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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.
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.
Frequently Asked Questions About Engagement Rings, Diamonds, and Diamond Jewelry
A loupe is a handheld device used in the diamonds industry by trained diamond professionals, to magnify a diamond like the one in engagement rings, or piece of diamond jewelry you would like to inspect. The jewelry industry standard is 10X magnification. There are however different magnification loupes available. In the hands of a trained professional, a loupe can be used very effectively in determining the quality of a diamond, by using it to inspect the clarity characteristics of a diamond. A loupe can also be used to perform an initial inspection of a piece of diamond jewelry for possible damage, such as the prongs on an engagement ring or diamond stud earrings Although loupes are used extensively by jewelers and jewelry stores, they are also available for sale to private individuals. If you have never looked at your diamonds under a loupe, consider trying it sometime. It can be fun and interesting to see the unique characteristics of your own diamonds. However please remember that proper diamond grading can only be performed by a certified and trained diamond professional, also referred to as a gemologist.
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