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How To Shop For Diamond Engagement Rings?

First select a Diamond shape – round or fancy shape

Round Diamonds

When selecting a diamond, your first priority is usually to choose a shape. If you’re unsure of what shape to choose, it may be helpful to know this: round diamonds are by far the most popular choice due to their incredible brilliance, fire, and light performance. Round brilliant diamonds make up about three-quarters of all diamond purchases, and offer maximum sparkle.

Fancy Diamond Shapes

Princess diamonds feature an angular, contemporary beauty that looks gorgeous in classic and geometric settings, and are second in popularity, offering the brilliance of a round brilliant diamond at a lower price. Cushion diamonds are an ideal choice for vintage-inspired settings, and radiant diamonds are a stunning alternative to princess and cushion diamonds for those preferring a rectangular shape. Asscher and emerald diamonds are step-cut, for a sleek, elegant appearance. They emit less fire or sparkle than round diamonds but are more transparent. Marquise, oval, and pear-shaped diamonds are more distinctive shapes, and help fingers look long and slender due to their elongated appearance. Heart-shaped diamonds express your sentiment with a flourish and are often favored by die-hard romantics. Marquise or pear-shaped diamonds may appear to be larger, given that more of the stone shows from the top view (looking down on the diamond).

Based on the laws of supply and demand, you can currently save up to 40 percent by selecting a non-round diamond. At Brilliant Earth, we offer 10 classic diamond shapes. Please contact us for other diamond shapes, such as trillions, baguettes, and half-moons.

Choose a size

The final set of considerations involves two main factors: the size of your gem and its quality. When selecting your perfect diamond, determine what is most important to you within your given budget – size, quality, or a tradeoff between the two. Many people start with size, as this is the most visually apparent aspect of a diamond. Keep in mind that a carat is actually a unit of weight, but it can be used as an approximation for the size of a diamond. You may find the measurements of a diamond another useful indication of the actual dimensions, as seen face up.
The size of a gem compared to a dime

Learn about Quality – Choose the Four Cs of Diamond Quality

Diamond Cut

 

Cut Scale

The most important quality characteristic of a round brilliant diamond is the cut, which impacts the brilliance, fire, and scintillation of the diamond. If the workmanship and cut of a diamond are poor, the diamond will look dull and lifeless. With round brilliant diamonds, the cut is easy to assess because it is formally graded by independent diamond laboratories. For other diamond shapes, the cut is much more subjective. Cut grades, if given, are more arbitrary. For engagement rings, we typically recommend round brilliant diamonds with a cut grade of very good, ideal, or super ideal (also known as hearts and arrows). Choosing a high cut grade maximizes the beauty of a diamond for a given carat weight.

The diamond cut is the most important element to consider when buying a diamond. The cut is the biggest factor in creating sparkle and fire, and without a high cut grade even a diamond of high quality can appear dull and lifeless. A diamond cut poorly and too deep can face-up smaller than it actually is. Use our buying tips, diamond cut grading scale and comparison chart, and expert tips to help you choose the best diamond cut for your budget.

Buying Tips

  • Cut is the most important of the 4Cs because it has the greatest influence on a diamond’s sparkle.
  • Even if a diamond has a perfect clarity and color grade, if it has a poor cut, it may appear dull.
  • When diamond cuts are made with the proper proportions, light is returned out of the top of the diamond (which gemologists refer to as the table). If the cuts are too shallow, light leaks out of the bottom; too deep and it escapes out of the side.
  • To maximize your budget, choose the highest diamond cut grade your budget allows. We suggest a cut grade of Very Good or better.
Light Reflection of Diamonds

Grading Scale

Use the slider to see cut grade details or view the Cut Grade Chart below.

Diamond Color

 

Color Scale

The other main quality characteristics to decide are the color and clarity of your diamond. Although individuals vary in their ability to observe color differences, most people prefer a colorless or white diamond, or at least a color that is not very detectable to the untrained eye. With engagement rings, the most common color grade selection for the center diamond is F-H color.

 

Diamond color is the second most important thing to consider when purchasing a diamond, right after a diamond’s cut. Color is the first thing the eye notices after sparkle, and less is more in this case: the less color a diamond has, the higher the diamond color grade. Blue Nile only offers diamonds with grades of Colorless or Near-Colorless, ensuring that natural color will usually be invisible to the naked eye. Use our diamond cut grading scale, comparison chart, and expert tips to help you choose a diamond with the best color grade for your budget.

Buying Tips

  • The second most important of the 4Cs is color because it’s what the eye notices next after sparkle.
  • A diamond’s color actually refers to its lack of color. The less color, the higher the color grade.
  • To avoid a pale yellow color, choose a diamond grade H or higher.
  • Blue Nile offers only Colorless (grades D-F) to Near-Colorless (grades G-J) diamonds to assure that any natural color present is typically undetectable to the naked eye.

Diamond Clarity

Clarity

Clarity is usually the characteristic determined last, given it has the least impact on a diamond’s appearance. Some diamonds graded “SI2” or “SI1” do have visible inclusions, but at Brilliant Earth we will contact you if the diamond you have chosen has an inclusion that we can see with the naked eye. Many Brilliant Earth customers choose the “VS2” or “SI1” clarity grades for the center diamond of their engagement ring. A few customers for whom clarity is important go as high as the “IF” or the “VVS” clarity grades.

It is always best to choose a diamond that comes with an independent diamond grading certificate from a recognized gemological laboratory. An independent assessment ensures you are getting exactly what you are paying for. Keep in mind that evaluations by the European Gemological Laboratory, or EGL, are much more lenient compared with evaluations by other laboratories. We recommend striking a balance between a diamond’s size (as represented by carat weight) and its quality (or its cut, color, and clarity). Our online interface makes balancing these factors easy. Learn more about diamonds and read our jewelry specialist’s advice on how to buy diamonds online.

 

The clarity of diamonds refers to an assessment of small surface characteristics called blemishes and/or internal characteristics called inclusions. Clarity is often the least important consideration when buying a diamond because most inclusions are microscopic and not seen to the untrained, unaided eye. If you want to ensure a diamond is eye-clean, select SI1 or better in ½ carat diamonds and smaller, or VS2 clarity grade in larger stones particularly over 2.00 carats. Find a diamond with the right clarity using our diamond clarity grading scale, comparison chart, and expert tips.

Buying Tips

  • Most diamonds have tiny imperfections called inclusions.
  • The fewer and less visible the inclusions, the higher the clarity grade.
  • Diamond clarity is often the least important of the 4Cs because most inclusions are microscopic; they don’t affect the diamond’s beauty in a visible way.
  • To maximize your budget, consider an “Eye-Clean” diamond, graded VS1 or higher, in which inclusions are invisible to the naked eye.

Diamond Carat Weight

Diamond carat is often misunderstood and refers to a diamond’s weight, not necessarily its size. When comparing diamond carat sizes, take a diamond’s cut into consideration as well: a high-carat diamond with a poor cut grade may look smaller, often cut deeper, than a diamond with smaller carat weight and a better cut. Use our buying tips, diamond carat size chart, and expert tips to help you choose the best diamond carat weight for you.

Buying Tips

  • Carat is the most misunderstood of the 4Cs. It actually refers to a diamond’s weight, not the diamond’s size.
  • Consider cut and carat together; a larger carat diamond with a poor cut grade can appear smaller than a smaller diamond with a higher cut grade.
  • To maximize your budget, “Buy Shy,” which means selecting a carat weight slightly below the whole and half carat marks. For example, instead of a 2.0-carat diamond, consider buying a 1.9-carat weight. This will save a considerable amount of money and the slight size difference will never be noticed.

It is always best to choose a diamond that comes with an independent diamond grading certificate from a recognized gemological laboratory. An independent assessment ensures you are getting exactly what you are paying for. Keep in mind that evaluations by the European Gemological Laboratory, or EGL, are much more lenient compared with evaluations by other laboratories. We recommend striking a balance between a diamond’s size (as represented by carat weight) and its quality (or its cut, color, and clarity). Our online interface makes balancing these factors easy. Learn more about diamonds and read our jewelry specialist’s advice on how to buy diamonds online.