Planning to pop the question, or gifting her
diamond studs or pendant for your anniversary or her birthday? You'll need
to choose a diamond before you surprise her, and when it comes to buying
jewelry, it's easy to make costly mistakes.
To ensure that you're getting the best value for
your budget, here are our money saving tricks from experts at
Gemsatelier.com.
1. Buy Diamond just shy of critical weights
Carat weight and size are important when you are
buying a diamond. Diamonds are priced per carat and the pricing depends on that
threshold.
Therefore, diamond prices increase exponentially
with weight, since their prices increase both due to the increased weight and
due to the higher price per carat for the increased weight category.
Since diamonds are a retail product driven more
by emotion than reason, a 0.99ct diamond is worth only about 1% more than a
similar diamond weighing 0.98ct. But a 1.00ct diamond is worth about 20%
more than a similar 0.99ct diamond.
2. Go for GIA certified diamonds
If you're truly looking for value for
money, GIA is the most consistent grading lab and has the highest grading
standards. Other labs are inconsistent and carry noticeable discounts for a
reason. Don't be fooled!
3. Buy your diamonds online
You can see upwards of 20% price differences
between online and in-store prices. Online jewelers are extremely price
competitive and so the markups are actually very low. By buying online, it
is not just that the store is "saving" money on sellers and rental
space, you also get infinite design options.
When coming to a store in order to examine
a diamond for an engagement ring, you are usually limited to the supply that
there is in the store. As big as the store may be, it will not have thousands
of options to show you as some of the websites have. The advantage is obvious -
there is a diamond for every craving and every budget. Some people want to buy
a half a carat diamond but budget enables them to buy 0.45ct and some have
their mind set on exactly G color and SI1 clarity because it is what their
friend recommended. Whatever the reason is, usually, only online stores have
the selection to support it.
4. Opt for fancy shapes
Fancy shapes (shapes other than traditional
round) are significantly less expensive and more trendy. Simply because round
is the most popular shape so it's most in demand, hence the premium that you
pay for a round. Also, a diamond cutter's job is to preserve the maximum amount
of weight. Rounds lose much more carat weight than other shapes, so they carry
a premium.
5. Go for 14k gold instead of 18k
18k is 75% gold, and 14k is
58.3% gold.
It is almost impossible to tell the difference
between 14k gold and 18k gold just by looking at them. 14k gold is the
most common type of gold in the US, and is used in approximately 90% of wedding
bands. It is preferable for people who live more physically active lifestyles,
as it is more durable than 18k gold and cost effective.
6. Stay away from branded jewelry
Avoid branded jewelry and designs. Any design can
be custom made and any design created as close to the original as
possible. There are huge savings when custom making a design so I definitely
recommend that route if you like something branded outside your budget.
7. Go for diamonds in G-I colour, VS1-SI1 clarity
range and very good to excellent cuts.
Diamonds in G-I colour, VS1-SI1 clarity
range and very good to excellent cuts offer the best value for price. The
imperfections are rarely visible to the naked, untrained eye and the coluor is
hardly distracting. Round diamonds mask color much better than fancy shapes, so
if you are going for a fancy shape go for G colour or higher.
The cut of the diamond is what makes it sparkle,
so don't compromise on that, go for excellent is our recommendation.
