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The opinions expressed herein are secretdiamond.com's opinions and do not represent anyone else's or any other company's views in any way.
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Diamond Engagement Rings Secrets
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What are the top diamond engagement rings secrets and the most important diamonds-secrets for the best price? The first thing you need to know is that it’s no secret buying diamonds and engagement rings online from diamond website companies is much cheaper than buying diamonds and engagement rings at jewelers. Jewelry stores engagement rings are often times thousands of dollars more than engagement rings companies online. White gold engagement rings are the least expensive when buying 14k white gold engagement rings as opposed to 18k white gold engagement rings. The same thing applies to 14k yellow gold engagement rings as opposed to 18k yellow gold engagement rings. Palladium engagement rings are less expensive than Platinum engagement rings, and a platinum diamond engagement ring will be the most expensive option of all depending upon the diamond secrets you learn about first.
Learning diamond secrets will almost always save you money on high quality certified diamonds for engagement rings and diamonds of all kinds including fancy color diamonds. Fancy colored diamonds are not cheap though, with fancy pink diamonds being the most expensive fancy diamond color of all. Engagement rings and diamonds secrets can save you money on all kinds of diamonds and engagement rings including vintage style engagement rings and antique style engagement rings with micropave diamonds. Stop paying too much for diamonds when it’s not necessary. Learn what you need to know when buying diamonds and engagement rings online from website diamond companies to show the sellers of engagement rings that you know more than they think to buy the best diamonds for the money.
The previous 2 paragraphs are an example of the type of blog you want to stay away from. Engagement ring companies online that run a blog like that are not interested in teaching you about diamonds at all, and are probably more interested in the quick, "one time sale". Believe it or not, there are actually a couple of companies online that run a blog like that with a bunch of mumbo-jumbo, that quite frankly makes no sense. Pay close attention to a companies website blog and you will learn a lot about that company and where their focus is. Blogs are a good way for an online diamond company to obtain visitors to their website and the companies that run blogs like that, really do not have any thing good to teach you, and in many cases are actually trying to confuse you about diamonds. You may also hear something along the lines of "Don’t buy into all the hype. The more you learn about diamonds, the more you are going to spend." I can’t imagine for one second how teaching yourself about diamonds is a bad thing. Consider that you are about to spend a sizable amount of money regardless of who you buy your diamond from or what type of diamond you buy. Even clarity enhanced diamonds will cost at least a couple thousand dollars or more depending upon various factors, such as the size and quality of the diamond. When you buy a diamond, you should go slow and ask questions. After teaching yourself as much as you can, if there is anything that you don’t understand completely, ask a professional diamond dealer. If you feel that he/she is trying to rush you through the process of buying a diamond, don’t do it. They may very well have something up their sleeve that they are trying to hide from you. Buying a diamond is a serious venture. Do it right and do it slow. "Diamond Engagement Rings Secrets" 101
Solitaire Diamond Engagement Rings
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What are "Solitaire Diamond Engagement Rings" exactly?
Solitaire Diamond Engagement Rings are a type of diamond engagement ring that has just a single diamond placed in the center of the ring on the top side. Another term that is often used is an abbreviated version called Solitaire. If the diamond engagement ring you are choosing has any other diamonds included whatsoever, it will not be a solitaire in the strictest sense of the term. However there are many other simple designs of engagement rings that look almost like a solitaire, but technically they are not. Solitaire engagement rings are the oldest form of the "engagement ring" since the tradition began hundreds of years ago. Solitaire diamond engagement rings come in many forms and are available in all shapes and sizes of diamonds. Even though they have a very simple design, the number of choices you have are almost endless. In fact, they are the most flexible engagement ring in terms of how many options you have. The first option you will have is the shape of the solitaire diamond. The following diamond shapes are available:
Those are the 11 most popular diamond shapes to choose from. There are many more shapes available, however they are not the mainstream diamond shapes. The next decision you will have to make is the size of the solitaire diamond for the ring. This may be determined by your budget more than anything else. The most popular size for solitaire diamonds today is 1 carat, however diamonds are available in all carat sizes. "Carat weight" is the correct term as the word "carat" refers to the weight of a diamond and not it’s size. However a heavier carat weight will usually mean that you will have a larger diamond. The smallest diamonds are 1/100th of a carat and are often referred to as micropave diamonds. Diamonds this small are not used for solitaire diamond engagement rings. They are typically used in designer, vintage or antique style engagement rings as accent diamonds in the band of the ring, or around the center diamond giving it a "Halo Diamond Engagement Rings" effect. Typically a solitaire diamond engagement ring will start with a diamond that is at least 1/4 carat. Traditionally 1/2 carat solitaire diamond engagement rings were very popular, but the desire for a larger diamond is more popular today. There are also solitaires that are available in 3/4 carat diamonds, as well as 1 1/4 carat, 1 1/2 carat, 1 3/4 carat, 2.0 carats and much larger. The size of the diamond you choose is only limited by your budget and her personal taste. Many new brides do not want a large diamond for their ring. They may feel that it is too expensive or too "Showy" for them. You should never feel pressured to purchase a particular carat weight diamond and you should never purchase one that is more expensive than you can afford. The next choice you will have to make for your solitaire diamond engagement ring is the type of metal. The type of metal and the thickness of the band will determine how much it costs. A Plain 14k gold band that is on the thinner side (2mm) may only cost a couple of hundred bucks, while a thicker platinum band can cost over $1,000. (Platinum is the rarest precious metal on earth and therefor your most expensive choice) The thicker the band becomes, the more Karats it will require. That will increase your cost as engagement ring bands are made from precious metals. "Karat" and not "Carat" is the proper spelling if you are referring to gold, rather than diamonds. Diamonds are weighed by carat weight with a "C". "24 Karat" gold is solid gold. "14 Karat" gold is 14 parts of gold out of 24 parts or approximately 58% gold. "18 Karat" gold is 18 parts of gold out of 24 parts and approximately 75% gold. Because 18 Karat gold engagement rings have a higher gold content, they will cost more than 14 Karat gold engagement rings. You will also have to think about what style of solitaire diamond engagement ring band you want. There are many choices of designs such as the classic "Tiffany Style" solitaire or a "Cathedral Style" Solitaire band. And all of the different styles will be available in different thicknesses. The thicker the band, the more it will cost. When thinking about the type of precious metal to choose, you can buy Platinum (Most expensive), Palladium, 14k white gold, 18k white gold, 14k yellow gold and 18k yellow gold. Most engagement ring companies will not offer palladium solitaire diamond engagement rings, however Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond offer all of our engagement rings in Palladium. White gold is by far the most popular choice for engagement rings and certainly for solitaires. You will only have to choose between 18k and 14k white gold. If your partner is allergic to nickel (used as a mixer metal) you may consider palladium or platinum solitaires as these are hypoallergenic choices. The last thing to consider is the size of her engagement ring finger. The engagement ring finger may be a different size than her other fingers. Most engagement ring companies will only offer their engagement rings in 1/2 sizes, however Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond offers their engagement rings in quarter sizes for a more comfortable fit. See our page on ways to get the size of her engagement ring finger without her knowing here. |
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Independent GIA Appraisals and Independent GIA Certificates
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It seems that some people searching for diamond engagement rings are becoming a little confused over the term Independent GIA Appraisals and Independent GIA Certificates. We have been asked a lot lately if there is such a thing as an "Independent" Gia Appraisal/Certification. The short and easy answer is No.
You have a contradiction in terms when you say the words "Independent" and "GIA certified" in the same description. You see you are probably thinking the word "independent" is being used by the diamond merchant to reference GIA as the independent source of the certificate or appraisal he will furnish you with. However the diamond merchant may very well be using the word "Independent" to describe a certificate or appraisal that will be furnished by someone completely other than GIA. The only reason he is including GIA in the same sentence, is because he is twisting the real meaning to fool you.
You see this diamond merchant knows very well that you are probably trying to teach yourself all about diamonds, by reading everything you can find about diamonds online. And you are probably trying your very best to make sure you get the nicest diamond for the most affordable price. You don’t want to be the one to get rip-offed. I mean who does?
So as you start to browse through the thousands of pages available online to learn about diamonds and engagement rings, you probably start to hear about "GIA Certified Diamonds". There is no doubt that you will hear nothing but good words about GIA certified diamonds. This is because GIA certified diamonds will command the highest price of any type of certified diamond. GIA certified diamonds are the"Gold Standard" when it comes to buying diamonds.
So most people will start to search for diamond engagement rings with GIA certified diamonds. As you browse through the many diamond businesses online and start to see their prices on GIA certified diamonds, most people start to become a little surprised to say the least. You probably have already started to learn a little bit about diamonds by now, so you look for diamonds with good color, good clarity and good cut grade, along with the carat weight you had your heart set on. When you start to see the prices for GIA certified diamonds with all of the characteristics that you desire, most people become very surprised at how expensive they are. After all, you are not in the diamond business and it may very well be the first time buying diamonds for you, so who can blame you for being a little bit surprised to learn that a 1 1/2 carat round brilliant diamond can cost easily $14,000 for something along the lines of an F/SI1 with "Ideal Cut". (That doesn’t include an actual engagement ring setting yet) Now let’s add a setting to that. If you just want a simple & traditional solitaire setting, you are in luck. You are probably only going to have to add a couple hundred bucks to that. But if you want something with some diamonds on it, like the antique or vintage inspired rings that are so popular today, you are probably going to have to add a couple of thousand dollars more to the cost of the center diamond. Thousands of dollars more if you buy the setting from a jewelry store. (And certainly thousands of dollars more for the center diamond if you buy THAT from a jewelry store too) I mean you could easily spend $20,000 on an engagement ring with those specs in any jewelry store. (So much for that idea!) I don’t care if you have the $20,000 to spend, who wants to spend that kind of money on an engagement ring in today’s economic climate. Put it in the bank or invest it, you might need it.
OK. Now if you are like me, you say to yourself, "I don’t believe it, I am going to shop around and find a steal of a bargain. It must be out there somewhere! There is now way every diamond business is charging that kind of money!"
So you keep looking, and yet you still keep seeing pretty much the same prices. You see, the prices on GIA certified diamonds are all going to be very similar online. That’s because you are seeing pretty much the same diamonds and GIA certified diamond prices are "Regulated" so to speak by Rapaport. It’s kind of like the "Blue Book" of car values. The only difference in price you will see is in the markup. And this difference will be very little because you are buying your diamond online and the prices of GIA diamonds online are already marked up VERY LITTLE as opposed to your local jewelry store. So there is not a whole lot of room to discount GIA certified diamonds. The margins are pretty small. You also need to know that the diamonds you are seeing on these diamond websites are not their diamonds. They are part of a national database that is uploaded to their website. You could find the exact same diamond on many different websites. All of those websites that are offering that diamond for sale are buying it from the cutter for the same price, and then marking it up to you as a retail transaction. No-one actually has the diamond in their possession. It is just sitting at the diamond cutter and whoever sells it first, gets it. That’s why it’s always important to call first if you find a diamond online, to see if it is still available. It may have been sold by another diamond website company. I have heard stories from people that purchased a diamond from an online database, only to receive a call from the retailer saying that the diamond has "Just been sold". What they are really saying is that another website sold it before we could. (We actually have our clarity enhanced diamonds in inventory-That’s very rare in a diamond business)
Then all of the sudden "Presto" just like magic, a GIA certified diamond for only a couple thousand dollars. (Or so you think!)
You can’t believe your eyes! The secret source that you have been searching for has just appeared right before you very eyes. You knew that if you searched the internet long enough, it would magically appear sooner or later. You look at the website and it even says that the diamonds come with an "Independent GIA Appraisal" Could this really be? GIA certified diamonds for thousands of dollars less than EVERYWHERE else? Then the skeptic in you kicks in. I better call them and ask a few questions just to make sure. So you call. Yep, sure enough, the person on the phone tells you that your diamond will come with an "Indepenent GIA appraisal". Holy Toledo Batman, you just found the Magic source. Sherlock Homes would be proud of you.
There is just one small little catch though. The diamond has "Been Cleaned Up With A Laser" you know, the same kind you might find in a dermatologist’s office, or for laser eye surgery.
Well that doesn’t seem like such a big deal, after all, technology has come such a long way. Certainly they can do it to diamonds too. It’s still a GIA certified diamond you think to yourself. After all, the guy on the phone told you that it comes with an Independent GIA Appraisal. How could that be twisted around? So now you embark on even more research before you actually but that "GIA certified diamond". You find that there are these things called clarity enhanced diamonds. You may also find that a "Laser Drilled" diamond may be certified by GIA, and they are also referred to as clarity enhanced diamonds. "That must be the diamond that this guy is selling me", you start to think. But that is still not a big deal, because it is still a good deal, and "Laser Drilled" diamonds are still pretty valuable. This guy must just have a really good source that allows him to sell them for thousands of dollars less than EVERYWHERE ELSE.
Well Sherlock Homes, I am going to let you in on a little secret. The diamond he is selling you is not a GIA certified diamond. As a matter of fact, it has not been certified by GIA at all. It’s not even a "Laser Drilled" Diamond. It is clarity enhanced though. But it’s a "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond. The only reason he is using the phrase "Independent GIA Appraisal" is because it was certified by a company that has a GIA graduate gemologist on staff, that certifies the diamonds. It’s a twist on definitions. You see the diamond is not GIA certified, the gemologist is. He went to GIA to get his/her graduate gemologist degree, and now he/she is a "Graduate GIA Gemologist". Some diamond ring companies like to conveniently refer to him/her as a "Certified GIA Gemologist". GET THE PICTURE
The bad news is that there is no such thing as a free lunch, and what your mom taught you is true. "If it seems too good to be true, it probably is".
Just like everything else in the world, you get what you pay for when you buy a diamond.
The good news is that a "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond can truly be a good deal and still look extremely beautiful. There is nothing wrong with that. You will pay thousands of dollars less and you will get a good deal on a nice looking diamond. But don’t let yourself be fooled in to thinking that you are buying some magically discounted GIA certified diamond. It doesn’t exist. But you are certainly welcome to keep trying.
If you really want a GIA certified diamond and you are willing to pay for it, then call us at 651-263-5121. We have access to the same diamond databases that you see on all of the other websites out there. We will find you that GIA certified diamond for a very fair price. But we won’t try to fool you in to thinking you are buying a GIA certified, "Fracture-Filled" clarity enhanced diamond. You may want to read more about "Fracture-Filled versus Laser Drilled" clarity enhanced diamond here.
What type of certified diamond are you really buying?
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It seems that many people in search of buying a certified diamond are running in to a little bit of confusion. Many of these people believe that they are buying a GIA certified diamond when in fact, they are not. It’s not necessarily that the person selling you the diamond is outright lying to you, it’s just that perhaps he or she is using a little "slight of the hand" so to speak.
Almost everyone buying a diamond is going to perform some amount of research first. Some people are comfortable with doing a small amount of research on just the basics such as the 4C’s of diamonds, and yet many others are very thorough with their research. I have spoken with many of our customers that have literally researched diamonds for months, before they even picked up the phone or stopped by a jewelry store. Thorough research in regards to diamonds is not a bad thing. The vast majority of people buying diamonds know absolutely nothing about them before they set out looking for one. Given the fact that you could easily be on track to spend thousands of dollars on this little gem, I would highly recommend that you learn as much as you can before you buy a diamond. If you think about it for a second; Would you spend $4,000 to $10,000 (Or more) on anything else, and not want to know as much about it as you can?
Wanting to learn about diamonds before you spend that much money is not the problem.
The problem may actually be with who you listen to and what you read on the internet. There is a lot of valuable information on the internet explaining about diamonds. There are also many good diamond sellers that will supply you with even more helpful information, and answer your questions honestly.
But on the flip side of that, there is a lot of really bad information on the internet about diamonds, AND there are some diamond sellers that don’t necessarily have your best interests at heart.
Many of the people that buy engagement rings from us, like to to call us first with their questions. I love when they do that, and I always welcome any question from our customers. This gives me the chance to not only answer their questions honestly and thoroughly, but also to make sure that they have been given accurate information by other diamond companies. I have heard some really strange things that my customers have been told, prior to speaking with me. Everything including stuff about the size of diamonds, the shape of diamonds and the cost of diamond engagement rings.
What I have discovered is that when a customer is told something by another diamond company that is way off-base, it’s often because that particular diamond company wanted to sell the customer a particular diamond. Maybe it’s because the diamond company got a really good deal on a particular diamond (through whatever means) and wants to make a huge profit. They don’t really care what you want, they just want to sell you that particular diamond. So they will tell you everything good about that diamond, and everything bad about the diamond that you want. They will try to make you think that the diamond they have, is the best. (Or best deal)
Anyway, enough of that and back to our point about certified diamonds.
THERE IS A HUGE DISTINCTION ABOUT CERTIFIED DIAMONDS THAT YOU NEED TO LEARN ABOUT.
You need to know the difference between an actual "GIA Certified Diamond" and other diamonds that may come with something like an independent GIA Certificate, or appraisal. Only diamonds that have been certified by the laboratory GIA (Gemological Institute Of America) are actually GIA certified diamonds. GIA is not just a laboratory, GIA is also like a college. They train people to become GIA certified gemologists. Once you have graduated, you become a GIA graduate gemologist. (Now you can even start your own diamond grading laboratory.) Some people refer to them as "Certified GIA Gemologists." That is where the confusion starts, and some diamond companies use that confusion to sell diamonds that are not GIA certified, and lead you to believe that they are. They may tell you that you are buying an "Independent GIA Certified Diamond" (Or something along those lines) Many people hear this and assume that they are buying a GIA certified diamond, and they are not. They are just buying a diamond that has been certified by a certified GIA graduate gemologist. That’s why the diamond seller is careful to use the word "Independent".
Now the reason that you need to know about this distinction is this. GIA certified diamonds (That is diamonds that have actually been certified at the GIA laboratory).
Those GIA certified diamonds will actually cost more than almost every other certified diamond out there. That’s because GIA is respected and known to be the most accurate and strict diamond grading laboratory in the world. If GIA says that you have a VS2 clarity diamond, nobody is going to argue with that. Or if GIA says that you have a "G" color grade diamond, no-one will argue with that. You can be rest assured that your diamond is exactly what it says on the certificate.
Now this is not a slam on all the other diamond grading laboratories in the world, or all the diamonds graded by them. You can actually buy a diamond graded by another laboratory, that is actually nicer than some GIA certified diamonds. For instance: A diamond that is graded by another diamond grading lab as "D" color grade, VVS1 clarity grade and an Ideal cut grade, is probably going to be a lot nicer than a diamond graded by GIA as "J" color grade, SI2 clarity grade and just a Fair cut grade. But the point is that if you compare apples to apples (that is 2 diamonds with exactly the same grades as stated on the certificate) a GIA certified diamond will almost always be nicer and more expensive.
So we are ABSOLUTELY NOT SAYING that you should only buy a GIA certified diamond.
Some of the prettiest diamonds, best diamond deals , even most affordable engagement rings are not GIA certified diamonds. What we are saying is that you should know exactly what type of certified diamond you are buying. If you want to buy a GIA certified diamond, just make sure to ask if the diamond was certified by GIA (The actual Lab), and not an independent GIA certified gemologist. Ask to see the actual GIA certificate supplied with the diamond. Don’t let yourself be a victim of this confusion. It is absolutely fine to buy a diamond that was graded by another laboratory, just make sure you know that it was and that you pay accordingly.
You also need to be aware that "Fracture-Filled" Clarity Enhanced Diamonds are never certified by GIA. Only "laser-drilled" clarity enhanced diamonds can be certified by GIA. I would highly suggest that you read our other post "fracture-filled versus laser-drilled clarity enhanced diamonds".
Diamonds & Engagement Rings Require Maintenance
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Although I am sure you have heard that a diamond can last forever and that they are the hardest known substance on earth, you might be surprised to learn that they are not indestructible. Diamonds & engagement rings require maintenance in order to preserve their beauty and prevent damage from occurring. Surprisingly the person you may trust the most to handle your diamonds properly, may also be the person that is most likely to chip or crack your diamond.
An interesting fact: A diamond can be the most vulnerable to chipping or cracking while it is being set by the jeweler. This happens to be particularly true with Princess Cut Diamonds. The thinnest and most vulnerable part of a Princess Cut Diamond is at the girdle & corners of the diamond.
If the jeweler presses too hard on the prongs while setting the diamond, he or she can chip off a corner of the diamond. You may also be surprised to learn that there is probably more diamonds damaged this way, than by their owners wearing them. If you bring your engagement ring to a jeweler to be worked on, you should always insist on inspecting the diamond and engagement ring under magnification before you accept the repair. Be sure to inspect the diamond at it’s corners and edges, and look at the prongs for possible stress fractures. You may also want to examine micropave diamonds to see if they are loose or crooked.
HELPFUL DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING TIP: This method can be used to see if you have a loose diamond. Place your diamond engagement ring up to your ear. Keep your fingers on the metal portion of your engagement ring and off the diamond/diamonds that you are checking. Then tap the engagement ring with your index finger and listen closely for any rattling. It may help to use a fingernail if you can. If you hear any rattling, then you may have a loose diamond.
As unfortunate as it may be, some jewelers have been known to hide minor chips under the prongs, only to be noticed by the diamond’s owner weeks or months later.
If you own a laser inscribed GIA or EGL certified diamond, also make sure to look under magnification for the inscription on the diamond before you accept your diamond to make sure it’s yours. Many people can tell you a horror story or two about how a dishonest jeweler switched their high quality diamond with a diamond of lower quality and less value. Of course there is also the possibility that a jeweler makes an honest mistake and places the wrong diamond back in your engagement ring.
Proper Diamond Jewelry & Engagement Rings Storage
Although I am sure your engagement ring is beautiful and very special to you, there may come a time when you need to take it off. As much as you probably don’t want to take it off, if you are about to do something that could be harmful to your engagement ring, you will need to take it off your finger and place it somewhere for safekeeping. If you just place it on a counter, you probably won’t need to do much except place it on a soft material and make sure you can’t knock it off the counter very easily. (watch out for toilets and sink drains. I am sure you have heard a story or two about someone knocking their ring in to one of them) However if you have a jewelry box that you like to store your ring in along with other jewelry, you will need to wrap it in a soft cloth to prevent damage to your ring and other jewelry. The diamond in your engagement ring can scratch your other jewelry, and if you are also storing other diamond jewelry in the same place, the diamonds can actually damage each other. Just the metal in the jewelry can scratch each other too.
A couple of things to consider: You may want to consider keeping valuable jewelry or jewelry that has sentimental value (especially if you seldom wear it) in a secure place such as a safe deposit box. Burglars or thieves will often look in obvious places like jewelry boxes or drawers first in search of valuable items like jewelry. Jewelry is a very desirable target for theft because it is easy to grab or stuff in a pocket and can be extremely valuable.
Did you know that you should have your diamond engagement ring inspected twice a year? A diamond engagement ring should be examined by a professional jeweler every 6 months, or sooner if necessary. If you purchased your engagement ring online and have to send it back to where you purchased it from, you may not want to do it every 6 months. Just make sure you keep a close eye on it and send it back at least every 9 months, or sooner if needed. Diamond engagement rings should never go longer than 12 months without being examined by a professional jeweler.
Unfortunately like I tell my customers. Your engagement ring will look it’s very best the day you buy it. Engagement rings are worn on the hand and can take a lot of abuse. All of the activities of every day life can have an impact on your engagement rings beauty. Just think about how much stuff you put your hands. Lotion, soap, sweat and dirt are just a few of the mild things your engagement ring will encounter. Then there are the every day activities like carrying in the groceries, handling your car keys, digging through your purse, and a million of other things that can affect your engagement rings appearance and performance. YOUR DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING WILL NEED MAINTENANCE, that is a fact and it is absolutely normal. With that said, it doesn’t mean that you should keep your engagement ring on your finger while doing things like gardening, rock climbing, bull riding or ultimate prize fighting. Just using common sense will help protect your diamond engagement ring.
Even though your diamond engagement ring will go through everyday wear and tear, you can keep it looking good for decades to come with proper maintenance. Whenever the customers at Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond send their engagement rings back for any reason, we always put it through a rigorous inspection. We perform all necessary maintenance issues. We also thoroughly clean, polish, tighten prongs, replace micropave diamonds if needed and re-rhodium white gold engagement rings.
Did you know that you can insure your engagement ring even if you don’t own a home? And you don’t have to buy your engagement ring from a jewelry store to get an engagement ring insurance policy either. The traditional method of insuring an engagement ring against accidental loss or theft was to put it on a homeowners insurance policy. However many new couples just starting out may not own a home yet, or they are not aware of any other methods of insuring their engagement ring. Or they may think it’s just too expensive to insure an engagement ring.
The fact is: Engagement Ring Insurance Is Easy & Engagement Ring Insurance Is Affordable. There is a company online that insures engagement rings for a very reasonable fee. Last time we checked, the cost to insure an engagement ring was approximately 1% of the purchase price. So if you purchase an engagement ring for $3,500 from us, you can insure it for just $35 dollars a year! That’s affordable. The company is called Jewelers Mutual and you can find them at www.jewelersmutual.com. Just call them and ask them how much it is to insure your engagement ring. Their prices may vary a little bit, but whatever the cost is, your engagement ring is worth it.
Laser Drilled Or Fracture Filled Clarity Enhanced Diamonds
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Are the companies on the internet selling laser drilled or fracture filled clarity enhanced diamonds?
It seems that there is a company advertising that his diamonds are just "Cleaned up with a laser." This gives the implication that the diamonds he is selling are "laser drilled" and not "fracture filled" clarity enhanced diamonds.
There are 2 types of clarity enhanced diamonds.
#1) The first type is called "Fracture Filled". This is where the diamond has an imperfection referred to as a feather. The word feather is another name for a fracture in the diamond. These diamonds have a small amount of material injected in to the fracture of the diamond. This material has the same optical properties as the diamond itself. This makes the feather "visually" disappear. The key word here being "Visually." You see, the fracture is still in the diamond, you just don’t see it. It makes the diamond look eye-clean. There is nothing wrong with doing this and quite frankly you can save thousands of dollars purchasing a diamond this way and still have a diamond that appears extremely nice to the naked eye.
However the problem is that when you buy this type of diamond, you should be made well aware of it. You should not be tricked into thinking that you are buying a "Laser-Drilled" diamond.
There is a big difference in value of between laser-drilled diamonds and fracture filled diamonds. Laser Drilled diamonds are more valuable and the cost of them will be much closer to that of regular non-enhanced diamonds. There are also some small alterations you have to make in order to keep the "Enhancement Material" from coming out of fracture filled diamonds.
#2) Laser drilled diamonds are a type of diamond that typically will have small mineral spots in them that are still visible to the naked eye. A laser is used to drill a microscopic hole in the diamond and then the diamond is soaked in acid. This will bleach out the dark mineral spots thereby making it a diamond with "enhanced clarity." The reason this is more valuable is because the diamond did not have a visible fracture in it, and the process of laser drilling a diamond is a "permanent fix."
GIA will never grade fracture-filled clarity enhanced diamonds. The reason they will not grade clarity enhanced diamonds is because the process can be reversed. (We will re-enhance it for free though) For example: If they give the diamond a clarity grade of VS2, and 10 years later the enhancement process is reversed, the diamond may then look like an SI2. They don’t want a certificate with their name on it saying that this diamond is a VS2.
GIA will certify laser drilled clarity enhanced diamonds because this enhancement process is permanent. They know that once they give the diamond a clarity grade, it will stay that way forever.
Remember that not all clarity enhanced diamonds are the same. There are Laser-Drilled clarity enhanced diamonds, and there are Fracture-Filled Clarity enhanced diamonds. There is nothing else, and there is nothing in between. These are the only 2 types of clarity enhanced diamonds that can exist in engagement rings today. So if you buy a clarity enhanced diamond, you are buying one or the other. Please don’t be mislead in to thinking that you are buying something magical and getting it for thousands of dollars less.
You need to be very specific when you buy a clarity enhanced diamond. You need the ask a question like: "Is this clarity enhanced diamond fracture filled in any way?" Make sure to ask the question in a manner that can not be misunderstood or misinterpreted.
One more thing you should be aware of. An "independent" GIA appraisal/certificate is not the same thing as a GIA appraisal/certificate.
The key word here is "Independent".
This is a little trick that some sellers of diamonds like to use. Although GIA is a diamond grading laboratory, it is also a school. You can go to GIA and learn how to grade diamonds and then become a GIA certified gemologist. After you have graduated, you can start your own diamond grading lab. You may call yourself an "Independent GIA Certified Gemologist" or "Graduate GIA Gemologist". Because people see the name GIA, they think they are buying a GIA certified diamond and they are not. They are really buying a diamond that has been certified by an independent GIA certified gemologist. THE GEMOLOGIST HAS BEEN CERTIFIED BY GIA……NOT THE DIAMOND.
There is nothing wrong with buying a diamond that has been certified by an independent certified GIA gemologist. But you need to know that you are not buying a GIA certified diamond. THEY ARE NOT THE SAME. YOU NEED TO KNOW THAT. The reason you need to know that is because GIA is the most respected diamond grading lab in the world and a diamond that has been certified by GIA is the most valuable type of diamond you can buy. Because of this reason, you will also pay more for it.
In order for you to be buying a GIA certified diamond, it has to be graded by GIA itself and carry an actual GIA certificate. This is the case for all diamond engagement rings and loose diamonds claiming to have a GIA certified certificate.
Fracture Filled diamonds are a good deal and will cost you thousands of dollars less than any other type of diamond. However don’t let yourself be duped in to thinking you are buying something else.
Beware Of "Bait & Switch" Diamond Advertising
What is bait & switch diamond advertising? It is where a company advertises something like 1 carat diamond solitaires for as low as $999, and on the commercial they show absolutely gorgeous diamond engagement rings, and solitaires. The purpose of this is to give you the impression that you can just walk in to this jewelry store and buy that gorgeous 1 carat diamond solitaire that you saw on television for $999. Then they will even go so far as say something vague like GIA & EGL certified diamonds are the lowest price guaranteed, leading you to believe that these $999 dollar diamonds are certified by GIA or EGL. The vital part they are leaving out is that the 1 carat diamond solitaire for $999 is actually a K color I3 clarity, and probably not independently certified at all. The whole purpose of this type of advertising is to get you in to their store in the first place. Once they get you in there, then they will try to get you to buy something else more expensive. The jewelry store may even go so far as to tell you that all of the special priced diamonds that were advertised on TV have been sold out. I have spoken to several of our customers that saw a commercial on TV for a company that likes to do this kind of advertising and it lured them in to the jewelry store. When they went in to the store, the first thing the salesperson tried to do was talk them out of that "Low Quality Diamond." Then they take them by the arm and start to lead them to the diamonds that they are really trying to sell, for thousands of dollars more. Fortunately for our customers, it didn’t work on them and when they purchased their engagement rings from us, they really did get a nice looking diamond for thousands of dollars less. However the sad part is that this kind of advertising does work for this company. They have been doing it for years and I am sure they have sold thousands of higher priced diamonds this way, to people who went in to the store looking to buy that "1 Carat Diamond Solitaire For $999."
I suspected that this company had a poor Better Business Bureau Rating because they engage in this kind of advertising, so I started to search for them in the BBB. It was very interesting to find out that you can’t even find anything about their company under the jewelry stores name. It turns out that they operate under several names that are different than the name of their national jewelry store chain. When you start to see the feedback of them names that they operate under, it starts to become clear that the rating is not very favorable, which is not surprising for a company that engages in this type of advertising.
The truth of the matter is that with diamonds, you generally get what you pay for. If you are looking for a miracle deal on a diamond, it probably is not going to happen. Chances are your fiance is not going to be very happy with the appearance of a $999 1 carat diamond. In a clarity enhanced diamond, you can get a very nice looking 1 carat for about $2,000. In an EGL certified diamond, you can get a very nice one for about $3,500 to $4,500. And for a GIA certified diamond, you can get a pretty nice one for about $5,000 to $6,000. Of course you can pay more or less than those figures depending upon many different factors, such as the diamonds quality characteristics, and whether you buy the diamond online or in a jewelry store. Another factor is if you buy the diamond new or used from a private party. Don’t be fooled by bait & switch advertising. I am not saying that you can’t go to the jewelry store and check out what they have to offer. I am just saying that you should go in prepared for any tricks they might play.
Save Money By Buying A Clarity Enhanced Diamond
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Question: I am shopping for an engagement ring and I would like to save money by buying a clarity enhanced diamond, but I am scared. My cousin works for a jewelry store and when I showed them your website, they told me that the diamond will change over time and start to look horrible. Is this true?
Answer: That is not correct. Often times we hear things that are said by professionals in the diamond business about clarity enhanced diamonds that are way off base. These individuals either do not understand clarity enhanced diamonds, or they are trying to scare you so you will buy a diamond from them. It is important to note that we also sell non-enhanced diamonds with all certifications such as EGL and GIA certified diamonds so it doesn’t matter to us if you buy a clarity enhanced diamond from us, or a certified non-enhanced diamond from GIA. We choose to also sell clarity enhanced diamonds because we understand them very well and we know that they are an excellent value to offer our customers that want a bigger diamond for less money. So back to your question. The color grade of a clarity enhanced diamond will never change, Period. When you enhance the clarity grade of a diamond, you are not changing the original color grade of the diamond. So if you buy a clarity enhanced diamond that is a perfectly colorless "D" color grade, it will never change, ever. The same applies to all color grades of clarity enhanced diamonds. The color will never change. The same thing applies to the "cut grade". If you buy a clarity enhanced diamond with an "Ideal" cut grade, you will always have an ideal cut diamond. Even 50 or 100 years from now. The cut grade will never be affected by the clarity enhancing process. Remember, you are not enhancing the cut grade and you are not enhancing the color grade of a clarity enhanced diamond. You are only "Enhancing the clarity grade".
The absolute worst case scenario that will happen to your clarity enhanced diamond if the material used to enhanced it is reversed, is you will be able to see the feather that was enhanced. It will not turn in to a black lump of coal, it will not crumble in to a thousand pieces, it will not turn yellow or green, and it will not instantly become worthless. All you have to do is send the diamond back to us and we will re-enhance it for free. Quite frankly a good quality clarity enhanced diamond can even look nicer and still be worth more money if the enhancement process is reversed, than a some diamonds that are not enhanced. If you go out and buy an SI2 diamond with a J color grade and just a good or fair cut, you are not buying a very nice diamond. The SI2 will probably have visible flaws and the J color will look yellow, and with a poor cut grade, your diamond will not sparkle. The argument that all clarity enhanced diamonds are less valuable or less desirable than all non-enhanced diamonds just doesn’t make sense. Does this mean that everyone in the world should just go out and buy clarity enhanced diamonds? No. You have to decide what is the right choice for you. If you don’t mind spending $6,000 to $10,000 on a 1 carat engagement ring, or $15,000 to $25,000 on 2 carat engagement rings, then by all means give us a call. We will gladly offer you the best deal on a GIA certified diamond engagement rings. However if you don’t have that kind of money, or you have it and would rather spend it on something else, you can be rest assured that your clarity enhanced diamond engagement ring will stay beautiful for the rest of your life and we will stand behind it with you.
Questions About Diamonds And Engagement Rings
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Given the fact that many of our customers will often have the same questions about diamonds and engagement rings, we thought that it might be a good idea if we listed some of them here on our blog. Although we will be glad to take as much time as you need to answer all of your questions on the phone, we understand that some people would rather just ask a question anonymously. However we would like to emphasize to you that you will never receive any type of pressure to purchase anything, from the staff at Secret Diamond. We do not want any of our customers to make their purchase from us unless you are absolutely confident that the time is right for you. We are people that have to buy things too, and we don’t like pushy salespeople any more than you do. If you have a question about diamonds that you would like answered, please feel free to call us or write to us at support (at) secretdiamond.com. We will be glad to answer your question in an email or on the phone.
Question: Is a "J" color diamond too yellow?
Answer: The answer to this question is not necessarily written in stone. Although my personal opinion is that a diamond with a "J" color grade is too yellow for my own personal taste, it may not be for everyone. Some people are more sensitive to a yellowish color in a diamond than others. I have actually had customers tell me that they can tell the difference between an "E" color grade diamond, and a perfectly colorless "D" color grade diamond. That is only one color grade difference, and both color grades are extremely free of color. That is a talent that most people do not posses. Even GIA certified gemologists will have to break out a set of "Master Color Stones" to make the call between a D and an E color grade diamond. (It is much easier to tell the difference in 2 color grades of a diamond without the assistance of Master Color Stones) So back to your questions. I personally believe that a "J color grade diamond" is a little bit too yellow for my taste. If you can afford to buy a diamond with a better color grade, I would suggest that you consider it. Although an excellent cut diamond with a "J" color grade can sparkle very nicely, it will typically not look as good as a diamond with a better color grade, and the same excellent cut grade. When considering what metal to use in creating engagement rings with a J colored diamond, it’s best to go with white gold, palladium, or platinum. Avoid the yellow gold. The diamond will reflect the light of the engagement ring setting and your J colored diamond will look much better in a light colored setting than a yellow setting. Also if you think the only way to get affordable engagement rings is to go with a very yellow diamond or very low clarity grade than you have but to look at SecretDiamond.com. We offer incredibly eye clean and bright white diamonds in all of our engagement rings and diamond stud earrings. For a fraction of what you would pay in most jewelry stores.
Question: Why does the cost of a larger diamond increase more than it’s size?
Answer: If you have been shopping for diamonds, you have probably noticed that a diamond with twice the carat weight, can cost 3-4 times as much. The short answer for this is because it is more rare. Larger diamonds with the same quality as smaller diamonds are not as common in nature. Remember, diamonds are not created in a factory with machines. Mother Nature created these sparkling little wonders over the course of millions of years, and she did not make very many big, perfect diamonds. So if you buy a bigger diamond, you are not just getting a bigger price tag. You are also getting a diamond that is much more rare.
Question: When shopping for engagement rings, what does the term "ctw" mean?
Answer. When you see the term "ctw" it is an acronym (or abbreviation) for "carat total weight." You may also see it as "tcw" which means the same thing, except in a different order. The meaning for it this way is "total carat weight." Whatever the number is before the "ctw" is the total weight of diamonds or gemstones in the engagement ring. Don’t get this confused with the carat weight of the center diamond. That should always be listed separately because the center diamond is where the majority of the value is. The larger the center diamond is, the more valuable it is. For example: If you have a ring with 2 carats of total diamond weight, but they are all small diamonds, it won’t be nearly as valuable as a ring that has a single 2 carat diamond. So if a single diamond weighs one carat for instance, it will be worth a lot more than 10 diamonds that total 1 carat.
Question: I understand that a clarity enhanced diamond is graded after the enhancement, but do you know what clarity grade the diamond is before the enhancement?
Answer: Although the clarity grade before the enhancement can vary, a good rule of thumb is that clarity enhancing a diamond will typically increase the clarity grade on average by 2 clarity grades. For Example: An SI2 clarity grade diamond will be enhanced to a VS2 clarity grade and an I1 clarity grade diamond will be enhanced to an SI1 clarity grade diamond. At Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we tend to encourage our customers to steer away from clarity enhanced diamonds that are SI2 after the enhancement process. SI2 grade diamonds are not typically "Eye Clean" and the reason for buying a clarity enhanced diamond in the first place is to buy a larger, "eye-clean" diamond for less money. If you are OK with buying a diamond that has visible clarity flaws, you may as well just buy a diamond that has not been enhanced. Also, the vast majority of clarity enhanced diamonds will be enhanced to a clarity grade of VS2 to SI1. The reason for this is the "2 grade rule." If a diamond is SI2 before enhancing, it will turn out to be VS2. If a diamond is already a SI1 clarity grade, it will most likely already be "Eye-Clean" and there will be no reason to enhance it to VS1. Most diamonds that enhance to the SI1 clarity grade are probably SI3 or I1 clarity grades before the enhancing technique but may also be I2 to start with. A diamond that enhances to SI2 clarity grade was probably an I2 or I3 to begin with. Although the "2 clarity grade" rule is a pretty good one, it is not written in stone. When purchasing a clarity enhanced diamond, it is always recommended that you only deal with a trustworthy company that has the diamond certified by an independent 3rd party. We view it as a conflict of interest when a company that is selling you the diamond, also certifies it. That is kind of like asking the sales person that you just bought a car from, if you got a good deal.
Diamond Engagement Rings
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It is believed that currently more than two-thirds of brides-to-be are actively involved in shopping for their diamond engagement rings and many of them are visiting jewelry stores or browsing online by themselves. A recent survey states that this is about a 20% increase over the numbers that were shopping for engagement rings on their own in 2005. The trend seems to be continuing upward as it is becoming more obvious that theses new brides are generally very happy with their engagement ring purchase, particularly when it comes to the style and design they prefer. The majority of the brides cited in the poll stated that they felt even more comfortable researching and shopping for their new engagement ring, than they did when shopping with their fiance’. Another startling fact that came to light in the poll was that despite today’s economic downturn, 80% of the couples that purchased a new diamond engagement ring chose not to purchase a smaller diamond. Traditionally about 1/3 of couples purchase their diamond and engagement ring mounting separately.
Given the fact that buying diamond engagement rings online has become more popular than ever, brides now have an opportunity that was not available before the internet. Couples had been traditionally stuck with just the engagement ring selections that their local jewelry stores were offering. And to make matters even worse, many couples in "small town america" did not have any choices at all. They would have to travel many miles to neighboring towns just to see a couple of diamond engagement ring designs. Fewer jewelry stores meant fewer choices, and probably higher prices. The internet has changed all of that. Any person located anywhere in the world can view huge selections of affordable engagement rings with prices that are more affordable than ever before. And without the pressure of an annoying high pressure salesperson. The resources that are available for diamond engagement rings online are changing the diamond industry. Jewelry stores can no longer charge the outrageous mark-ups that they once enjoyed, leaving you at their mercy. You can have the upper hand when it comes to buying your diamond engagement ring if you just turn to the best free resource you have at your fingertips. Diamond engagement rings online available worldwide at the store called Secret Diamond.
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How do I know it’s safe buying engagement rings online and how do I know which online jewelers are the most reputable?
This is probably one of the most common questions we are asked by our prospective customers. Considering the average customer that wants to buy an engagement ring is budgeting anywhere from $3,000 to as much as $10,000 (or even more sometimes), it’s no wonder they are a little bit concerned. Often times this is by far the most money they have ever considered spending online. It may even be the single largest purchase they have ever made anywhere. I mean let’s face it, some cars may not even cost that much.
Most customers start out shopping for engagement rings in their local jewelry stores. I hear quite often our customers saying "I have shopped everywhere!" They like the idea of buying an engagement ring from their local jewelry store, but when they see how expensive it can be and how little they are getting for their money, they start looking on the internet.
This is where it starts to get fun and scary at the same time. The number of companies (and so-called companies) selling jewelry online can almost be a little overwhelming. Depending upon which phrases you use when searching for your engagement ring, you start to see more and more companies selling engagement rings. For instance "affordable engagement rings" will bring back different results than "engagement rings sale". And the search phrase "engagement rings" will bring back different results than "diamond engagement rings". This holds true for almost every different search phrase.
Tip:
When searching for engagement rings online, go to your favorite search engine and type in many different search phrases. This will allow you to see many more vendors returned in the search results. Search engines "Rank" websites for different phrases. By using various phrases in your search, you will see many more options available than if you use the same phrase over and over. You may also consider browsing past the first page of search results. Many of the most legitimate engagement ring companies are not always located on the first page for every search result. It does not necessarily mean that they are not good jewelers. It may just mean they are too busy running their jewelry business to "Optimize" their website, to be found everywhere in the search engines. Search engines do not rank websites by the quality of the jeweler. Websites are "ranked" by search engines using entirely different methods that have nothing to do with the quality of their work.
Back to our tips. The fun starts when you begin seeing how much money you can save on your engagement ring. Then it gets even more fun when you start to see the larger selection of engagement rings available online. (We also hear from our customers that we have the most unique and beautiful engagement ring selection available anywhere) It’s quite common for customers to search everywhere else first, and still not find their "perfect engagement ring".
UNTIL THEY COME TO OUR ONLINE ENGAGEMENT RING STORE. I hear from many of our customers that they came back to our website as many as 15-20 times trying to decide which "perfect engagement ring" to choose from. The trouble was not being able to find one that they liked. The trouble was just choosing which one they liked the best.
Tip:
When you search online for engagement rings and you start to see many different websites selling the same engagement ring, using the same photo, that typically means that they are not making their own engagement rings. They are probably buying the engagement ring from an engagement ring casting company, and then just setting the diamonds. Quite frankly, they may not even set the diamonds. In the large diamond districts such as New York or Los Angeles, there are many companies that perform various services. Some companies may just make "raw castings" and some companies may just "set diamonds". This makes it very easy for the so-called "jewelers" to put together an engagement ring and sell it to you. Often times these various specialized companies will even be located in the same building, making it even easier for these individuals to present themselves as "jewelers".
This is where the scary part begins. How are you supposed to know which engagement ring sellers are the "real deal?" After all, there are so many of them to choose from. How are you supposed to know if they will deliver the engagement ring that they are promising you? Or even at all? Also, will they actually honor their return policy? What is their return policy, and do they even have one? And how likely is that they will be there 5 or 10 years from now to stand behind their work and help you properly maintain your engagement ring? (Engagement Rings do require proper maintenance) THESE ARE ALL VALID QUESTIONS TO ASK ANYONE YOU ARE CONSIDERING PURCHASING AN ENGAGEMENT RING FROM. And any other question you are concerned about.
Although it can be scary trying to figure all of this out, especially considering the large sum of money you are about to spend with a complete stranger, there are some simple steps you can take to protect yourself. Listed below are basic ideas you should consider before making your engagement ring purchase online.
* CHECK FOR THE BETTER BUSINESS BUREAU LOGO ON THE WEBSITE AND CLICK IT TO MAKE SURE IT IS VALID
Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond is a proud member of our local Better Business Chapter and we are in excellent standing. Every reputable online seller of engagement rings that we are aware of, is also a proud member of their local BBB. You can easily click on the BBB logo on their website and check to see if it is valid. If it is valid, you should be taken to their individual report page listed in the BBB. This page will tell you if there are a large number of complaints against the company. It will also tell you how they handled complaints and if they resolved them, or just ignored them. The trick here is to not just look for the BBB logo and assume it is valid. There are online companies that may have belonged to the BBB at one time and decided not to renew their membership because they did not like being held accountable. There are also companies that place the BBB logo on their website that don’t even belong the the BBB. They are hoping that you won’t click on it, or that you don’t even know it should take you to the BBB report on their company. And then there are the companies that just don’t even bother belonging to the BBB because they already have too many complaints against them that are unresolved, or resolved in a questionable manner. The last trick that unscrupulous sellers will use, is to place the BBB logo on their website and even make it clickable to the BBB online. However rather than bringing you to their report page, they will just bring you to the homepage of the BBB, again hoping you don’t know any better. Well now you do.
Remember, reputable online diamond sellers realize that you want to be protected in your purchase, and they will PROUDLY belong to their local BBB chapter.
* DON’T BE AFRAID TO ASK QUESTIONS
You can learn a lot about a business when you ask them questions. Listen to their answers carefully and judge for yourself if you feel they are answering your questions honestly and in a well informed fashion.
* Reputable jewelers will gladly spend as much time as needed to make you feel comfortable with your purchase. They should not rush you through the process of buying a diamond. If you feel you are being rushed, you should carefully consider your decision if they are the right company to buy from.
* A reputable jeweler will not be offended by relevant questions. If you are asking a jeweler valid questions about the diamond you are considering buying (such as it’s quality) and he or she seems to get offended, they could be trying to hide something. The same thing holds true for relevant questions about their business. Don’t forget that you are considering spending a lot of money with this jeweler. You have every right to make sure you are protected with your purchase.
* Check For Online Reviews About The Company
Although this can be an excellent way to find out more about the reputation of an online company, you have to be a little bit careful with this method. This process can be easily abused, and abused both ways. Some online diamond sellers are well aware of these review sites and will place fake reviews on them. It can even be difficult to distinguish between the real reviews and the fakes ones. However if you see an overwhelming amount of positive reviews, chances are pretty good that this is an established and well run business. The other way this process can be abused is by the businesses competitors. I have even seen where an online competitor left a fake review portraying the business in a negative light. Considering how large the internet is, sometimes these fake bad reviews can take a long time for the legitimate business to be made aware of, especially if they are not interested in abusing the process. They may not be regularly visiting these review websites because they are actually letting their customers leave the real reviews
Very Cheap Engagement Rings
Sometimes we are asked about very cheap engagement rings by couples working with a tight budget. First you would have to ask yourself if you really want a very cheap engagement ring, or just a nice quality engagement ring at an affordable price. Since cheap can have 2 different meanings, my guess is that people really mean affordable engagement rings. Everyone wants a cheap price, but nobody wants cheap quality. Unfortunately often times when you pay a cheap price, you get cheap quality. The key to purchasing a really cheap engagement ring and getting good quality, is to do your homework first and study diamond quality (The 4 C’s). Realize that you do not need to purchase an engagement ring that is Flawless in clarity, or even VVS in clarity. The vast majority of diamond buyers out there, just want their diamond to be bright and sparkly, without visible inclusions. This means that you can often times go as low as SI1 clarity, and still have a clean to the naked eye diamond. (You will not see imperfections with the naked eye-No magnification) This is particularly true when buying a GIA certified diamond, since their grading standards are the most strict in the world. If you buy a GIA certified diamond, you can be rest assured that it is EXACTLY the grade they say it is. After all, they invented the diamond grading system that is in use worldwide today by every single company in the diamond industry. Unfortunately, this also means that a GIA certified diamond will probably not qualify as a "Very Cheap Diamond." Quite frankly, they are typically the most expensive diamond that you can buy. Any diamond that is GIA certified, will command a premium as opposed to diamonds certified by almost all other labs. However if you would like to purchase the best quality diamond that money can buy, at least you know that you can save some money by lowering your clarity grade a bit. A higher clarity grade diamond will not necessarily look better than a lower clarity grade diamond.
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The clarity grade of a diamond is really not nearly as important as the "Cut Grade" or "Color Grade" of a diamond when it comes to how much it will sparkle or how good it looks to your eyes. If you don’t have an unlimited budget to work with, just make sure the diamond is clean to the naked eye, and then get the best "Cut Grade" you can afford. Remember that it’s the "Cut Grade" that will determine how much your diamond will sparkle! Don’t allow yourself to be fooled by a jeweler that is trying to sell you a VVS1 or VVS2 diamond by telling you that you have to buy a high clarity grade diamond in order for it to look good. That is just not true in most cases!
Now as far as color grade goes, that is a little bit more complicated when it comes to Very cheap diamonds that still look good. You see, the "Color Grade" of a diamond is something that you CAN SEE WITH THE NAKED EYE. And since some people are more sensitive to color than others, this can get a little bit tricky to recommend. The vast majority of customers that I speak with, want a diamond that is as white as possible. Most people don’t want a diamond that looks yellow, unless of course they are buying a "Fancy Yellow" diamond. (That’s another subject) So I am often asked, "What color grade diamond is the best to buy if I want a cheaper price, but still not get a diamond that appears too yellow?" To start with, I highly recommend that you look at our diamond color grade charts available on this page. http://www.secretdiamond.com/info/diamondcolorinfo.htm
It is important to note here that the diamond grading scale begins with "D", not "A". This is because in years past, before GIA invented the 4 C’s, there was no universal standard method for diamond grading. Diamonds grades were called all sorts of different things by different jewelers. So when GIA invented the 4 C’s, they wanted to start fresh. They did not want to be confused with the way diamonds were graded in the past. Now let’s get back to "Color Grade".
Even though D, E and F color grade diamonds are all in the "colorless category" of diamonds, only "D" color grade diamonds are truly colorless. Let’s repeat that. Only a diamond that is graded "D" in color grade, is truly colorless. Every letter after that, you are getting a diamond that is slightly more yellow in color, than the grade before it. So an "E" diamond has just a tiny little bit if color to it. An "F" diamond has a slight bit more, and so-on. However "E & F" color grade diamonds have so little color present, that GIA decided to place them in the same "Colorless Category" as D. The same method applies to diamonds in the "Near Colorless" category. These diamonds are "G, H, I and J" Now remember, every color grade you go down the scale, the diamond gets a little bit more yellow. So by the time you get to "J", you are 6 color grades away from a colorless diamond (That’s quite a bit), even though it’s in the same "Near Colorless" category as "G".
(I would also like to mention here that at least to my eyes, it is very difficult to see a difference in diamond color grades that are only 1 color grade apart, like between F & G. It becomes a little easier to see the difference, when there is a 2 color grade difference, like F & H)
In my own opinion, "J" color grade diamonds start to look too yellow for my own personal taste, especially in certain types of lighting. For instance, you can really see the yellow color in bright sunlight. The only way I would personally buy a "J" color grade diamond, is if it was graded by "GIA" (remember they are very strict) and it was very well cut, maybe even "Ideal Cut". The massive sparkle from an Ideal cut diamond, will help hide the yellow color of a diamond. However an ideal cut "J" color grade diamond, will not look as impressive as an Ideal cut diamond with a better color grade. That is just my opinion. I am sure there will be some people reading this with "J" color grade diamonds, that disagree. More power to you! Again I would like to mention that some people are more sensitive to diamond color than others.
Now let’s get back to the subject of "Very Cheap Engagement Rings" and "Very Cheap Diamonds". The color grade of a diamond is somewhere that you can save some money on diamond engagement rings. You don’t have to buy a "D" color grade diamond for it to look good. I have even had customers tell me that they are actually TOO CLEAR, that they actually like a little bit of color. (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder) That’s why I would venture to say (again in my own opinion) that you don’t even have to buy an "E" or "F" color grade diamond for it to look pretty darn good. If you want to save money on your diamond engagement ring, most people would be pretty happy with the appearance of a "G" color grade diamond. Many honest jewelers will tell you that if you want to get the most "Bang For The Buck" when buying a diamond, consider buying a "G" color grade diamond. They are still pretty colorless looking, and they will cost less than D, E and F. (Maybe put some of the money you saved towards getting a better "Cut Grade?!)
RECAP: So if you are looking for "very cheap engagement rings" or "very cheap diamonds", you can go as low as SI1 clarity grade (Especially GIA certified) and as low as "G" color grade (again especially if GIA certified). This is called a G/SI1 diamond. But please remember, try not to sacrifice on "Cut Grade". I would strongly recommend that you don’t go any lower than "Very Good" cut grade. And even consider buying "Ideal Cut Grade" if you can afford it.
Tip: Before you save money by purchasing a diamond online, consider visiting a local jewelry store to look at diamond color grades in person. This may help you see for yourself how sensitive you are to color. But be aware of the tricks jewelers use to make all of the diamonds they sell look good. It’s common to have special lighting in jewelry stores that help their diamonds look whiter. Ask them for a white cloth to place diamonds on. If they have a "D" color grade diamond, use that for comparison. You can also place your hand above the diamond to block the "Special Lighting". Then look at the diamonds. Also don’t forget to flip the diamonds over and look at them from the underside, if they are loose and not set in a ring. Some diamonds "Face Up" white, but are actually yellowish in color. If you can’t look at the diamond from underneath because it is set in a ring, look at it from the side. Just don’t be fooled by tricks. Do your due
diligence.
Another way to save money on diamonds and engagement rings, is to buy a diamond that weighs just slightly less than what is referred to as a "Key Weight". In other words, buy a .98 carat instead of a 1.0 carat diamond. Or buy a 1.98 carat diamond instead of a 2.0 carat diamond. Once a diamond hits 1.0 carat, the "Price Per Carat" goes up. And when a diamond hits 2.0 carats, the "Price Per Carat" goes up. If you go just slightly under these "Key Weights", your diamond will probably look just as big, but your price tag won’t! We will write more about this "Money Saving" method later, so check this blog often for more diamond buying tips that will help you save. You see at Engagement Rings By Secret Diamond, we don’t sell engagement rings with cheap quality, we sell exceptional quality engagement rings with cheap prices.
While the idea of being able to shop for engagement rings online is certainly an appealing one, a lot of men are understandably a little reticent without being able to have a better idea of what the ring will look like in person. Especially when you consider the importance of what a diamond engagement ring symbolizes. Of course most online jewelers will feature photographs of their wares on their site; still sometimes this is not quite enough to satisfy many potential buyers. However, one Minneapolis-area company, Secret Diamond has certainly hit upon an excellent solution: professional videos of their diamond engagement rings that are built right into their product pages!
This innovation allows customers to click on a photo of the engagement ring they’d like to garner a better view of, and instantly they are treated to a video presentation of that particular ring, which is rotated for viewing from all angles. Visitors to the site can see much more of the ring as it would appear in person.
Says company owner Jim Morris: “For a long time, jewelers found selling engagement rings online to be an uphill battle. After doing a little research into exactly why men were reluctant to buy engagement rings online, we found that it was simply that they couldn’t get a good enough idea of how the ring would look when they popped the question.” Mr Morris continues: “Once we added videos of our rings to the website, we overcame that resistance; we already knew we had a larger engagement ring collection than most jewelry stores, it was just a matter of providing a more complete view of how they would look in real life – simple, but it has worked wonders. We also decided to provide videos of actual rings that we send to our customers, rather than use computer generated renderings like other websites. We felt this would give our customers a much better idea of what to expect when they receive their engagement ring in person.”
This certainly represents the newest approach to selling jewelry online and is likely to change the way that men look for engagement rings for that special someone. The company is continuing to add more videos to the website, but there is already a wide variety of engagement ring styles featured in their videos. Secret Diamond is also adding to their product line, with Diamond Rings crafted from Palladium being the latest addition.
To learn more about Secret Diamond, their diamond engagement rings and to see their engagement ring videos for yourself, visit http://www.SecretDiamond.com
As the economy deteriorates, the number of new couples ” Searching For Wholesale Engagement Rings” and Diamond Engagement Rings with low prices, seems to be increasing. Recent studies have discovered that the average amount of money spent on a diamond engagement ring has been decreasing over the past couple of years and is expected to continue to decline to an amount as low as $2800 from an average high of approximately $4800. Many people wonder what is driving this sudden downturn in the average spent on engagement rings. Although there has been an increased interest in engagement rings of different types, such as colored gemstone engagement rings or wedding bands with no diamonds, the traditional diamond engagement ring is still high on the list of newlyweds-to-be. Now it could be a shift in trends or it could be a tight economy, or it even could be a combination of both. However there is no disputing that couples getting engaged these days are wanting to spend less on their engagement ring. As this happens, we are starting to see an increase in the number of visitors to our engagement rings website, searching for Wholesale Engagement Rings, Discount Diamond rings and cheap diamond rings. Now I know that our customers are NOT really looking for a cheap engagement ring. What they are really searching for is a nice looking “ENGAGEMENT RING WITH A CHEAP PRICE.”
Now at SecretDiamond.com we do not sell cheap engagement rings, however we certainly do sell absolutely gorgeous diamond engagement rings with extremely affordable prices. Our enhanced clarity diamonds are probably one of the best ways to save a significant amount of money on your diamond engagement ring. We also sell diamonds with certification from GIA and EGL. Below is a couple of tips you can use to save money on engagement rings from any source, including a brick and mortar, engagement rings jewelry store.
In the diamonds industry, diamonds are sold in parcels to wholesalers. These diamonds are sold on a “price per carat” basis. The cost of a 1 carat diamond is higher “per carat” than diamonds that are even slightly smaller. That means that if you purchase a slightly smaller diamond, such as a 0.98 pointer (1 carat is 100 points) you will save some money, because it will cost less “Per Carat.” Chances are you won’t be able to notice much of a difference (If any at all) in the smaller weight diamond anyway. And remember, diamonds are sold and measured by carat weight, not carat size. This rule also applies to 2 carat diamonds, 3 carat diamonds, 4 carat diamond and so-on. Certain sizes are referred to as “Key weights.” If you stay just under these key weights, you will save money. Another way to save money is probably also one of the best ways. Lowering your diamonds Clarity grade. Although I don’t recommend lowering the clarity grade so low that you can see the inclusions with your naked eye (Naked eye means without a loupe or a microscope) This is an excellent way to save money on a diamond ring. Many times people are tempted to pay for a higher clarity grade than is really necessary. It is absolutely unnecessary to buy a diamond with a higher clarity grade than VS2 if you are trying to save money on your diamond engagement ring or just get more diamond for your money. You will not be able to tell the difference between a diamond with a VS2 clarity grade or a flawless diamond with your naked eye. And chances are you won’t be able to tell much difference even under a loupe or a microscope if you are not a certified gemologist. And your friends, family and co-workers will never be able to see that you spent extra money to buy a VVS1 diamond just by looking at the diamond. You will have to show them the certification. You will only have bragging rights for all that money you spent, because your diamond may not look any better to them. But chances are that if you are searching for cheap priced engagement rings, you are not looking to spend a fortune. In most cases it is even fine to go with an SI1 clarity grade diamond, because that is still an eye-clean diamond. Lowering your clarity grade WILL save you money. And as long as you stay away from the really low clarity grades, you can get an absolutely gorgeous diamond for a lot less money.
Next blog post we will show you how to get a nice diamond color grade and save money. We will also show you what to look for diamond cut grades.
Remember the 4 C’s of diamonds are
1) Color
2) Clarity
3) Carat weight
4) Cut Grade
The Engagement Rings By SecretDiamond Collection is a large collection of engagement rings and engagement ring sets that are customizable with your choice of center diamond and your choice of precious metal, including Palladium. We offer one of the largest collections of unique engagement rings offered anywhere, online or offline.
Princess Cut Diamonds and Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds are the 2 most popular diamond shapes purchased for diamond engagement rings, by far. They are also the most popular diamond shapes used for diamond stud earrings. Traditionally Round Diamonds have been the most popular, however the Princess Cut Diamond has been surging in popularity for the past several years. I personally know many people in the diamond business and they all confirm that Princess cut diamonds are their best sellers. Even though Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds probably account for more diamond sales throughout the country, we actually sell more Princess cut diamonds at our online Engagement Ring Store. Below are pictures of a Princess diamond and a round diamond, as well as how they are faceted.
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The 3rd most popular diamond shape is Radiant. Radiant diamonds are probably not as well known to new couples, as Princess and Rounds. If they were better well known, I am sure there would be more sales of them Nationally. Quite often I speak with a customer that did their preliminary shopping at a Jewelry Store and saw a Radiant cut diamond. They probably went in to the jewelry store thinking that they wanted a Princess cut diamond, but changed their mind after seeing a very well cut Radiant. Radiants are faceted differently than Princess diamonds and when they are cut well, they can be extremely sparkly! However they do not have the Glamorous name “Princess” cut diamond, and I believe that has an impact on their sales. The name is not as memorable or Romantic. What woman does not want to be treated as a Princess?
Radiant diamonds sparkle differently than Princess diamonds. They tend to sparkle all over the entire diamond more than Princess, and their sparkle tends to resemble the sparkle of a round diamond.
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Below you will see a Radiant cut diamond as well as a diagram of it’s faceting.
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A Radiant Cut Diamond placed in a Diamond Engagement Ring Setting
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All of the rest of the diamond shapes combined do not total the number of Princess cut diamonds or round cut diamonds sold in the USA. This includes shapes such as the Marquise, The Emerald, The Cushion, The Trillion, The Pear, The Heart and The Asscher Cut Diamond.
One more note. If all of the characteristics are equal in 2 diamonds such as it’s clarity grade, color grade , carat weight and it’s cut grade, a round brilliant cut diamond will cost the most. This is because there is more waste created. It takes a larger rough diamond to create the same carat weight round diamond as it does the other shapes.
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