Posts Tagged ‘diamond engagement ring’

Diamond engagement rings have a huge amount of emotional significance tied up in them. It is important to choose something that she will like, something that will stand the test of time and something that you know works well. So when the time comes for you to choose an engagement ring for your loved one, why not steal a head start by selecting from one of these three gorgeous cut and setting combinations?

Prong Solitaire Setting and Round Brilliant Cut Diamonds
This combination is the classic engagement diamond solitaire. The round brilliant is mathematically designed to give the most sparkle and brilliance of all cuts. It is one of the most efficient cuts, because the finished carat weight is maximised from the original diamond rough, making it good value too.

Prong setting is popular because the prongs can be easily adjusted to ensure they hold the gemstone in place. Typical prong settings have four, six or eight claws where extra security is needed! The claws allow a huge amount of light to pass into the gemstone, allowing the round brilliant to flash with beauty.

Trilogy Bezel Setting with Oval Cut Gemstones
A bezel setting is one where the gemstone is completely encircled by a trace of precious metal which holds the gemstone securely by its girdle. The setting adds height and dimension. Although this can be used for any shape of gemstone, it is harder to set those with angles and steps.

Oval cuts look wonderful in this setting because of their old world appeal which seems to echo the age old yet contemporary feel of the setting. And when set threefold in a oval cut trilogy, the setting and the cut combination is stunning.

Channel Setting and Baguette Cut Gemstones
Channel setting is a technique in which a long track of precious metal holds the gemstones securely by their girdles. This setting works especially well with Baguette Cut gemstones, because their straight sides means that they can be set directly next to one another and no metal appears between the gemstones. The effect is a breathtaking as the gemstones appear to float in a continuous river of diamond between the tracks of precious metal!

As any man who has ever bought a diamond engagement ring knows, buying fine jewelry is expensive but can be a bit scary too.  You want the best you can afford but where do you go for advice?  How can you make sure you don’t waste your hard-earned cash on poor quality jewelry? 

First, find out what the purity of the metal is.  All gold is not the same.  Absolutely pure gold is called 24 karat (24K, 24ct).  But because gold is a soft metal, it can only be used in jewelry if it is alloyed with another metal for strength.  The more alloy is added the less pure the gold is.  18K gold is 75% pure. 14K, 10K and 9K gold respectively contain lower amounts of pure gold.  The higher the number of karats, the better (more pure) the gold is.

When buying diamond jewelry, remember, biggest is NOT necessarily best.  Diamonds are graded according to cut (round, princess, marquise, pear etc), clarity (the nature and extent of internal flaws, if any), color (white, fancy colored etc), and carat weight. All reputable jewellers can advise you about these qualities of your particular diamond.  Remember to ask though as the more knowledgeable you sound, the more seriously you will be taken and the better deal you will get.  If two diamonds are identical in clarity, color and both have a good cut, then the bigger diamond will be the more expensive.

Precious gemstones, such as diamonds, rubies, sapphires and emeralds can now be created in a laboratory.  Whilst these “created” crystals might be chemically similar to the real, mined crystals, they are considerably less desirable, and very much cheaper than the real thing.  Nomatter how good a created crystal is, NEVER buy a diamond engagement ring with created stones just because you are looking for affordable engagement rings. No woman wants her engagement ring to consist of “fake” diamonds.  Always buy real diamonds. 

Set yourself a realistic budget bearing in mind you are buying a future heirloom.  As a rule I always set a budget I know I can afford – and then double it. Fine diamond jewelry should last several lifetimes. If you cannot afford to buy something you can see yourself wearing for a lifetime, wait until you can.