Women are picky when it comes to what they wear. Your future fiancee is no exception. Here's how to give her exactly the kind of diamond engagement ring she wants. You'll learn how to pick the shape, cut, color, and clarity of the diamond as well as the type of setting you'll want to buy the best for your girlfriend.
The Diamond's Characteristics
The right kind of diamond is one of the key element in building the perfect diamond ring. Cut, color, clarity, and other characteristics of the diamond are factors to take into account.
- Shape. The shape of the diamond is the first decision you'll have to make. The majority of engagement rings sold have round-cut diamonds (which looks as circular, as the name suggests) followed by princess-cut diamonds, a square- or rectangular-shaped jewel. Diamonds come in round, princess, emerald, Asscher, Marquise, oval, radiant, pear, heart, oval shapes. The diamond that you choose will should match your future fiancee's personal tastes - round is classic, heart-shaped is cute, and cushion is vintage.
- Cut. According to Blue Nile, "A diamond's cut grade is an objective measure of a diamond's light performance, or what we generally think of as sparkle ... If it is cut too shallow, light leaks out of the bottom, too deep and it escapes out of the side." So, if your girlfriend likes "bling", you'd better make sure the diamond you're getting has an "ideal" or at least "very good" cut.
- Color. Ideally, you want a very white diamond, which means the color grade you are looking for is as close to the letter "D" as possible. ("D" is the start of the color alphabet, with "D" being the highest grade and "Z" being the lowest grade a diamond can receive.) Colorless diamonds are generally considered between "D" and "F".
- Clarity. Clarity refers to the natural imperfections found in the diamond. Obviously, you want as few imperfections as possible. "FL, IF" refers to a flawless diamond. The next level down is an excellent condition diamond labeled "VVS1-VVS2", very very slightly included.
The Setting
The ring setting of the diamond refers to the actual metal ring into which the diamond, diamonds, or other stones are fixed.
- Ring settings can be Prongs (simple traditional metal prongs), Channel (two strips of gold or platinum), Pave (honeycomb diamond design), Bar (metal bars on all four sides of the diamond), Three-Stone setting, Diamond Halo, Bead Setting, Split Shank (the band of the ring splits into to separate branches), and Antique Dome. If your girlfriend likes bold squared-off jewelry, then "wow" her with the Channel mount. If she likes vintage, think seriously about an Antique Dome mount. If her tastes are simple and traditional, then stick with a prong setting.
- Platinum or gold? Look at the jewelry she wears normally to decide what her style is. Strike up a conversation with her. When in doubt, you should probably go with platinum.
Sources
Eliana Amzallag - Eliana Amzallag is a freelance writer with experience in both the music industry and wedding services.
Join the Conversation