How To Choose The Perfect Diamond Ring

A diamond ring is an investment, and like any type of investment, you need to know what you are looking for so that you do not get taken to the cleaners in the process. Like anything else, diamonds come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes, as well as a wide variety of prices. For the most part, you get what you pay for, but you should do your research so that you fully understand what you are looking at when you are making a purchase decision.

From a historical standpoint, the concept of an engagement started off as a purely religious ceremony during the thirteenth century where it was pronounced that marriages were to be publicized in churches by the priests so that well-founded hindrances, if any, could be made known. The diamond engagement ring has emerged as the universal symbol of love and commitment between two people.

Men that used diamond engagement rings to ask for a woman’s hand in marriage were looked upon with respect and envy. Diamond rings are affiliated with diamond solitaire engagement rings. Engagement rings can have beautiful designs, and at the same time they are just as attractive in nature when compared to diamond rings. Typically, the engagement ring has diamonds and the wedding band does not, but that is not a hard set rule, as many women have diamonds in both the engagement ring as well as the wedding ring.

The size and quality of a diamond is measured by one criterion known as a carat. A carat is exactly 200 milligrams, but a diamond ring or piece of diamond jewelry with a full carat diamond of quality is going to be expensive. There are the Four Cs involved with defining the quality (and ultimately the price) of a particular diamond, besides carat, are clarity, color, and cut. The carat of your diamond refers to its weight – simply put, the larger the diamond, the more valuable it becomes. Choose a carat value that appeals most to you. While a large diamond may be more valuable than a smaller one, the most important factor is how valuable it is to you.

One of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry you can own, diamond earrings are also very versatile. To get an idea of the different styles and prices that are available in diamond stud earrings it is more convenient to view them online before shopping around at local jewelry stores. One of the most beautiful pieces of jewelry you can own is a pair of diamond stud earrings.

A diamond stud earring is made up of just one perfectly cut diamond, set in fine gold or silver. Only diamonds can cut other diamonds. The diamond may have the perfect clarity and color, but its beauty can still be negatively affected if the cut is not properly made.

The informed consumer has done their research and know what they are looking for, as well as having a good ballpark idea of what a particular diamond will price at. Don’t be afraid to ask the jewelry to borrow his “loop” which is the small magnifying glass that quality jewelers will invariably have ready, where you can get a close-up view of a diamond piece of jewelry to get a clearer picture of the quality of the diamond.

By: Jon Arnold

Moissanite Is A Durable Diamond For An Engagement Ring

The wedding ring goes closest to the heart. In other words, put on the wedding ring first, then the engagements ring. In ancient times, it was believed that there was a vein that went directly from your ring finger on the left hand to the heart. That's where the symbolism of wearing the wedding ring on that finger started.

The terms "synthetic" and "simulated" are confused in the minds of most folks. Synthetic means a REAL diamond material but manmade. Simulated means, a material that looks pretty much like a diamond but is made from something else. A "synthetic" diamond is actually diamond but is manmade in the deep secrets of the laboratory. The "simulated" diamond is a CZ, a Moissanite or other simuilant. So far to date, the Moissanite is the best, even if color might be a bit off.

MOISSANITE

Moissanite is a very durable stimulant for diamonds. The only drawback is the particular stone, since some may show a greenish tint. I suggest you ask to see more than one stone and compare the color for the whitest (least colored) Moissanite.

Moissanite is a diamond like clear form of a substance you are likely familiar with: Silicon Carbide. Think of wet/dry sandpaper. That is silicon carbide, a very hard and durable material. When science was able to consistently manufacture clear crystals of silicon carbide, the gemstone "Moissanite" was born, named after the original discoverer from many years ago and before marketable crystals were producible.

This material is harder than most gemstones, not bothered by the heat used in jewelry work (meaning if prongs holding the stone need work in the future, the stone may be left in place for the work to be done). The stone is bright, durable, and wonderful to the eye. The only distraction is the "sometimes" slightly off-color. That is why I suggest asking a jeweler to have more than one stone for you to select from. Do this with uncounted stones.

Remember, carat is a weight and not a dimension! Moissanite and diamond do not weight the same and a carat of one is not the same size as a carat of the other. Simply ask for a "diamond carat size" when getting the stones to view. Most jewelers will do this automatically since they understand the size the customer wants is relative to the sizes of diamonds.

Believe a good look at some loose stones and a mounting selected and they you will be on your way, happy with the stone. These stones beat CZ is all aspects except the sometimes "tint" of color. CZ must be perfectly clean to really look diamond-like but the high refraction and characteristics of Moissanite keep it looking diamond like even when soiled somewhat.

Still, make an effort to keep all gemstones clean! All looks better that way and regular cleaning is the best way to check for wear and loose stones. Many jewelers will clean your item for free. Most should do that, I believe.

Moissanite is an excellent choice. But...be sure to see the stone first and pick the whitest (most color free) stone.

METALS

Platinum is an excellent choice for a ring but keep in mind that platinum will not keep a shine like white gold will. Platinum is durable, hypoallergenic, holds stones well and all that. Platinum is much more expensive than gold. Still, expect platinum do develop a dullish look after wearing a while.

The other metal might be Palladium, another metal in the platinum family. Do not get this. Palladium is a decent metal but many jewelers cannot work it properly and very, very little choice is on the market in palladium. We have NO palladium rings in our business. Palladium is mostly used to add to gold to make a form of white gold. Now, a white gold made with palladium is an excellent metal choice. You will have to go to a knowledgeable jeweler to find someone who knows the difference.

This is what I mean: White gold is made by taking pure gold which is yellow, adding other metals to make it a "karat" gold, like 14k or 18k. (Pure is 24k and too soft for jewelry.) Sometimes metals are added to change the color of the karat gold. For instance, more copper makes rose gold. More nickel makes white gold.

In recent years, more manufacturers are using palladium instead of nickel since some people are allergic to nickel or have sensitivity to the metal. Those people cannot wear white gold made white with nickel. So, we have palladium white gold which is a slightly different white than nickel white gold but looks great and has no skin sensitivity problems. Some newer nickel metal mixes of gold meet higher standards and have no "sensitivity" issues either.

I suggest asking for white gold (if platinum is out of the budget) and finding out if it is palladium white or nickel white. Ask if the nickel white meets the new "European standards" and is hypoallergenic. If the lady is used to white gold and has no problems with, regular nickel white gold should work fine. Just keep it out of anything with chlorine, like swimming pools, bleaches, hot tubs, etc. Chlorine works real danger on white gold made with nickel

By: Victor Epand