diamond Jewelry

Brought to you by cheap cushion cut rings.

Even though an engagement ring is small in size, it can be threatening in cost, especially if you have limited funds in preparing for marriage. Search for a choice that is within your budget so the ring is not a major problem. The couple should put all the options on the table for discussion.

A diamond substitute is the best choice over a true diamond. Back at the beginning of the last century, the DeBeers company, faced with a glut of quality diamonds and a sagging market, devised a very successful advertising campaign linking diamonds with true love, and the diamond engagement ring as a “necessity” was born. 

The over prize of the modern diamond is due to the mystique created and spread by DeBeers and other diamond merchants. Diamond alternatives can be just as durable and convey the same beauty, clarity, and symbolism.

If you and your partner want real diamonds, you must start the search quite early. The first option is frequently overlooked:  resetting a stone that a family member from either side already owns. Purchasing a used diamond will generally be less expensive than a new one, and the new ring may have added significance if it’s from a family member. When a ring is an outright gift and the setting is appealing, that kind of diamond will not break your budget.

If that does not work, you should try speaking to a jeweler with a long-standing reputation for quality work, and see if he or she can locate a reasonably priced stone of high quality for you. Understand, what you think is a low price may not be the same as a jeweler… but a jeweler with reputation is much less likely to cheat you than a fly by night, or a chain supplier with good intentions and limited jewelery education.

Good jewelers will help you find affordable stones through different avenues, like other professionals and estate sales.

A good jeweler will give you additional information about the sources of diamonds and educate you. Diamonds are an expensive item to purchase.  The prices are often inflated according to market demand.  To bypass this price increase, you should find a jeweler willing to suggest a substitute. Their suggestion is often based on their knowledge of both quality and affordability. Some individuals really like cubic zirconium, while others enjoy Moissanite, and still others like white topaz. 

If you approach some experts, they will recommend some strong, fine unexpected alternatives. Hear them out, and think about their suggestions. Jewelers do not want to sell their diamonds at a crazy price to anyone who will not appreciate the stone for more than its shine and traditional place in wedding and engagement rings. While a lot of them feel as if they are frauds, they need to charge a sufficient amount to cover what they spend. They will be glad to give you a hand in helping you find a better selection that still makes them money without taking away your satisfaction or their reputation.

You can take advantage of pawn shops and auctions like eBay, this is not recommended but plausible. These forms of acquisition entail some blind spots and   there is no quality control which can over weigh them.

Even a dealer in good faith, can “cheat”  you simply because you are not knowledgeable in jewelery and the buyer has little ability to assess the value before purchase. There are all sorts of opportunities for taking risks. The ring you received for your engagement should be unique.

For more see affordable emerald cut diamond rings and cheap solitaire engagement rings.

How to Accept an Oval Diamond Engagement Ring

November 21, 2009 by OldRomantic  
Filed under Diamond Jewelry

Greatest oval diamond engagement rings are careful to be a variation on the about brilliant cut, whereby they are narrower on one end of the stone and longer on the other. However, since they are never accurately mathematically proportionate, they lose some brilliance and shine when compared with a round diamond . If they are deficiently proportioned, they may lose moderately a bit of brilliance and shimmer compared to their round counterpart. In other words, inadequately equal ovals will look of poorer quality than a correspondingly inadequately equal round stone. An plus of an oval diamond is that is appears to look larger than a around diamond of the same carat weight. Another positive point of an oval stone, is that an oval center diamond characteristically looks better than a around center stone for the reason that fraction of a three-stone diamond ring.
The typical reason why many stone cutters will decide an oval over a around shape is to keep hold of the most diamond weight.

1.    Step 1
Recognize environment information on oval diamonds: Utmost oval diamond engagement rings  are well thought-out to be a variation on the encompassing brilliant cut, whereby they are narrower on one end of the stone and longer on the other. However, because they are never exactly mathematically proportionate, they lose some brilliance and glisten when compared with a round diamond. If they are poorly proportioned, they may lose fairly a bit of brilliance and flicker compared to their round counterpart. In other words, poorly balanced ovals will look of poorer quality than a correspondingly imperfectly proportioned around stone. An gain of an oval diamond is that is appears to look larger than a encompassing diamond of the same carat weight. Another positive trait of an oval stone, is that an oval center diamond naturally looks better than a round center stone because ratio of a three-stone diamond ring.

The percentage of the length to the width of an oval be supposed to be encompassing 1.5:1. An oval diamond typically displays 56 facets and an ideal oval diamond be supposed to have profundity of the cut in lower 60s. Depending on how their cut, personal choice may dictate that some ovals look too wide while others look too thin. The typical motive why many stone cutters will choose an oval over a about shape is to retain the utmost diamond weight.

2.    Step 2
Look for a diamond with an supreme part and facets: The percentage of the length to the width of an oval ought to be about 1.5:1. An oval diamond naturally displays 56 facets and an ultimate oval diamond ought to have intensity of the cut in lower 60s. Depending on how their cut, personal alternative may read aloud that some ovals look too wide while others look too thin. The typical incentive why many stone cutters will opt an oval over a round shape is to keep the highest diamond weight.

3.    Step 3
Shun the bow-tie effect: For the reason that with pear and marquise shaped diamonds, oval diamond engagement rings habitually have what’s referred to since the “bow-tie” effect. This upshot is reduced at all costs, but is on average never utterly avoided. Fortunately, the bow tie effect occurs less frequently with oval diamond engagement rings, for the reason that with pear and marquise shaped diamond rings. The bow-tie outcome refers to one or two dark areas, across the middle of of the diamond which looks just like a black bow tie. Unnecessary to say, when acquiring a oval shape diamond, if you have a choice, try to find one lacking too much of a bow tie.

4.    Step 4
Think the cash advantage: Now for the good news: The price per carat of oval diamonds is roughly forever less than the price for similar point about brilliant cuts. Proportioned high quality oval diamonds will normally cost 10-20% less than alike around brilliant cuts.

Find More articles about heart shaped diamond engagement rings or unique engagement ring settings here

Diamonds Forever Desirable

April 28, 2009 by OldRomantic  
Filed under Diamond Jewelry

diamond earrings

For decades, people around the globe have been aware of two main things about diamonds. First, they are the hardest substance that the earth has produced and secondly, they are expensive. While that is very common knowledge, what is less well-known is precisely how diamonds are formed and why they have become so valuable and treasured.

A diamond is actually a mineral and begins life as carbon which is then formed over many, many years. In order for the carbon deposits to form into a diamond, the substance must be subjected to certain conditions that tempers and changes the mineral into the rare and beautiful gem. The first diamonds were recorded to have been discovered some 3000 years ago in India.

Since that era, diamonds have had a strong and lasting reputation for their splendor and intrinsic value and have been treasured by generations as symbols of virtue, fortune, refinement and even greatness. Diamond is a word that is from the Greek language, based on the word “adamas,” meaning unconquerable.

In fact, in many ancient civilizations, the diamonds were worn by warriors as they marched into battle to symbolize courage, strength and invincibility. This is just one of many examples of how the diamond has become such an integral part of culture, history and lore of many countries.

Today, the majority of the stones come from mines that are located in the countries of central and southern Africa. However, there are still significant numbers of the rare and precious gems that are mined in other parts of the world such as Brazil, Australia, Canada and Siberia, which boasts the single largest diamond mine in the world.

Anyone who has ever shopped for a diamond ring, diamond earrings, or other diamond jewelry are probably very well aware that the De Beers company controls a huge portion of the diamond market. The stones must meet stringent quality standards and the De Beers company is one of the diamond suppliers that is well known for the high quality of gems that they bring to the market. In fact, in some parts of the world, De Beers has even been accused on monopolizing the entire diamond market because of the considerable control they have.

There is no doubt that the diamond is still one of the most desirable and treasured gems of any that are available. Virtually all high-end jewelry is embellished with a diamond or two, which immediately makes a statement about the person wearing such a fine piece of body jewelry. A diamond engagement ring is certainly considered to be the standard that symbolizes love, romance and commitment.

Diamonds will vary a great deal in price based upon on the quality classification of the gem. Four aspects are considered when evaluating the diamond’s value. These four characteristics are the Four “C”s and they are clarity, cut, color and carat.

A close look at how diamonds are priced – let’s talk about clarity!

January 3, 2009 by OldRomantic  
Filed under Diamond Jewelry

This time I’m going to take a look at one of the “4 C’s” of diamonds. For those that aren’t aware, diamonds are graded in 4 main categories or groupings - cut, color, carat and clarity. Let’s have a close look at the last one – clarity.

The clarity grading scale ranges from IF (the best) down to I3 (the worst). As a whole, there are ten different categories that a diamond can fall into.

Clarity refers to the number of “inclusions” that are found in the diamond. In a nut-shell, inclusions are small blemishes or imperfections. These occur naturally when the rock is forming in the earth and inclusions are found in almost all diamonds.

In order to place a grade on the diamond, a gemologist inspects the diamond under intense magnification in order to look at any inclusions that are present. The grading is then decided on the number of inclusions, and as well how noticeable or large they are.  Remember that this is done under strong magnification.

As an example, a diamond that has an IF or flawless grading has no inclusions whatsoever. This is incredibly rare, and understandably, this type of diamond will have a huge bump in price.

A diamond graded VS2 will have “very slight” inclusions – these will only be noticeable when viewed under a microscope and aren’t typically noticeable with your human eye alone. These diamonds sell for significantly less that an IF graded diamond.

It’s important to familiarize yourself with the different ways diamonds are graded. Grab a diamond buying guide – you will be pleased you did in the end as you can save some huge cash on your purchase. It can be the difference between finding an affordable engagement ring instead of shelling out big bucks and making your jeweler richer.

Buying a Diamond Engagement Ring – What You Need To Know Before You Buy

December 1, 2008 by OldRomantic  
Filed under Diamond Engagement Rings

If you are planning to go out and buy a diamond engagement ring, you really should do your research first and learn the different information, tips and tricks that will help you buy the best diamond. This way you will feel more comfortable when you head to the jeweler’s.

One of the most important days in your life will be the day that you offer an engagement ring to the woman you love and ask her to be your wife, so of course you want to make sure that you take the time to find just the right diamond engagement ring.

The Four C’s

When you are buying a diamond engagement ring, you need to be aware of the “Four C’s”, which are: cut, clarity, color, and carat weight.

Cut

Let’s start with the cut of the diamond. This is one of the most important aspects of all, and refers to the way the diamond has been cut. When cut properly, a diamond will allow light to shine through it and be more brilliant. This is because if the angles are correct, the light that enters will be dispersed properly back through the diamond’s top facets.

Clarity

You also have to think about the clarity of the diamond. The clarity of a diamond is determined by the amount and location of flaws in the diamond, when viewed under proper magnification. When you are looking at a diamond in an engagement ring, you need to ask the jeweler what rating of clarity it has.

Color

The color of the diamond is another important aspect here. Diamonds are available in almost every color of the rainbow, so you can get a pink or blue diamond engagement ring, whatever color you know that she is going to love. If you would rather select something more traditional, you should stick to a white diamond engagement ring, which is by far the most popular choice.

Carat Weight

Finally there is carat weight that you will need to be concerned with, and this is what basically determines the value of the diamond. This is the weight of a diamond when measured in carats, and as the carat weight increases, so does the worth of the diamond.

These tips will be extremely helpful when you go to buy a diamond engagement ring, making sure that you choose the most perfect ring, one that will show her just how much you care about her and which will suit her personality…and your budget.

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