The Finest Diamond: How to Choose the Perfect Style for Your Engagement Ring?

The diamond is often used as the main attraction in many jewelry designs. This is especially true for engagement rings. A high quality stone will enhance the presentation with a gorgeous, icy sparkle. Regardless of whether it is worn with gold, silver, platinum or white gold, the diamond will play a significant role in the finished accessory. Quality and Budget Come Together Your budget will determine how much diamond you can afford. It is important to find an ideal balance of quality and price. Spending less will leave more breathing room for settings and bands, however if you skimp too much you could be left with a subpar stone that lowers the overall value of the finished piece. Request to view the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) grading report before buying a diamond. The GIA’s Diamond Clarity Rating Most diamonds have at least one or two blemishes, which will lower the clarity rating. Clarity describes the number of flaws found on the stone. A flawless (FL) rating means that the diamond is perfect with no blemishes. The next step down will be rated as internally flawed, or IF. This indicates that there are some blemishes but they can only be seen by a grader with 10 times magnification. Any diamond rated as I1, I2 or I3 will fall on the low end of the scale, which means that there are obvious marks that may impact the brilliance of the stone. Diamond Color and Quality Coloration is another important factor that must be reviewed to determine the value of a diamond. Those with the highest quality will be stones that have little to no hue. The diamond is prized because of its colorless appearance. A lesser example will have hints of brown or yellow tones which detract from the presentation. The GIA offers a color grading scale that starts with D and ends with Z ratings. Cut Makes a Diamond Stunning Cut must be considered when searching for the best quality diamond within your budget. The GIA also has a straightforward scale for cut, which begins with excellent followed by very good, good, fair and poor. The cut creates the delicate facets that make this type of stone so eye-catching. This aspect will determine the amount and way light is reflected as well as the sparkle that appears as the diamond moves. The perfect diamond will be as close to an excellent rating as possible while staying within your budget.