| Buying a diamond engagement ring is a big deal - | | | | attraction and beauty of a diamond by increasing |
| it is expensive in terms of money and it is | | | | the incidence of light refraction within the stone |
| valuable in terms of the feelings and memories it | | | | which in turn affects the brilliance and sparkle. |
| will create, it is also wrapped up in a ritual and | | | | Color is important because it is actually quite rare |
| tradition which your friends and family will only be | | | | for a stone to have no color - in fact, colorless |
| too well aware of. In other words, you need to | | | | diamonds are more valuable because the most |
| get the choice of engagement ring right and the | | | | diamonds have some coloring, usually a shade of |
| first stage in that is to educate yourself. | | | | yellow. Pink diamonds are extremely valuable |
| Solitaire diamond engagement rings are by far the | | | | because of their rarity and you won't be buying |
| most popular choice of engagement ring bought in | | | | one of these unless you are very rich or win the |
| the country, and indeed, in the rest of the | | | | lottery. |
| Western world. The diamond is the prize - it is the | | | | Finally, clarity is a measure of how spotless and |
| centerpiece which will either accentuate the whole | | | | blemish-free the stone actually is; in practice, |
| visual effect or turn into a second rate piece of | | | | when formed, a diamond will include pockets of air |
| jewelry. The whole affair is compounded by the | | | | bubbles and specks of foreign matter. These may |
| fact that the ring will be worn for the rest of | | | | be visible as specks or little bubbles and detract |
| your lady love's life. | | | | from the stones appearance and value. You can |
| So, no pressure then! | | | | still use a stone with these imperfections because |
| Diamonds are graded according to a series of | | | | the diamond can be cut and set in such a way as |
| factors and scales which are measurable - these | | | | to minimize these imperfections. |
| are known generally as the "Four C's". We will | | | | In practice there are many more ways of grading |
| outline the four-C's here for you but you must be | | | | a stone and the detail and depth to which this |
| aware that there is a great deal more detail and | | | | gradation goes is far beyond the scope of this |
| skill involved than can be conveyed in this simple, | | | | brief article. Arming yourself with the basics will |
| brief article. | | | | allow you to choose a stone which you and your |
| The four-C's are: Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat. | | | | fiance can be proud of and happy with. Knowing a |
| Carat is the measure of weight and the greater | | | | little about diamonds will also ensure you are not |
| the carat size then the more expensive and | | | | an easy target for being taken in with inferior |
| valuable the diamond. Cut is related to how the | | | | stones whose quality does not warrant the price |
| stone has been cut and polished from the rough | | | | which is being charged by the retailer. |
| diamond. Different cuts can accentuate the | | | | |