Simply put, our goal has always been to make sure our friends, family and followers don’t end up with crap jewelry.
Let me be a bit more specific. You will hopefully pay more for something you know will last longer and not require multiple replacements. Just like you, we are firm believers in quality products that will withstand the test of time. That to us is getting the most value for your money and super important when buying jewelry. By the way if you missed it, read all about the “cut” of the dimaond – The Art of buying Diamonds – Part 1 before you dive into all the info below.
Let’s start! Knowing where to go and what to buy are questions we all ask ourselves. We don’t want to waste our time or money, so we look for advice, reviews and expert recommendations. Take this example for instance. When we were having problems with our old BBQ and got confused on what to buy, my Dad told us “Just shut up and buy a Weber”. Coming from dad, an expert grill master, we didn’t waste time. We found it where he told us to buy it from and bought it.
Fact is, you really can’t go wrong when the experts give you their advice, because they are the experts. We are giving you that same approach with diamonds, our expertise! Throughout our blog we have added links to exactly where to find the best diamonds and best overall choices for classic style engagement rings that you can’t go wrong with.
Before you shop, remember this!
When buying diamonds, color will give you lots of flexibility to cut the cost. You could even get a larger diamond within your budget, all by just sacrificing a couple of color grades. Awesome! Here’s how…
I spoke about investing your money where you can see a visible difference with the naked eye in The Art of Buying Diamonds Part 1. We know the brilliance comes from how well the diamond is CUT, this is a visible difference. We can all see the sparkle in a diamond, and some have more than others, this is where you put your money because it’s visible to the naked eye.
Furthermore, when it comes to color, it can be very difficult for us to see the difference between each color grade. We aren’t all professional diamond graders!
The whitest of white is D, which is also the most sought after. As we move up the chart you will see more warm, golden tones (more on this later!).
When purchasing online, my gosh the choice!
Without question, our advice would be to stick with GIA certified diamonds and reputable jewelers. There are a couple that stand out as I’ll point out below!
It’s also important to shop where there is a large selection of GIA certified diamonds to choose from, because you will be able to be as specific as possible to get what you want. In short, there are going to be more opportunities to save where the selection is the greatest and online is a wonderful place for that. By using these tips, you will get the most bang for your buck.
If you want to be specific with color or any of the 4C’s you need an online jeweler with a website that allows you to narrow your search easily.
They all have a huge selection of GIA certified diamonds and they both have lots of settings to choose from.
We would recommend designing you own ring. It’s super easy! It’s easy because these two online diamond jewelers have made it easy. We can’t say the same for the majority we’ve tried to navigate, that’s for sure! Some looked just terrible! We won’t call them out, but, if you’re buying jewelry, the experience should be elevated. The website should not look the same as the one I bought a garden hose and shampoo from. Just sayin!
Save yourself some time and stick with these two. Check out the link below, play with color and see what you uncover. You will notice cost differences which will help you decide.
Remember This Important Tip!
If you take a D color diamond and place it next to an E or F, are you going to be able to tell the difference? NO! These are trained professionals at GIA who can tell those differences and multiple gemologists all have to agree on the color grade before it’s officially graded that color.
When do the rest of us start seeing any differences?
Take that coveted D color diamond and place it next to a J color diamond. Right away you will see the warmer tones in the J, but here’s the kicker…
Take that D and mount it into a white gold or platinum setting. Take the J and mount that one into yellow gold. Now, put those two rings together and you will see right away that the tone of the metal will compliment the tone of the diamond.
What does that mean?
If your preference is yellow gold, you don’t need to invest more into diamonds that are high up on the color scale (D, E or F). D will be priced the highest. If, however, your preference is white gold or platinum, you may want to consider investing more into the whiter diamonds because it will give you that icy cool look that white gold or platinum will bring.
What that said, if you are purchasing diamonds for the investment aspect, that’s when you would consider D. Because they are rare, they have been increasing in value and will continue to do so.
Pair that D color up with it being internally and externally flawless. BOOM!
Ready to design your own? Keep it easy and start with the setting. Hit the link below to get started:
Coming up in Art of Buying Diamonds Online Part 3 – Clarity. Are inclusions bad or are they what give it their identity?
Happy Shopping and Keep On Shining Bright!
