{"id":4651,"date":"2011-08-06T11:04:21","date_gmt":"2011-08-06T15:04:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/?p=4651"},"modified":"2016-09-08T12:05:16","modified_gmt":"2016-09-08T16:05:16","slug":"5-simple-steps-to-buying-a-diamond","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jewelry-secrets.com\/Blog\/5-simple-steps-to-buying-a-diamond\/","title":{"rendered":"5 SIMPLE STEPS TO BUYING A DIAMOND"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"5<\/div>\n

This is the simple and easy way to buy a loose Diamond or Engagement Ring<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nIf you want to buy a Diamond, but don’t want to rack your brain<\/strong> learning all the intricate details about Diamond Education and Terminology, then this post is for you<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\nEverything you will really ever need to know about Buying a Great Quality Diamond<\/strong> all fits into 5 Easy Steps<\/strong>. <\/p>\n

\nThese 5 steps will keep you from Buying a Crappy, Low Quality Diamond and getting Ripped Off by Jewelers.<\/p>\n

\nHere they are:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Set a Budget<\/li>\n
  2. Buy GIA or AGS Certified<\/li>\n
  3. Buy SI1 Clarity or Higher<\/li>\n
  4. Buy H Color or Higher<\/li>\n
  5. Buy Very Good or Excellent Cuts<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

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

    \"5<\/p>\n

    You could stop right there<\/strong> with that information and go out and buy a great Diamond right now, but DON’T!!!! <\/strong>You want to know why? :) Read on…<\/p>\n

    1) Set a Budget<\/h2>\n

    \nFirst and foremost, figure out what you want to spend<\/strong>. The average Engagement Ring Sale is usually between $1,500 – $5,000<\/strong> (see some examples here<\/a>). Decide what feels comfortable for you and strive for that figure.<\/p>\n

    \nIf you have no idea how much you’d like to spend, Jewelers usually say “Use Two Months Salary as a Guideline<\/a>“.<\/p>\n

    \nIf money is no object<\/strong>, great. Buy the best Diamond you can find<\/a>. But for most, see what you can afford and stay within your limits.<\/p>\n

    \nI will also advise you to pay for it in full <\/strong>versus putting the ring on a finance plan with high interest charges. Those can kill your pocket book<\/strong> and pretty much take away any good deals you can find.<\/p>\n

    2) Buy GIA or AGS Certified<\/h2>\n

    \nI can’t stress this enough<\/strong>. Make sure if you’re buying a Diamond for an Engagement Ring, that the Diamond is Certified<\/strong>. And not only Certified (any company can do that), but Certified by the best in the industry.<\/p>\n

    \nGIA (The Gemological Institute of America<\/strong>) is the tops<\/strong>. They wrote the book on Grading Diamonds and are the king when it comes to Diamond Evaluations. They made the 4C’s<\/a> that everyone across America uses to Grade, Buy, Sell and Price Diamonds with.<\/p>\n

    \nI would recommend GIA hands down<\/strong>. They are very strict, highly advanced and highly admired in the field.<\/p>\n

    \nAGS (The American Gem Society<\/strong>) is the next best<\/strong> in the Country. I also trust them to give you great accurate results as well.<\/p>\n

    \"Buy<\/p>\n

    All the other Certificate companies out there are questionable <\/strong>and I’ve seen a lot of Certified Diamonds graded higher than they really are (which means you are spending way too much money for that Diamond).<\/p>\n

    \nThat’s why I say “Buy GIA or AGS and forget the rest!<\/strong>“<\/p>\n

    \nYou’ll be glad you did.<\/p>\n

    3) Buy SI1 Clarity or Higher<\/h2>\n

    \nSI1 Clarity<\/a> or higher (VS, VVS, IF, FL<\/a>) is what I consider Good Quality and better. <\/p>\n

    \"Buy<\/p>\n

    \nSI1 (which is at the high end<\/strong> of the SI Clarity Range), is the most popular Clarity<\/a> in the U.S. because of Price and Quality.<\/p>\n

    \nWith SI1, you won’t see any Inclusions or Black Spots<\/a> in the stone with your naked eye<\/strong> (like you would in lower qualities like I Clarity Diamonds).<\/p>\n

    \nThese Flaws are Small and Microscopic (under 10x magnification<\/strong> – using a 10x Jewelers Loupe<\/a> or a Microscope<\/a>). So when you compare an SI1 Diamond up against a VS or VVS, or even a Flawless Diamond, they will ALL LOOK THE SAME!!!<\/strong> – This is also saying that all the other aspects of the Diamond, Cut<\/a>, Color<\/a>, and Carat Weight<\/a>, are alike.<\/p>\n

    \nSI1 Clarity has small Inclusions<\/strong>, VS Clarity has very small Inclusions, and VVS Clarity has very, very small Inclusions. They all all tiny and all invisible <\/strong>unless you Microscope them.<\/p>\n

    \nAll 3 of these Clarities will give you Awesome Results. They really are that good.<\/p>\n

    \nMyself, I prefer VS Clarity<\/a>, but I’m also a sucker for high quality<\/strong>. :)<\/p>\n

    4) Buy H Color or Higher<\/h2>\n

    \nH Color or higher is the Color range to be in. H and up are considered White Diamonds<\/strong>. G-H is Fine White (Near Colorless). D-E-F is Pure White<\/strong> (Colorless).<\/p>\n

    \"Buy<\/p>\n

    These top 5 Colors (D-H) are White and will look great<\/strong> and really make any stone POP<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nI love White Diamonds and I especially LOVE any Diamonds in the Colorless range<\/a> (E is my all time favorite Color<\/strong>).<\/p>\n

    \nPure White Diamonds are Stunning and look like they have a Spot Light on them. Very Bright, Very White…<\/strong> You can’t get any better than that.<\/p>\n

    \nBuy H or higher and you’ll get a great White Diamond.<\/p>\n

    \nIf you choose I Color or lower, you may notice a Yellow Hue (or even a Brown Hue<\/strong>) in the stone. Yellow is NOT Pretty<\/strong>, even though some people like the warmth it adds to a Diamond.<\/p>\n

    \nMost just think they look Dirty, Old and Stained!<\/strong> :(<\/p>\n

    \nPlus, if you have a Yellow Diamond and set it in a White Gold Mounting, that Yellow Diamond will stand out like a sore thumb<\/strong> and make it look even more yellow. Read: Hide Yellow Diamond Color<\/a>.<\/p>\n

    \nStick with White and you’ll never notice the Color in the Diamond (which is a good thing<\/strong>). Color should not be obvious, only beautiful!<\/p>\n

    5) Buy Very Good or Excellent Cuts<\/h2>\n

    \nCut is Extremely Important<\/strong> and Complicated with all it’s Angles, Proportions, Percentages, Table, Depth, Crown, Pavilion and Facets to consider. It can quickly become very overwhelming.<\/p>\n

    \nDo note that CUT does NOT<\/strong> mean Diamond Shape<\/a>, as in Round, Square, Rectangular, Heart, Pear… like some stores say. Cut is all about Proportions<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nThis can make things difficult, and since this is a simple step post<\/strong>, I’m going to make this simple as well…<\/p>\n

    Ignore Cut!<\/h2>\n

    \nDon’t worry about it, don’t even try to make sense of it.<\/p>\n

    \nJust do one thing…<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \nLook at the Diamond Certificate (remember you are buying a Certified Stone<\/strong>). The Cut Grade is listed on the Diamond Certificate. Look to see if it says “Very Good<\/strong>” or “Excellent<\/strong>“. That’s where you want to be. That’s what you want. Very Good or Excellent.<\/p>\n

    \nEasy as that!<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \n\"Buy<\/p>\n

    \nLet GIA do all of the hard work for you. They put together tons of complicated info and criteria to arrive at their final Cut Grades.<\/p>\n

    \nSo if it says Very Good or Excellent, the Diamond will give you lots of Brilliance and Sparkle<\/strong>. Because, if you don’t know already, Cut is what makes the Diamond Sparkle and Shine. If it’s Cut well, it will sparkle like a thousand stars in the sky. It’s all about the Cut<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    \nLook at the Cut Grade<\/strong>. Look for “Very Good<\/strong>” or “Excellent<\/strong>” and your job is done.<\/p>\n

    \nIf the Cut is listed as Good, Fair or Poor, then pass it up<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

    In Summary<\/h2>\n

    \nThese 4 Tips (minus your actual budget<\/strong>) will get you a GREAT <\/strong>looking Diamond. Not just an okay stone, but a GREAT <\/strong>one!!!<\/p>\n

    <\/p>\n