The Complete Guide to Engagement Ring Buying
Posted by James McDermott on
This step by step guide has been put together to make the process of choosing a diamond engagement ring clear and simple, with the added bonus of telling you exactly where in London you can purchase them from at wholesale prices. Once completed you will understand everything you need to know to make an informed and educated decision, ensuring you are left feeling confident that you have purchased the best possible ring and diamond/s with your budget.
RETAIL VS FACTORY
If you are considering visiting London’s Hatton square gardens or any of the UK’s wide selection of retail jewellers, it’s definitely in your interest to also consider the alternative of buying directly from the same factories that they buy from before adding their profit margins.
For more information on buying your engagement ring directly from London factories at up to 40% less than retail, please read our other guide covering this topic through this link or get in touch with us at info@aurorastone.co.uk
When choosing or designing a custom ring there are two essential choices to be made – The overall ring design and the Quality of the diamond
RING DESIGN
The very first decision to make when deciding on a ring is the overall look and feel of the ring, which consists of the Ring Setting, Diamond Shape and Metal Type.
Ring Setting
What’s her style? Is she classic? Unique? Inspired by vintage details, or modern chic? Whichever ring you choose, it’s setting should reflect her personal image, attitude and beauty.
The ring’s setting will also determine to some extent the kind of diamonds you will need to buy, and therefore should be the first decision you make in the process of selecting an engagement ring.
Click here for detailed information on each of the above classic ring settings.
Diamond Shapes
Once you have decided on the setting of the ring, you then need to consider which diamond shape/s would look best in your chosen setting.
With so many to choose from and each shape demanding considerably different prices, it is important that you take your time to learn about all their benefits and backgrounds to ensure you select the one that best reflects her and her taste.
Click here for detailed information on each of the above classic shapes to find out which one is right for her.
Metal
Once you have a setting and diamond in mind the next step in deciding the overall look of your ring is to decide on which metal it will be set in. Finding the right metal for her ring is an important decision as it greatly contributes to the brilliance of the diamond and the aesthetics of the wearer. It therefore, is essential that you choose the one that best suits her style and preference.
Click here for detailed information on each metal Karat Gold weights.
DIAMOND QUALITY
Now that you have decided on your ring design it’s now time to select the quality of the diamond/s to be placed on it. The 4Cs of Diamond Quality is the universal method for assessing the quality and value of any diamond, anywhere in the world based on their Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat
Cut
The sparkle and brilliance of a diamond depend on its ability to reflect the natural light around it, and it is the quality of the cut that gives it the ability to bounce the light off the bottom of the diamond and reflect it back up through the top. If a diamond is cut too deep or too shallow, the light will be lost through the bottom or sides, however, when cut in perfect proportion, it will create the right shape to reflect it back out.
A diamond’s cut is graded from poor, fair, good, very good and excellent.
Cut is the most important of the 4Cs as even if a diamond has a flawless clarity and the highest colour grade, it will still appear dull if the cut is poor.
An excellent cut and therefore sparkle has the additional benefits of looking larger in size and makes it harder to see any noticeable inclusions in the clarity.
Colour
After a diamond’s sparkle, it is its colour that is the next most noticeable characteristic to catch the eye. The colour it is referring to is the presence of a natural pale-yellow tint that both dulls it’s beauty and lowers its ability to reflect natural light. It is due to this that a diamond is actually graded higher for its lack of colour.
The colour of a diamond is graded from D to Z grades, so essentially the less colour, the clearer the diamond.
Clarity
Diamond clarity is the assessment of small imperfections known as internal inclusions and surface blemishes. These natural defects are microscopic and unable to be seen without a magnification lens.
It is because of this that clarity is often seen as the least important factor to prioritise when selecting a diamond.
When inspecting a diamond, gemologists have determined 5 clarity categories within a diamond, with imperfections defining the clarity grade a diamond will fall into:
Flawless, Very Very Slightly Included, Very Slightly Included, Slightly Included, Included
Carat
Diamond carat refers to a diamond's weight, not necessarily its size. When comparing diamond carat sizes, it is important to take a diamond’s cut into consideration. A high-carat diamond with a deep cut may look smaller from above, than a lower carat diamond with an Ideal cut. And just remember a better cut will give you the most sparkle making it look even larger.
Carats are measured by point weight and each carat can be subdivided into 100 points. For example a quarter carat = 0.25 carats, one carat = 1.00 carats and one and a half carats = 1.50 carats.
Top tip – To maximise your budget, when selecting a carat if possible, select a weight slightly below the whole and half-carat marks. For example, instead of a 1.0-carat, consider buying a 1.9-carat. The difference is unnoticeable however the savings are considerable allowing you to allocate more funds to the quality of the diamond in the other 3Cs.
Budget Optimisation
The price of a diamond is a collective valuation of the diamond shape and the 4Cs. The best way to think of it is like a pully system, pull one string and the price goes up, lower another and the price goes down. This allows you to prioritise what is important to you. You may, for example, want to go for one of the more expensive diamond shapes in a two-carat, but can only fit it into your budget if you lower its clarity. You may rather choose a smaller carat weight to leave more of your budget to go into getting an excellent cut and colour.
In order to get the best possible diamond for you out of your budget, it’s best to purchase it from a jeweller with a larger range to select from. This allows you to pull and release the pully until you find the jewel that matches your preferences and budget perfectly.
Certification
The quality of a diamond is not guaranteed by the brand name or the store from which you purchased it. The true measure of quality comes from its grading and the quality standards of the institute that provides its certification.
All certified diamonds are evaluated by an objective 3rd party gemological lab, where each diamond is scrutinised and graded on its 4Cs. The certification number is minutely engraved on the diamond and is sold along with its certification document. This report gives the buyer the peace of mind that the diamond they are buying is of the quality that they are paying for.
We highly recommend to all our clients that they only ever purchase diamonds that are graded by a globally recognised institution, to ensure that they can be confident in what they are purchasing.
The three most established authorities in the diamond industry are GIA (Gemmological Institute of America), EGL (European Gemmological Laboratory) and DGC (Diamond Gemological Certificate).
At Aurorastone, we pride ourselves in only stocking diamonds that hold their original certificate from any of these three institutions, which will be delivered alongside all purchases.
Ethical Sourcing
To ensure buyers that they are purchasing conflict free diamonds from ethical sources, The Kimberley Process Certification System was established in 2003 to prevent conflict diamonds from entering the diamond supply chain. To give you peace of mind, always check with your jeweller the source of your diamond and whether it holds this certification.
The Aurorastone Quality
Having supplied some of the UK’s most prestigious and beloved retailers, only the finest diamonds meet our stringent criteria in order to be selected for our range.
If you would like to speak with an Aurorastone consultant to learn more about putting together your custom-made ring and how you can buy directly from our London factory at wholesale price, please contact us via info@aurorastone.co.uk