Are you planning of buying a Diamond engagement ring ? If yes you need to be a smart shopper. However, there are some common mistakes that you need to avoid in this process. The following are 16 commonly made mistakes by every customer who wants to buy an engagement ring:
People make mistakes and may at times buy the wrong ring. Having the remorse of buyers after spending some rupees is one thing and another to spend lacs of rupees. It is an exceptional experience to buy an engagement ring. It is very difficult for people to shop in a similar way.
Top 16 common mistakes and how to avoid them:
It does not always imply that every mistake is connected to money. It should be noted that the procurement of an engagement ring is purely a personal process. The following are some tips that may be helpful during the process.
- Ignoring the diamond cut:
The cut is the most critical and a big element in the 4 C’s of diamond. It gives diamond its sparkly characteristic. Everyone would like to have a brilliant ring. It is possible for a perfect clarity and color to look bad if it has a poor cut. Most of the poorly cut diamonds have a deep cut. Therefore, this implies that the carat weight is mostly at the base where it can be seen by no one. As such, the diamond appears to be smaller than its actual size when observed from the top. The best cut should make the diamond to shine dashingly and look like its actual size.
2. Don’t buy without seeing the ring in person:
These days i think that many people prefer buying rings online. However, I recommend that the buyer should first see the ring side-by-side prior to the purchase because the paper rating of the 4 C’s of a diamond partially tells the story.
3. Don’t blindly fall victim to the “four C’s” of diamonds
At the beginning of your shopping, you do not need to pay attention on either of the diamond’s 4 C’s. You should instead begin with what you are able to afford. Most likely, you will be shown diamonds with varying grades by a jeweler after which you will decide whether the color, clarity or cut is more meaningful. Furthermore, you may be able to see how different sizes of diamond differ. Seeing the rings personally or side-by-side will enable you to make a decision on what may be right for you. You may surprisingly like a virtually colorless and smaller diamond a larger one after exhausting all the options.
4. Expecting perfect clarity:
There is so much that can be seen by the naked eye beyond which you will be wasting your money by buying a flawless diamond. What you need is a seemingly flawless diamond as seen through a naked eye. However, table clean Si1 or Vs2 is recommended as a sweet spot. You should always aim at getting the best possible cut. If you get a diamond that has an excellent cut, it is sparkly to an extent that the flaws can go unnoticed. Beauty is also determined by color. As such, H or I color is recommended. A yellow tint can more quickly noticed compared to a deep flaw.
5. Focusing on the size of the diamonds:
Most tend to like a big diamond. You are therefore free to make a side-by-side comparison of varying sizes of diamond. A 1-carat diamond may look similar to a 0.9-carat diamond in an excellent cut when seen through a naked eye. Your fiancée may therefore think the lesser one is a full carat.
6. Going for best color and clarity of diamonds:
You may choose to buy diamond with the highest possible price depending on your affordability. However, Gandaram jewelers do not recommended this. According to me, you should not go for a diamond that has the best clarity and color. Similarly, you should not pay the premium because a naked eye cannot differentiate between the topmost clarity and color and the lower level. A scale that ranges from D to Z is used to measure the color of diamond where D is the best color. However, this can be achieved when the diamond is assessed under a magnification of 10x. The diamond in this grade looks similar to that in grade G. FL (flawless) is the topmost clarity grade whereas I3 is the lowest clarity grade with some arks and blemishes. According to Gandaram jewelers, it is recommended to go for very slight inclusions (VS1) or table clean Si1 (Small inclusion).
It will not be a surprise when you buy a D color diamond with an FL clarity and your friend pays for diamond with a similar size but of VS clarity and G color yet you cannot differentiate between the two using your naked eye. However, the big deal here is that you have paid 40-50% more than your friend by failing to optimize on clarity and color as explained by Gandaram jewelers.
7. Ignoring the setting of diamond:
Generally buyers put the focus on the diamond itself. But the setting is what shows off her personal style. In fact, 79 % of brides say that the overall design of the ring is the most important. Some women prefer the classic solitaire setting. This lets the eye rest on the beauty of the centre diamond. But there are other settings you might consider, 3-stone, halo, and diamond ascent, pressure settings are the most popular settings.
The setting is a reflection of a woman’s personal style. Knowing it beforehand can make selection easier. She’ll love that you were thoughtful enough to get her something exactly her style and preference. And as a bonus, certain settings can even make a smaller diamond look a lot bigger.
8 Not understanding the precious metals, Platinum or white gold?
Choosing an engagement ring involves more than the diamond. You should also understand the various precious metals. The most popular options are gold and platinum.
It gets more complicated, 18ct and 14cts are option if you are going for gold, Yellow Gold, White Gold and Rose gold options.
Platinum (Pt950) is the heaviest of the metals and also the rarest, it used as 24ct. It is hypoallergenic. It also doesn’t fade and withstands wear and tear very well. It’s often worth its higher price.
White gold doesn’t occur naturally and is in fact yellow gold that has been blended into an alloy with other metals to give it its white color, then given rhodium plating on top of that.
The trouble is, that plating doesn’t last, meaning a white gold ring requires a lot of maintenance.
Over time, the plating wears away and you have to take a white gold ring back to have it replated.
9. Going for a super narrow band of your engagement ring
A very popular current style is extremely narrow bands, this is mainly because the thinner the band, the bigger the diamond looks. It also just makes for an elegant ring.
However, going too narrow is in fact a mistake.
I agree that customers always want a dainty, thin band with as little metal as possible, it’s a trend at the moment,. “The problem with that is that metal, especially gold, will over the years wear away and eventually you’re left with so little that it could even break.
“So it’s a balancing act between quality and longevity, making it look very elegant. No one wants a chunky ring, you want as much contrast between the size of the diamond in the centre, and the metal.”
10. Shopping without doing your research:
There are 2 types of research you must do. You must know the diamond characteristics and her preferences.
We offer a lot of information to help you understand these options. Walking into a jewellery store and hearing things like 1.1-carat emerald cut G VS2 can make your head spin. Knowing their meaning can help you make the purchase easy.
Even though you may see one another every day, you might have no idea what she likes. Is she traditional or modern, or does she have a style all her own? What color metals does she prefer? Does she like little dainty jewellery or big flashy bold jewellery ?
11. Focusing on paperwork rather than the ring itself:
As much as you should understand the 4 C’s of diamonds, don’t focus only on the paperwork. Remember, this is a sentimental decision. An impressive certificate doesn’t replace the feelings you get when you see the diamond.
Is it something she could proudly wear every day? she should be comfortable of what she has to wear for another 60 -70 years daily.
12. Know her ring size before you buy the ring:
Before you buy a ring, you’ll need to know her ring size. If the proposal is a complete surprise, you have to do some detective work. You don’t want to just guess. some designs can’t be re sized at all and moreover when you re size a rings it weakens its structure and in long run will result in diamonds falling out.
13. Stick to round cut diamonds if you are unsure of the shape of diamond.
According to the recent survey, almost 69 % of engagement rings sold have a round diamond. Round diamonds will never lose their timeless and classy appeal. No matter how dirty the diamond is but round diamond will sparkle better than any fancy shape because it has 58 Facets, much more than any fancy shape diamond
14. Don’t forget insurance
The price of your ring doesn’t matter – you need insurance. Whether you spend 1 Lacs or 5 Lacs, it’s a sentimental piece of jewellery.
.15. Don’t fall for current trends
Every few years, a new trend emerges. Marriages are supposed to last forever though. Do you want to buy a new ring every few years? If not, stick with the more traditional settings.
16. Buy from reliable jewellery store not online.
Its always better to buy you engagement ring from a reliable jewellery store so that in future if you need to get it resized or get it refinished they are there to serve you, moreover every ring should be taken to jeweller every 2 years to check its prongs which hold the solitaire are well secured. Want help in finding the perfect engagement ring that’s within your budget? Contact us for professional and complimentary assistance. GANDARAM JEWELLERS
