In this article, we will break down all barriers and reveal our 8 Step Method to Buy the Perfect Diamond Engagement Ring Online. We expect you to have some revelations so make sure you have no disruptions and absorb everything we will share with you. Now, a little backstory…
Myself and my partner Sam got engaged last October. We still get a little misty eyed when we think about how perfect it was, so if you are tempted, you can read the full engagement story at Top 9 Engagement Rings For Her, Summer 2020. Grab a tissue if you do!
Consider This: We are one of thousands of couples who have delayed their wedding because of COVID-19. Ours was meant to take place this October but decided to push it to April 2021 and are thinking positive, but prepared for anything and going with the flow.
Words of Wisdom: Getting engaged is a big step for any relationship so if it feels right, go for it. Do it now! Do NOT delay the engagement but DO delay the wedding if needed. Enjoy Engaged Life for as long as you can. It has its benefits!
Obviously, the ring is a nice benefit that comes along with the engagement. We wear a wedding band every day as our engagement rings and feel like a married couple. We totally get what a bride wearing diamond engagement ring must feel like. With the bling comes that next level of commitment with a bit of a renewed loved as a couple.
We can tell you that engaged life is under rated. Even with wedding delays, being an engaged couple is still a short time period so enjoy the few years as an engaged couple before the many more years as married couple. Anyway, that’s enough wisdom from us old guys so let’s cut the crap and talk DIAMONDS!
Remember this: Our 8 Step Buying Method was developed specifically for Buying Diamonds Online. This will not work at the mall. The mall doesn’t have thousands of diamonds to choose so the freedom to be specific and narrow your search, only applies online. We are your Online Diamond Buying Experts with guidance that get you the most brilliance for your buck and narrow your search from thousands of diamonds to the one perfect diamond for you , without breaking the bank. Choose right the first time. Let’s do this!
The Many Benefits of Buying Diamonds Online
It is very easy to know what your diamond will look like by knowing what to spot on the diamond certificate, sight unseen. Advances in technology have made this even eaiser.
JamesAllen.com has cutting edge photography with their innovative Diamond Display Technology. Magnified images are taken of each diamond in HD, 360 degrees. This allows you to see any inclusions that would be visible to the naked eye, in plain view, along with it’s brilliance and sparkle.
This is a great benefit to back up the written grading information. If the high-res photo is not available, the diamond certificate is king. Spotting the details that will impact the appearance and price of your diamond is key. You can modify any detail and find other options online because of the massive inventory.
Because of benefits like this, you are in total control of your purchase with all of the necessary details at your finger tips. James Allen & Blue Nile both have fantastic images of their diamonds with clearly written details to back it up. Ritani, Allurez, Gabriel & Co give you way more details about the diamond you would even need to make an educated choice so you will be in good hands. Just above, Hit the Shop Engagement Rings Now button to shop at any of our recommended retail partners.
Along with making the buying process easy, the benefits of shopping online come with flexible return policies, free shipping, 24/7 customer care, lifetime warranties and a huge selection of amazing designs with thousands of certified, conflict-free diamonds to choose from. Most will even throw in free engraving and even discrete packaging if needed.
8 EASY STEPS TO BUY THE PERFECT DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RING ONLINE
STRESS-FREE
After quite a bit of thought on this one, we realized that our own method we use to buy diamonds online was the 8 Step Process.
We are detailing out our own best practices so that you can shop like pros, just like us! You will NOT miss any detail that could make a significant difference in the diamonds price or appearance by sticking to this process.
Every time you shop for diamonds you can follow our 8 Simple Steps to narrow your search effectively, make the correct adjustments and get the absolute best diamond within your budget.
This is a proven fail-proof method that we have put to the test for years. We don’t miss anything and now you wont either. We don’t miss anything and now you won’t either. Let’s get started!
STEP ONE
Choose a Reputable Retailer. We have done the work for you here with 6 Online Reputable Retailers you can trust with excellent reputations.
We established a set of criteria as a standard for TheLuxGuys, that needed to be met before getting our stamp of approval. This included easy to navigate websites, clear product information, quality control, easy return policies, lifetime warranties, access to customer support and of course having a large selection of certified, conflict free diamonds.
Feel confident from the start knowing that we have carefully selected our Top 6 Partners to get you off on the right foot.
Check out our 6 Recommended Online Diamond Retailers here or head to our Shop page on our blog and choose Engagement Rings and begin your search.
STEP TWO
Decide on the Carat Weight Range.
It is important to have a good idea of your desired carat weight at the start of your search for a few reasons.
As you narrow your search, you will see many diamonds to choose from, all with different Cut, Color and Clarity grades. Most will be good options, some amazing, but one or two will be pretty much perfect for you.
Something to avoid is having your mind set on an exact carat weight, without being flexible. It is not a bad thing to get exactly what you want, but knowing that if a reduction needs to be made to get you a diamond with more brilliance, carat weight should be the first to go. If you have already established that you wanted a 1.5 carat, now is the time to choose to be flexible in your search. Browse diamonds in the range of 1.5 rather than that specific weight as a benchmark. This will show you more choices with EXCELLENT Cut Grades which means more brilliance which means yay!
If you begin your search with a Carat Weight Range in mind, you will have a good idea of how much of that can be comfortably reduced to get a diamond with a higher grade CUT GRADE, within the same budget.
Remember This: CUT is where most of your budget should because its the sparkle that counts. Well cut diamonds will appear much larger, brighter and whiter because of their brilliance and are far more valuable. We will repeat this many times!
STEP THREE
Read and Confirm the Certificate. There should be an icon that says GIA (Most Reputable) or AGS (Also very good) right beside the diamond you are looking at on the website of our carefully selected partners. Click there and it will bring up the diamond certificate.
The certificate will confirm the details about that diamond including its color and clarity grade. It’s like a piece of ID for a diamond. You can verify that the specs are exactly what the retailer has told you about diamond.
If they are saying they are selling a 1.03 / VS2 / I Color, those grades need to match what is on the certificate.
STEP FOUR
Assess the CUT Grade. As mentioned, CUT is the most important aspect about buying a diamond because the true value and brilliance will be shown here. For a GIA Certified Diamond, you will get a decent amount of sparkle and overall brilliance if the diamond has been graded GOOD or higher for Cut Grade, Polish and Symmetry.
I would aim for a little higher and invest your budget in the CUT. If increasing the Cut Grade takes you over your budget, reduce the carat weight. A slightly smaller diamond with a high cut grate is better than larger diamonds with a lower cut grade. The smaller diamond will actually appear larger, whiter and brighter. An EXCELLENT Cut Grade will ensure that you get the WOW factor and maximum brilliance overload! The above GIA Certificate shows a diamond that has been graded EXCELLENT in it’s Cut Grade, Polish and Symmetry. This is your Ultimate Goal! .
STEP FIVE
Evaluate the Color and Clarity. Remember in almost all cases, the untrained eye can’t tell the difference between each color grade or each clarity grade. Trained professionals have put this diamond under intense magnification and mapped out its inclusions. If graded by GIA, there are multiple people that have to agree on it’s grade. Unless you are looking at a diamond under a jewelers look there will not be any visible inclusion to the naked eye at around SI1 or higher. I say “around SI1” because some diamonds will have a black carbon spec as an inclusion or a white feather crustal and both be grade SI1. Look a the charted diagram on the GIA Certificate to see where the inclusions are. A cleverly placed prong can sometimes cover an inclusion which gives which can give you a VVS1 look, with an S12 price tag. This can be a rare find but possible with an open mind.
Food For Thought: If a diamond is cut well, inclusions will seem to disappear due to the amount of light reflecting in your diamond. This further solidifies why you should invest the majority of your budget in the CUT.
When considering color, consider the type of metal you will be choosing. If its White Gold or Platinum, Color D, E, F, G are ideal. This will give you that icy cool look that comes with White Gold and Platinum.
Keep in mind that price will go up as the diamond becomes whiter. As you move up the color chart you will see warmer tones in color grades H, I, J, K, well suited for Yellow Gold. LEARN MORE ABOUT COLOR
Consider This: If your preference is Yellow Gold you could save some money on color. The tone of metal will compliment the tone of your diamond so investing into colorless is not necessarily needed. Pulling back on color means more of your budget can be put towards the CUT grade.
STEP SIX:
Choose a setting. Now that you have selected your diamond, you can start the best part, choosing your setting! There are so many to choose from so it’s best to have a style idea in mind, which I’m sure you have already.
Maybe it’s a simple solitaire, halo or fashion forward contemporary design, the choices are all there. I have some advice to all of you out there who want to surprise their partners with a diamond engagement ring when you propose.
In this case, choose your diamond and focus only on this. What you should consider doing is select a simple simple solitaire rather than choose a style option. She might opt to keep the simple classic look or choose to design her own. Now that you have already made the best diamond choice, simply follow the easy shipping instructions and our retailer partners will set that exact diamond in its forever setting if she chooses to style her diamond with her own design in mind. This is an easy process with all 6 of our retail partners.
STEP SEVEN:
Control the Pace. Remember, when shopping online you have the luxury to shop at whatever pace you like. You are in complete control.
You have time to compare all 6 retailers because they all offer some unique and incredible looking settings.
You are in the drivers seat, you are calling the shots. This is not always the case when we hit the mall. Enjoy the pace you have set.
Being in control gives you the upper hand and the confidence to decide for yourself which takes the stress out of buying diamonds online.
Have a look at our previous Best of the Best Engagement Rings Designs Hot Lists below. This will either solidify what you imagine your dream ring to be or challenge what you thought you wanted and completely change styles.
You might end up choosing an engagement ring design you never thought you would choose. It happens all the time, proceed with caution.
The Top 6 Oval Halo Engagement Rings – Summer 2020
The 9 Hottest Overall Engagement Rings for Her – Summer 2020 (Our Engagement Story)
STEP EIGHT
Ask Your Questions. When online, you have customer support whenever you need it. Most of our partners offer 24/7 support. It’s awesome to have this as a service.
They have diamond professionals who are there to simply give advice, not sell. I’m sure after you’re done reading our entire blog, you’ll be an expert yourself!
You will have absorbed quite a bit of knowledge and wisdom from us so you’ll be close! We are still learning and always have questions so we welcome any questions you might have. Please reach out if needed. We are here to help
We hope you use our 8 Step Method and purchase that diamond with total confidence. You are ready to go!
Have Fun!
Jason & Sam
TheLuxGuys
