If you are getting engaged, then you will obviously want an engagement ring for your fiancée. Whereas choosing the actual ring is not going to be a problem in itself, ascertaining the best quality for your buck is another matter entirely. After all, you wouldn’t want to buy your future wife a diamond ring that wasn’t dazzling or sparkling. Just as you would never compromise the decision in choosing your life’s partner, similarly you shouldn’t compromise on the quality of the diamond.
So what is the best way to choose the finest quality diamond for your money? Well, as a benchmark you should always follow the four “C’s” – carat, color, clarity and cut. A combination of all these factors also determines the actual value of the diamond as well as assisting people to obtain the best stone their budget can afford. But what exactly are these four “C’s” all about? Well, read on and we shall try to explain.
Carat
All diamonds are weighed in terms of carats, and this is basically a unit of measurement derived from an ancient process of balancing scales. Putting these into contemporary terms, then one carat would be the equivalent of two hundred milligrams, or one ounce would equal 142 carats. The more carats in a diamond, the heftier the price!
Color
Diamonds can come in a variety of colors and there is nothing more fetching than yellow diamond engagement rings, or even diamond engagement rings in pink or even black. In saying this though, white has always, and will probably always, be the most preferred of all the diamond colors. And when we say white, we do obviously refer to the colorless diamonds we all know so well. True whites are very rare and as such diamonds are color graded by how far off true white it is. In terms of buying, try to purchase a diamond that is as white as possible with no yellow tinge.
Clarity
Clarity is one of the most endearing aspects of a diamond. While clarity is very often dictated by external elements, it is not unusual to see diamonds with internal imperfections. These internal imperfections can include bubbles, spots or small lines known as inclusions, all of which can drop the quality of the stone. This is why when purchasing diamond of any description it is first prudent to check for imperfections very carefully.
Cut
Most diamonds are cut in accordance to a pre-determined mathematical formula. A radiant cut diamond, which incidentally is one of the most cherished diamond cuts to own, has 64 to 70 facets, while the more common round cut diamonds have 58 facets. A facet is a tiny, flat, polished surface of the diamond which is designed to reflect light, giving the diamond its sparkling appearance.
At the end of the day, while the four “C’s” are imperative in choosing the perfect diamond, what is equally (or more) important is your fiancées preference. Here preferred design will also determine the type of diamond you ultimately purchase.