{"id":4573,"date":"2011-07-04T08:26:55","date_gmt":"2011-07-04T12:26:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=4573"},"modified":"2015-05-25T08:52:17","modified_gmt":"2015-05-25T12:52:17","slug":"buy-a-diamond-loose-or-mounted","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/buy-a-diamond-loose-or-mounted\/","title":{"rendered":"BUY A DIAMOND LOOSE OR MOUNTED?"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Should<\/div>\n

Should you buy a Diamond Loose<\/strong>, or should you purchase a Diamond already set in a mounting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\nI’m sure that you know by now that I’m going to say:<\/p>\n

“Buy your Diamond Loose!”<\/h2>\n

\n…(which I am<\/strong>), but what you don’t know is this: <\/p>\n

\nThis is NOT <\/strong>what the majority of Engagement Ring Shoppers do (and that’s a crying shame<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

\nBut it’s true…<\/strong><\/p>\n

Most Buy a Mounted Diamond<\/h2>\n

\nMost people just buy a finished ring, which is a Diamond that is pre-set into a mounting or wedding set.<\/p>\n

\nThey go from store to store and find a beautiful Diamond ring<\/strong> that they love (at the right price), and they buy that ring.<\/p>\n

\nIn fact, I would bet that at least 75% of all the guys<\/strong> (and even some shopping with their Fiancees) buy rings with Diamonds already set in them.<\/p>\n

\nThey do this because the ring is finished and they don’t have to guess what it will look like<\/strong> on her finger. It’s quick and painless.<\/p>\n

\nPlus, Diamonds already set in rings often are cheaper<\/strong> than buying a Diamond Loose. Fancy that!<\/strong><\/p>\n

\n\"Diamond<\/p>\n

\nThis is because people that buy Diamonds preset are generally looking more at the design and price<\/strong> than they are the quality <\/strong>of the Diamond. Not to mention the fact that you’re getting the entire ring<\/strong>… You don’t have to buy the Diamond and then buy the Mounting!!! 2 separate purchases usually cost more<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nAnd one more great reason why they like to buy Diamonds already mounted: She can wear the ring right here, right now!<\/strong> It’s good to go and that’s a huge selling point<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nIf you give her a Loose Diamond, she’ll look at you like “What do I do with this?<\/strong>” lol Yes it is hard to picture what a ring will look like when you’re staring at paperwork and a loose diamond rolled up in a Diamond Parcel<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nBut, there are some very good reasons why you should buy your Diamond loose (even though it’s harder to visualize<\/strong>, takes multiple purchases, and generally costs more<\/strong>…).<\/p>\n

Reasons to Buy Diamonds Loose<\/h2>\n

<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. The Mounting Adds Color<\/li>\n
  2. The Mounting Hides Inclusions<\/li>\n
  3. The Mounting breaks up the Carat Weight<\/li>\n
  4. The Diamonds aren’t Certified!<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    <\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nNow let’s take a closer look <\/strong>at all these awesome reasons…<\/p>\n

    The Mounting Adds Color<\/h2>\n

    \nIt’s very difficult to judge the true color of a Diamond once it’s been mounted<\/strong>. The Diamond pulls the color of the mounting<\/strong> into the stone and can make a Diamond look yellow or even dark.<\/p>\n

    \n\"Mounting<\/p>\n

    \nThis is also why I advise setting a Diamond into a White Gold Mounting. White Gold doesn’t add Color!<\/strong> (unless you want to buy a Diamond of lower Color to save money – read more about Hiding Color in Diamonds<\/a>)<\/p>\n

    Mountings Hide Inclusions<\/h2>\n

    \nIf you buy a Diamond preset, you won’t know what the Mounting and Prongs are hiding<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \n\"Mounting<\/p>\n

    \nThey could be hiding Flaws<\/strong>, Inclusions, Black Spots, Nicks, Cracks, Fractures and more…<\/p>\n

    \nIf you’re not concerned about these Flaws, then buy the ring and don’t worry about it<\/strong>. But if it makes you stop and think twice, it should make you stop and take a closer look.<\/p>\n

    With a Loose Diamond you can see exactly what it is you’re buying<\/strong> without any of the Diamond being obscured or hidden.<\/p>\n

    \nIf a Flaw is hidden, it could make the Clarity of the Diamond appear better<\/strong>. Which in turn, means the Jeweler could say it’s better and CHARGE you MORE!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n…And you thought you were saving money!!!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    Mountings Break up Carat Weight<\/h2>\n

    \nThe Mounting really can break up the Carat Weight of the stones.<\/p>\n

    \nWhen you buy a Diamond preset, you’re either going to buy one single Diamond (like in a Tiffany Style Band<\/a>), or you’re going to buy a Diamond surrounded by other Diamonds<\/strong> (Diamonds down the side or side stones, like the Cool Halo Here<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \n\"CT<\/p>\n

    \nGenerally, when the ring has more than one Diamond in it, you’re buying the combined total Diamond Weight<\/strong> (Combined weight of all the Diamonds added together), versus all the Carat Weight being in just one solitaire Diamond.<\/p>\n

    Read more: Carat Weight Versus Carat Total Weight!<\/a><\/p>\n

    \nThis makes the ring WAY Cheaper<\/strong>, but you end up with smaller Diamonds (and Diamonds that aren’t Certified<\/strong>!).<\/p>\n

    The Diamonds aren’t Certified<\/h2>\n

    \nThis is a BIGGIE<\/strong>!<\/p>\n

    \nMost Diamonds that are already mounted in Rings or Settings are NOT Certified!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nWell, I should clarify myself and say, they aren’t Certified by a trusted Diamond Certification Company<\/strong>. The 3 big ones are: GIA <\/strong>(Gemological Institute of America), AGS <\/strong>(American Gem Society) and AGL <\/strong>(American Gemological Laboratories).<\/p>\n

    \nGIA is my favorite<\/strong> and in my opinion, the best of the best<\/strong>. After all, GIA wrote and devised the 4C’s of Diamond Grading<\/a>!<\/p>\n

    \nIf the Diamond is not certified, you’ll never really know what the quality truly is<\/strong>. You’ll never know if you got what you paid for, and you’ll never know if you got ripped off or not.<\/p>\n

    What does Certification do?<\/h2>\n

    \nCertification will Guarantee Quality<\/strong> like: Cut<\/a>, Color<\/a>, Clarity<\/a> and Carat Weight<\/a>. It will tell you the Dimensions, Table Width, Total Depth, Proportions, Percentages, Angles and Symmetry of the stone<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nIt will tell you if the Diamond is Cut Good (like an Excellent Cut<\/a>), or even if the stone is Cut Bad (Fair or Poor Cut).<\/p>\n

    \n\"Certification<\/p>\n

    \nCertification can tell you all of this. A Diamond preset in a Mounting can’t!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nEven if the Jewelry Store tells you what the Clarity, Color and Carat Weight is of the Diamond, and even if the Diamond comes with a Jewelry Appraisal<\/strong> (which has the Replacement Value of the Ring), it still isn’t good enough<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nYou won’t know WHO graded the stone<\/strong> (unscrupulous store owner with bad eye-sight)… Which means, you won’t know how accurate the information really is.<\/p>\n

    \n\"Diamonds<\/p>\n

    \nSome Jewelers could Grade Bump the Clarity and Color<\/strong> up a notch to make it seem better than it really is (perfectly legal<\/strong>). You could be paying a lot more for that stone.<\/p>\n

    Is this a risk you’re willing to take?<\/h2>\n

    \nIf you buy a Diamond Loose and Certified (it MUST be Certified<\/strong>), then you can easily shop and compare prices to see which store is giving you the better price (Online it’s usually James Allen<\/a>).<\/p>\n

    \nBut if you buy a Diamond pre-mounted, you’re taking your chances<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nIt’s your money!<\/p>\n

    \nYour choice!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nMounted or Loose?<\/p>\n

    \nNow you know the differences, now you can make a better buying decision<\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Should you buy a Diamond Loose, or should you purchase a Diamond already set in a mounting? I’m sure that you know by now that I’m going to say: “Buy your Diamond Loose!” …(which I [Read More…]<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":4581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29,3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4573","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-diamond-guide","category-diamonds"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=4573"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4573\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=4573"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=4573"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=4573"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}