The four factors for buying diamond rings include:
- Cut—this factor that will determine the sparkle and brilliance of your diamond. The width and depth of the cut will affect how the light travels within a diamond. If you have a cut that is too shallow or too deep the light will escape and cause a loss of brilliance. You also need to look at the symmetry and polish. According to gemologists the cut is the most important factor. A poor cut will affect the brilliance even if the diamond has perfect clarity and color.
- Color—a diamond acts like a prism, dividing light into spectrums of color. The diamond that is highly valued is those with very little color. The less color the diamond has the more colorful the prism will become. Even a little color can diminish the value of the diamond. Color is normally given a rate and at the top of the scale are absolutely colorless diamonds. They are the highest color grade and are extremely rare.
- Clarity—many diamonds are has inclusions, which are trace minerals, scratches, or tiny characteristics that can detract from the beauty of the diamond. The diamonds that are most sought after are clear. Diamond rings with clear diamonds are also the most expensive. Gemologists do rate clarity. If rated flawless they may have some flaws but they are difficult to see. The lowest grade of clarity is diamonds that have flaws that are noticeable and can be seen by the naked eye.
- Carat—this is the size of the diamond in diamond rings. When diamonds are mined smaller diamonds are more frequently found than the larger ones, which make larger diamonds more expensive. Although they can be of the same quality a two-carat diamond is more expensive than two one-carat diamonds.
In addition to all four of these factors when buying diamond rings as a gift you need to consider the person’s style and personal taste. The size of the finger that the diamond rings go on is also important because if the fingers are small the diamond will look bigger. Before buying diamond rings or custom diamond jewelry consider which of these four factors are most important to you. For example, if the size of the diamond is the one that is most important then you look at the carat of the diamond.