Searching for your engagement ring? See our helpful guide on how to buy the most important ring of your life...
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OriginsLegend has it that in 1477, a love-struck Austrian, Archduke Maximilian, came up with a gem of an idea: to give his future wife, Mary of Burgundy, a diamond ring to celebrate their imminent engagement. She wore the ring on her third finger on the left hand, the same finger believed by ancient Egyptians to have a vein that led straight to the heart. Others believe diamond betrothal rings were used to signify the eternal love of a couple – seeing as they are the hardest mineral in the world.
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The Basics
According to Grays Antiques, the renowned vintage diamond retailer, around 70% of couples opt for diamond engagement rings.
Choosing the style of ring will depend very much on each couples taste, but regardless of whether you are buying a rose cut diamond or a solitaire ring, the principles remain the same. You will need to know about the four C’s; Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat – while bearing in mind the fifth C – cost. -
Cut
According to Tiffany and Co, it is how the diamond is cut that will determine its defining characteristic. It is the only characteristic of a diamond not influenced by nature.
You know those bright sparkly diamonds? That sparkle, known as its ‘fire’, depends on how the diamond is cut and how it reflects light; this depends on how the facets, the tiny planes cut on the diamond's surface, are angled and sized.
The cut will also determine the shape of the diamond; most common shape is the round cut, but others include the emerald, the pear, the marquise, the princess, the oval and the heart shape. -
Colour
Diamonds are scaled according to their colour – the most valuable are colourless diamonds, ‘D’, moving through to ‘Z’. Between these two tones (A, B and C were missed out) diamonds display small coloured tones depending on the kind of minerals they were exposed to during their natural life. (as in, when they were naturally occurring underneath volcanoes and such...)
Coloured diamonds – pinks and yellows – are extremely rare and known as fancies. -
Clarity
Clarity is one of the things people get very hung up about with diamonds. Going back to the process by which diamonds are created in nature (through millions upon billions of years beneath the Earth’s surface), diamonds sometimes develop small ‘inclusions’. These are like small clouds or feathers trapped in the mineral. However, these small imperfections are generally invisible to the naked eye and don’t affect a diamond’s fire or sparkle. Again, there is a scale for how a diamond is graded depending upon the number of inclusions it has. The highest in the grading system is IF, Internally flawless, followed by SI1 stands for Slightly Included 1. At the other end of the spectrum is I3, Imperfect 3. SI1 is standard and will be fine. If you have any doubts, ask to see it under a jewellers loupe or magnifying eyeglass.
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Carat
The size of a diamond is measured in carats. A carat is equal to 0.2gm, or 200mgm (if that means anything to you) - and is divided into 100 smaller units called points. (so three-quarters of a carat is 75 points).
The average size of most engagement-ring diamonds is somewhere between one carat and half a carat. -
Cost
Now here is the big one... how much should you spend? The rule is traditionally to spend at least a months’ salary on it. But realistically, you should spend what you can afford. If you are shopping for a ring together though, it is best to discuss a budget. And it is traditional for a man to pay for the engagement ring. (Luckily for the men out there, etiquette experts DeBrett’s recommend that brides-to-be give their fiancé a substantial present to mark the occasion – whether it be with a watch, cufflinks or a pen.
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Beware of fakes!
So now that you know more about diamonds it’s easy to see why it is such a delicate business. To make matters even harder, there are fakes out there – diamonds substitutes that might try to catch you off guard. Natural fakes include white sapphire, topaz, quartz and zircon – all nearly colourless natural minerals. Synthetic substitutes for diamonds include cubic zirconia and moissanite.
Diamonds can also be artificially treated, which is legal (as long as it is disclosed to the buyer) – but terms such as ‘clarity enhanced’ should send off alarm bells.
To be sure your diamond is the real deal, request a ‘cert stone’ which is an assessment carried out by an independent gemmological society such as the Gemmological Institute of America or Anchorcert. Any respectable jeweller will be able to assist you with this. -
Blood Diamonds
We all saw the Leonardo DiCaprio film about blood diamonds in Africa (and if you haven’t seen it, you should do.) Ten years ago the trade of conflict diamonds was still a major concern – the stones were sold to fund armed conflict in war-torn African countries, like Zimbabwe. Steps have been taking in the right direction to try and trace diamonds to their source of origin through various legal manners and certifications. The UN has also played their role in trying to help the situation. Always ask the seller for assurance.
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Where to buy
There are plenty of quality diamond retailers out there – you need only Google them to find a wide array; DeBeers, Cartier, Tiffanys and Co., Boodles etc. We would recommend shopping around until you find exactly what you are looking for – and always bearing in mind that you only shop at reputable jewellers or auction houses.
It is worth considering that jewellers are busiest in the run-up to Christmas and before Valentine's Day. August is traditionally their slowest month, so best for ‘bargains.’ -
Where to buy
You can also try shopping online, although really you want to see the diamond before buying it (remember the four C’s).
If you are being really brave, try going straight to the source: target the companies that usually sell direct to retailers. For example, Rex Mining Diamond Corporation (rexgerms.com) or you can always try Hatton Garden. Finding those sellers will be a bit harder, but if you are looking for cheap loose diamonds, it might be your best bet. You can contact the jewellery trade association and try to find them that way.
