How to choose a diamond to build your own engagement ring
So, you want a beautiful custom engagement ring design, you’ve already (or will soon) choose your engagement setting, now of course you want a perfect stone. Well, you may already know, a perfect diamond is very rare, but it is still possible to find the perfect diamond for you and design a unique diamond engagement ring.
Have you ever read any diamond education? If so, here’s a quick reminder, otherwise the following may come in handy if you’re planning to build your own engagement ring or even want to buy loose diamonds.
A diamond is graded according to four criteria, commonly called the 4 C’s, which are used throughout the world to determine the quality of diamonds. Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat (weight). There is a range for all these characteristics and we would all like them to be perfect, except for the carat weight, which defines the size of the diamond. If this is not really something you understand, keep in mind that what you expect from a diamond is its ability to return as much light as it enters it. That said, the better it is rated, the brighter and more sparkling it is.
The diamond cut ranges from Ideal to Poor. The cut is all about proportion and you want the best symmetry and angles to return light, like light in a room full of mirrors.
Diamond clarity is about the inclusions inside and on the surface of the diamond. Small flaws and imperfections will, of course, prevent a diamond from shining to its fullest. Clarity ranges from D to Z.
The color of the diamond is, well, about its color. You want it as colorless as possible. Colorless here means white, and a colored diamond tends to be yellow. The color varies from colorless to light yellow.
The carat weight of the diamond defines its size. One carat is 0.200 grams. Larger diamonds are very rare and therefore more expensive. A 2 carat diamond will be worth more than two 1 carat diamonds of the same quality. The most popular diamonds are in the range of 0.50 to 1 carat. But if you can afford a 5 carat diamond, nothing will stop you from doing so.
If you want to build your own engagement ring, make sure you buy certified diamonds. GIA or AGS Labs reports must be available. The Gemological Institute of America (creator of the 4 C’s) and the American Gem Society are the two organizations that grade diamonds.