While you are waiting for the names of specific dealers, perhaps it
might help to learn a little language and make a few decisions that
will make the process easier.
Diamonds are rated on "the 4 C's":
Cut - this is the shape of the diamond, brilliant(round), marquis
(diamond), emerald and princess (square), pear etc. All things equal,
Emerald cut is often considerably more expensive than the others.
Color - Colorless is the most rare and expensive usually rated "D",
White is less expensive, ratings "F -H", Yellow and Cognac follow as
you go up the alphabet. (Yellow should not be confused with Canary, it
has a slight beigy tinge when placed on a stark white surface, I,J and
sometimes K set in yellow gold usually looks white unless you have a
trained eye)
Clarity - The amount of inclusions in the stone. Usually rated (most
to least expensive) VVS (very,very slight) VS (very slight) for
difficult to detect under magnification; SI(slight inclusion) visible
under a jewelers loupe (usually 10x), I (visible to the naked eye) HI
(heavy inclusion - enough carbon to grill steaks)
Carat - The weight of the stone. It's not size. Different cuts of the
same weight appear to be very different in size. Marquis and Pear
appear to be the largest for their weight, followed by brilliant, and
the square cuts look the smallest.
Confused yet?? LOL Now decide the order of importance of the C's,
and shop the top two.
Do you want the best color and clarity you can get for $2000 in a 1/2
Carat brilliant stone, or do you want the largest stone you can get
with a D VVS rating?
Dealers will usually have more of one or the other, so deciding which
is more important will help you decide where to shop. You can weed out
the dealers that don't have what you want in a few phone calls.
Tell the dealer exactly what you are looking for:
I'm looking for a diamond solitare, brilliant cut, at least 1/2 carat
and I have a budget of $2000. That gives the dealer much less room to
baffel you with BS, which is exactly what will happen if you just
say... I need an engagement ring.
He shows you 3 rings that meet your criteria. Buy the one that looks
the best to your eye (most sparkly). Don't get bogged down in a
discussion of "value", diamonds don't appreciate like real estate.
You aren't going to sell it any way, and if you were to sell, the
pittance you would get for it will make you cry.
Now, post a clarification stating the range of your top two choices,
and that should help a researcher find you some dealers.
Best wishes on your upcoming engagement!!! |
