Buying a Diamond Engagement Ring: 6 Handy Tips on Choosing the Right Diamond

1. I can't help myself but to keep on emphasizing this to anyone who wants to buy a diamond online: LEARN SOMETHING ABOUT DIAMONDS! Sorry, I don't mean to shout. But in reality, many people are still very ignorant about diamond, believe it a not, there are jewelers who are unable to differentiate a diamond cut from a diamond shape. Everyone is so hyped up about the carat weight and has totally forgotten about the other 3 characteristics of a diamond.

Still unconvinced? Here's another great reason to start learning about diamonds. Remember this saying: "Diamonds are women's best friend."? You want to win your girl's heart with her 'best friend's' help and yet you do not know anything about a diamond? You might even get yourself scammed before you even present the stone to her.

Anyway you aren't trying to get a qualification in gemology, so it won't take you years or months to learn something about diamond. There are plenty of articles and information on the 4C of a diamond. Spend some useful time in the library or internet and learn about diamonds. Who knows, you may become an expert in diamonds.

2. Prioritize the 4 characteristics. There are much more about diamonds than just the 4C. But at the end of the day, the 4Cs are still the major factors influencing the quality and price of a diamond.

Before you start prioritizing the 4Cs, you got to know what your girl actually likes about a diamond. If she like big one, go for a diamond with big carat weight but with poorer quality in terms of color, cut or clarity. If she likes the brilliance of a diamond and doesn't mind the size, choose one with excellent cut and clarity. Whichever the case is, prioritizing the 4Cs will give you a better idea of what diamonds will suit her taste as well as your budget.

3. With your list, do some price research at the jewelry retail stores. Based on your list, the dealers should be able to give you a rough estimate on the market price. If the price is out of your budget, try to go for a grade lower than your expectation and you may eventually find one that suits you well.

Another alternative is to purchase online jewelry stores. Online jewelry stores make use of technologies to cut down on expenses and hence they are able to offer you much competitive prices, about 30% lower than average US retail price. The top online jewelry stores often have excellent search engine to save you the time and trouble of searching and comparing diamonds prices.

4. Whether you are buying diamond offline or online, being comfortable with the dealer is very important. If you found online jewelry stores or retail stores with great prices and feel tempted to take out your card and start buying anything, cool down first.

If you have been doing researching, you would have come across information on cubic zirconium diamonds. These synthetic diamonds are D-color graded, flawless and cut to perfection. In short, a CZ diamond is a 'perfect' diamond. It is brilliant, flawless and yet cheap. Their prices do not increase exponentially with their quality unlike diamonds.

There are also some natural diamonds which have undergone treatments to reduce its blemishes thus enhanced its appearance. It is still a low grade diamond but dishonest dealers may try to pass it off as a good graded diamond and sell you at a higher price.

Before you start swiping your hard-earned money away, do some research about the jeweler as well. Ask your family, relatives or friend who have purchased from the dealer. Online forum is a good place to ask around and there are plenty of sites that review on jewelry store online. Give the jewelry store a visit or call their hotline, talk to their staffs and decide for yourself if you are comfortable with the store.

5. Always remember to ask for a money back guarantee. Especially if you are intending to buy online, be doubly sure the store has the complete details about their return policy, which should include information about the validity period, what to do if you wish to return your purchase and their address. As a rule of thumb, online stores should offer you no less than 21 days return policy. In fact, most of them have a return policy of 30 days.

6. Remember to ask about the grading report as well. Certified diamond should come along with a grading report by reputable gemology organizations such as GIA or AGS. Some dealers certified their diamond by in-house gemologists and they may be using different grading standards from GIA or AGS. After you have purchase your diamond, get it appraised again with the grading report by a trained gemologist.