I recently proposed to my girlfriend and I am happy to say she is now my fiance. However, a lot of thought went into the proposal and even more thought and preparation went into purchasing her engagement ring (which she was very happy with). Here are some guidelines to follow when it comes to finding and buying her ring.
White diamonds portray a lack of color (If you choose chocolate diamonds or something similar the color scale will not apply). The ratings system runs on a scale from D all the way to Z (including all the letters in between). There are a five categories of diamond color within this scale: Colorless (D,E, F), Near Colorless (G, H, I, J), Faint Yellow (K,L, M), Very Light Yellow (N, O, P, Q, R) and Light yellow (S-Z).
If you are looking for a diamond beautiful to the naked eye (doubtful that your girlfriend will whip out a scope to inspect it) you should look for a diamond D-H. Colorless diamonds (D,E,F) are very high quality but also come with a very large price tag. G and H graded diamonds contain so little color that is barely noticeable to the naked eye. I and J graded diamonds have a slight amount of color that is noticeable to the naked eye. Anything beyond J should probably be avoided as there will be noticeable color especially in smaller diamonds.
This one is more personal and there really is no rule here other than pleasing your girlfriend. It used to be said that two months' salary was the right amount but ignore folklore and look at your finances. It probably is not worth going into debt just to begin a marriage but it is up to you. Knowing your spending limit will help you when making decisions later.
But beyond the awesomeness of boating, you cannot forget of the cost it may have for your family. Deciding to buy a boat is an important decision for which you need to think of the different consequences, and find a way to balance your desire with the costs that it may have for you and your family.
The cut of the stone is crucial to the stone's beauty and sparkle. While diamonds do come in different shapes the cut refers to the workmanship of cutting the diamond to allow the diamond facets to interact with light. Different jewelers may use their own grading system to measure the quality of cut but there are different proportions of a diamond's cut. While it is not necessary to go into every portion of a diamond cut it is important to understand the three effects the cut may have on light. The cut will determine the proportions of the diamond.
Also check into financing options for the ring. If you are planning on taking out a loan this is vital to ask if you have the money consider it anyway. Luxury goods like rings can boost your credit rating. Even though I had the cash I took out a loan that I can pay back interest free over six months to help boost my credit score.
The easiest to understand carat simply refers to the weight of the stone. Each carat can be subdivided into 100 points. Each point matches up to the hundredth of the decimal. A diamond .35 carat diamond is a thirty-five pointer. Not surprisingly larger diamonds are more rare and more valuable. A note to make is that carat weights that are exactly the following (.5 carat, 1 carat, 1.5 carat, 2 carat, etc.) can be very expensive. However, if you have carat weight that is slightly off one of these exact measurements the diamond will be much cheaper. If you are worried more about the size of the stone you can search for stones based on top surface area measured in millimeters, (but remember having a shallow or deep diamond will affect the brilliance of the diamond).
I have listed no prices in each of the 4C's because of variability. Your diamond price will change depending on the grades you select for each of the 4 C's. Determine what is most important to you and make sacrifices accordingly. If you want a beautiful diamond you may end up choosing something small. If size matters remember the diamond may not shine as you hoped. The diamond does represent a large investment so look into insuring the diamond at the jeweler or including it as part of your home insurance, good hunting!
White diamonds portray a lack of color (If you choose chocolate diamonds or something similar the color scale will not apply). The ratings system runs on a scale from D all the way to Z (including all the letters in between). There are a five categories of diamond color within this scale: Colorless (D,E, F), Near Colorless (G, H, I, J), Faint Yellow (K,L, M), Very Light Yellow (N, O, P, Q, R) and Light yellow (S-Z).
If you are looking for a diamond beautiful to the naked eye (doubtful that your girlfriend will whip out a scope to inspect it) you should look for a diamond D-H. Colorless diamonds (D,E,F) are very high quality but also come with a very large price tag. G and H graded diamonds contain so little color that is barely noticeable to the naked eye. I and J graded diamonds have a slight amount of color that is noticeable to the naked eye. Anything beyond J should probably be avoided as there will be noticeable color especially in smaller diamonds.
This one is more personal and there really is no rule here other than pleasing your girlfriend. It used to be said that two months' salary was the right amount but ignore folklore and look at your finances. It probably is not worth going into debt just to begin a marriage but it is up to you. Knowing your spending limit will help you when making decisions later.
But beyond the awesomeness of boating, you cannot forget of the cost it may have for your family. Deciding to buy a boat is an important decision for which you need to think of the different consequences, and find a way to balance your desire with the costs that it may have for you and your family.
The cut of the stone is crucial to the stone's beauty and sparkle. While diamonds do come in different shapes the cut refers to the workmanship of cutting the diamond to allow the diamond facets to interact with light. Different jewelers may use their own grading system to measure the quality of cut but there are different proportions of a diamond's cut. While it is not necessary to go into every portion of a diamond cut it is important to understand the three effects the cut may have on light. The cut will determine the proportions of the diamond.
Also check into financing options for the ring. If you are planning on taking out a loan this is vital to ask if you have the money consider it anyway. Luxury goods like rings can boost your credit rating. Even though I had the cash I took out a loan that I can pay back interest free over six months to help boost my credit score.
The easiest to understand carat simply refers to the weight of the stone. Each carat can be subdivided into 100 points. Each point matches up to the hundredth of the decimal. A diamond .35 carat diamond is a thirty-five pointer. Not surprisingly larger diamonds are more rare and more valuable. A note to make is that carat weights that are exactly the following (.5 carat, 1 carat, 1.5 carat, 2 carat, etc.) can be very expensive. However, if you have carat weight that is slightly off one of these exact measurements the diamond will be much cheaper. If you are worried more about the size of the stone you can search for stones based on top surface area measured in millimeters, (but remember having a shallow or deep diamond will affect the brilliance of the diamond).
I have listed no prices in each of the 4C's because of variability. Your diamond price will change depending on the grades you select for each of the 4 C's. Determine what is most important to you and make sacrifices accordingly. If you want a beautiful diamond you may end up choosing something small. If size matters remember the diamond may not shine as you hoped. The diamond does represent a large investment so look into insuring the diamond at the jeweler or including it as part of your home insurance, good hunting!
About the Author:
Neighbors Plus Insurance Services has been owned and locally operated, to ensure that the needs of our community are being met. We work hard to ensure that our clients in Lakewood, Long Beach and Southern California are able to have the most affordable and reliable insurance choices available.
No comments:
Post a Comment