STONE SHAPE
The first step when choosing a stone is selecting a shape. All shapes have different features that make them unique.
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THE STONE
Diamonds at their best represent beauty, strength, and unconditional love. It is the physical representation of the bond shared between couples. It holds a story and reflects the personality of the relationship you have with your loved one.
WHAT IS IT?
THE SHAPE DETERMINES THE SETTING OF THE STONE AND ULTIMATELY HOW THE RING WILL SIT ON HER ACTUAL RING FINGER. THE MOST POPULAR SHAPES INCLUDE ROUND, PRINCESS, OVAL, CUSHION, AND MARQUISE. EACH STONE SHAPE HAS ITS OWN PERSONALITY AND ADVANTAGES.
WHAT SHAPE WOULD SHE LOVE?
THIS IS A VERY PERSONAL DECISION, HOWEVER IT’S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT OVER 70% OF ALL ENGAGEMENT RINGS FEATURE A ROUND CENTER DIAMOND BECAUSE OF THE SUPERIOR BRILLIANCE AND SPARKLE. CUSHION, OVAL AND PRINCESS CUTS ARE SOUGHT AFTER BY GIRLS WITH ADVENTUROUS TASTES. RADIANT, EMERALD, ASSCHER AND PEAR SHAPES ARE GREAT CHOICES FOR WOMEN SEEKING A VINTAGE, ROMANTIC FEEL.
HOW DOES SHAPE AFFECT MY BUDGET?
ROUND DIAMONDS REPRESENT OVER 50% OF ALL ENGAGEMENT RINGS AND COST ABOUT 15% MORE THAN ALL OTHER SHAPES. ALL OTHER SHAPES WILL COST YOU ABOUT 15% LESS THAN A ROUND EQUIVALENT IN SIZE AND GRADE. OVAL, MARQUISE AND PEAR SHAPES CUT CORRECTLY, WILL LOOK BIGGER FOR THEIR CARAT WEIGHT AND PROVIDE A LARGER LOOK FOR YOUR BUDGET.
CUSHION CLASSIC ANTIQUE
CUT
CUT AND SHAPE HAVE TAKEN ON THE SAME MEANING WHEN DISCUSSING DIAMONDS; THIS IS NOT STRICTLY CORRECT. THERE ARE MANY DIFFERENT SHAPE DIAMONDS BUT REALLY JUST TWO TYPES OF CUT; BRILLIANT CUT AND STEP CUT.
BRILLIANT
WHEN CUT CORRECTLY, A DIAMOND DRAWS LIGHT INTO THE STONE FROM THE TOP ONLY, AND WILL REFLECT A BRILLIANCE NOTHING ELSE IN NATURE CAN EQUAL. CUT IMPERFECTLY, THE LIGHT IS NOT CAPTURED OR REFLECTED EFFICIENTLY, RESULTING IN LESS BRILLIANCE AND LOWER VALUE.
STEP
EMERALD, ASSCHER, BAGUETTE, TRAPEZOID. STEP CUT STONES ARE GENERALLY NOT AS BRIGHT AND NEVER AS FIERY AS BRILLIANT CUT STONES, BUT RATHER ACCENTUATE A DIAMOND’S CLARITY.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT MY BUDGET?
CUT GRADES RANGE FROM IDEAL TO POOR. THE CUT IS THE MOST IMPORTANT FACTOR WHEN DETERMINING THE OVERALL APPEARANCE OF A DIAMOND, SO DON’T BE STINGY IN THIS CATEGORY.
COLOR
THE MORE COLORLESS A DIAMOND, THE GREATER ITS RARITY AND VALUE. THE DIAMOND COLOR SCALE BEGINS WITH D [COLORLESS] AND DESCENDS TO Z [CONSIDERABLE YELLOW].
WHAT COLORS ARE THERE?
HOW DOES IT AFFECT MY BUDGET?
A MORE COLORLESS DIAMOND WILL HAVE A HIGHER PRICE. A DIAMOND’S COLOR IS SECOND MOST IMPORTANT TO ITS OVERALL APPEARANCE, SO WE RECOMMEND BUYERS SELECT IN THE “D TO J” RANGE FOR TWO REASONS: WHITER DIAMONDS ARE SIMPLY MORE BEAUTIFUL AND THE BETTER COLORS HAVE HISTORICALLY INCREASED IN VALUE MORE RAPIDLY.
DEFGHIJKLMNCLARITY
CLARITY GRADES ATTEMPT TO DEFINE THE QUANTITY, SIZE, AND POSITION OF INCLUSIONS AND IMPURITIES IN A DIAMOND WHEN EXAMINED UNDER 10X MAGNIFICATION
HOW IS IT GRADED?
CLARITY RANGES FROM FLAWLESS (F) AND INTERNALLY FLAWLESS (IF), TO SI3 AND BEYOND. FLAWLESS DESCRIBES A DIAMOND WITHOUT ANY BLEMISH OR INTERNAL INCLUSION WHATSOEVER. VVS1 AND VVS2 DESCRIBES INCLUSIONS THAT ARE BARELY VISIBLE UNDER 10X MAGNIFICATION. VS1 AND VS2 ARE VERY SLIGHT INCLUSIONS. SI1 AND SI2 ARE SLIGHT INCLUSIONS. SI3 AND I 1-3 HAVE INCLUSIONS THAT CAN BE SEEN BY THE NAKED EYE.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT MY BUDGET?
A FLAWLESS DIAMOND IS GOING TO BE EXPENSIVE DUE TO ITS EXTREME RARITY. IF YOU ARE LOOKING FOR A LARGER DIAMOND TO FIT WITHIN YOUR BUDGET, THIS MAY BE AN ATTRIBUTE WHERE YOU CAN SACRIFICE A BIT OF QUALITY. HOWEVER, WE DO NOT RECOMMEND ANYTHING BELOW A SI1 OR SI2 CLARITY.
FVVSVSSII
0.250.500.751.001.502.003.004.005.006.00CARAT
THIS IS THE STANDARD MEASURE USED FOR DIAMOND WEIGHT. 1.00 CARAT = .20 GRAMS.
SIZE VS. WEIGHT
DIAMONDS OF THE SAME CARAT MAY APPEAR TO BE LARGER BASED ON THE SIZE OF THEIR CROWN. CERTAIN SHAPES WILL LOOK BIGGER FOR THEIR CARAT WEIGHT, LIKE ROUND, OVAL, AND MARQUISE. PRINCESS CUTS LOOK SMALLER DUE TO A DIFFERENT DISTRIBUTION OF WEIGHT.
HOW DOES IT AFFECT MY BUDGET?
PRICE PER CARAT IS RELATED TO RARITY. LARGER DIAMONDS ARE TRULY SCARCE AND BECOME MORE RARE AS THEY GET LARGER. CAREFULLY CHOOSING OTHER ASPECTS OF THE DIAMOND’S QUALITY WILL DETERMINE HOW MUCH OF YOUR BUDGET YOU CAN ALLOCATE TO THE SIZE OF THE DIAMOND. IN GENERAL, A HIGHER QUALITY STONE OF A SMALLER SIZE IS A BETTER INVESTMENT THAN A LARGER STONE OF INFERIOR QUALITY. A WELL CUT STONE WILL LOOK LARGER THAN A STONE OF THE SAME CARAT WEIGHT CUT POORLY.
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