A Guide to Buying an Engagement Ring
Having an engagement ring is an ideal way to let the entire world know of your marital status. Custom of wearing it has been in the practice for many centuries. The time period between getting engaged and wedding is believed to be a waiting period when couple are declared as committed. Betrothing is the process that goes to signify they are in no ways considered to be single anymore.
Engagement Ring Budgeting
Drawing a clear cut budget before you plan to buy anything is always beneficial. What type of ring you want to buy will have an overall monetary impact. Proper planning and preparation is warranted especially in these days of prevalent recessionary trend across the globe.
One way in which you can make a huge savings is attributed to ability of yours to avoid buying it from any big store. In case you have decided to opt for a ring that has a diamond in it, select one that has diamonds on the sides rather than in the center. Those that come with a diamond studded in the center are usually expensive.
Engagement Ring Style
The market is flooded with numerous different kinds of styles which have got various names attached to it. On most occasions these names are derived from the name of its designer. Having customized version of this item is possible. There are designers who make a drawing of a design depending upon your choice and preference.
Moreover, the title or make will vary on a lot of factors. People belonging to different walks of life have their own choices. At the end of the day, it will all depend on selection of the beholder. Giving helping hand to these people is the availability of many catalogs. These catalogs will guide you to arrive at a logical conclusion.
Engagement Ring Carat
While you are shopping for a diamond variety of this item, collecting sufficient information about its carats holds the key. There are people who confuse it with size whereas the truth is, it is just a measure for knowing a diamond’s weight. In fact, 200 milligrams go to make one carat.
When it comes to weight, raw diamonds are not preferred much because it suffers from many flaws, imperfections and many types of inclusions. It is after a proper cutting that most diamonds end up measuring smaller than the usual one carat yardstick.
Earlier, this weight was quite generous dating back as early as 20th century. However, in modern times, this item has a standard size of 0.38 carat. This measurement is on a rapid increase. A proper understanding and information is needed about specific regions from where they are purchased.
Engagement Ring Color
From a faint yellow to colorless, these are popular color choice of customers worldwide. The rule is simple – more is its price the more colorless a diamond is. In recent years, a blue diamond has become the most sought-after type of many ladies. Because this color was worn by actress of the movie Titanic, it has found acceptance among them. Realizing a huge demand for these rings, manufacturers have also started to come with many other colors such as green, canary yellow and red diamonds. If you want to opt for white, selecting a platinum variety is considered to be the best. There are many who prefer to choose white gold whenever they find a need to work on a very tight budget.
Engagement Ring Clarity
When it comes to one factor that plays a crucial role in determining price of a diamond, it is its clarity. This is determined from the ease and comfort with which imperfections in a diamond is visible. The term ‘blemishes’ and ‘inclusions’ are relevant in this regard. The former refers to the ‘surface’ and the latter is related with ‘inside the diamond’.
In order to make it convenient for people to judge a diamond’s clarity, GIA or better known as Gemological Institutes of America has devised certain set of standards that is followed worldwide. It includes scales such as VVS2, VS1, I1, I2, VVS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I3, internally flawless or flawless. Each scale has its own meaning. For instance, flawless diamonds essentially means any imperfections are not visible if the diamond is put under 10X magnification.
