The average diamond engagement ring costs as much as several notebook computers, or possibly a small car, yet many men know next to nothing about how to make sure they don't get ripped off when it comes time to tie the knot. Luckily, although there is much to know about diamonds there are only a few things you need to remember, and I'm about to tell you what they are.
While the finer points can be a bit tedious and the scales slightly odd there are really only a few things to keep in mind. To begin, you should know the shape of the diamond you want. Looking down on the stone from the top, the "square" diamonds are "princess cut" and the round ones are "round" or "brilliant". A teardrop shape is known as a "pear" cut, "emerald" cut is octagonal, usually oblong, while "Marquise" is an oval with pointed ends. "Oval" and "Heart" cuts are precisely what they sound like. There are other cuts as well, but these are the most common.
After deciding on a shape it's time to get your hands dirty with the technical stuff. I recommend looking at only GIA certified diamonds so you can be sure of the quality and compare different diamonds (and different prices) more easily.
Cut is the most difficult to understand of the factors determining quality but don't get too hung up on it. If the diamond is too tall or too wide the light will refract differently, but if you look at a few diamonds it will become apparent to you what the shape should be, and anything that looks close to "normal" should be fine, no matter what the jeweler tells you.
Diamonds usually have imperfections inside of them. These are called "inclusions" and are measured on a scale of "very, very slight" to full-blown "inclusion". All you need to know: SI1 or SI2 represent the best value. The "slight inclusion" rating means the imperfections are obvious under magnification, but still impossible to see with the naked eye.
We often think of diamonds as colorless, but in fact many of them are not. Some are valued for their unique color, such as the fictional "Pink Panther" diamond of movie fame. All you need to know: Diamond coloration is measured on a scale of D to Z with D being completely colorless. The best value is usually F, G or H. F will always appear colorless to the naked eye (just not the diamond-measuring scope thingy), G is very difficult to tell and H is just slightly less colorless (but still difficult to tell).
You will notice I did not discuss "Carat". This measurement has nothing to do with quality, just weight. That being said, it has a LOT of bearing to most girls hoping to wear one someday. If you are one of the many men who feel the need to push your ring budget in the direction of rock-size then keep in mind what you've read above. No matter the size of the stone your best value will always be a GIA certified SI1 G stone. Just make sure the cut isn't obviously too shallow or deep.
Oh, and price around. There are three classes of diamond dealers, the most expensive of which is represented by department stores like Fortunoff, which carry a lot of uncertified (read: low-quality) diamonds at prices near or at what a good quality rock costs. Price around, look on the web and visit your local jewelers.
Alex lives in Long Island, NY and consults for Gifts and Otherwise, an online retailer of
cheap wedding favors and other
wedding stuff.
