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An engagement diamond may be the biggest purchase you've ever made.
And with the right information, you'll be able to spend your budget on the diamond qualities that are
most important to you. Read on and we'll provide you with a thorough understanding of diamond quality.
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Choose Your Diamond Shape
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To start, find out what shape she likes. You can choose from round, oval, princess-cut, emerald-cut,
Asscher-cut, marquise-cut, radiant-cut, pear-shaped, and heart-shaped diamonds.
The majority of diamond engagement rings today are set with a round diamond.
And most of the remaining rings are set with princess-cut diamonds.
Use the tool to the right to view different shapes of 1-carat diamond set in a ring.
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Choose Your Diamond Size
View the chart below to learn the size of diamond you can afford within your budget.
You'll find a wide range of diamond sizes is available within a given budget.
Next, you'll narrow this range when you decide on the quality of your diamond.
Choose the Four Cs of Diamond Quality
At Blue Nile, it's their goal to help all their customers make an educated, confident buying decision. (That's one of the
major reasons we like them here at TheBigDay!) Below is a summary of what you'll find in their Diamond Education section.
- Cut: The cut of a diamond has the biggest affect on its sparkle, also called brilliance. Even with perfect color and clarity, a poor cut can make a diamond look dull. Blue Nile carries only Ideal, Very Good, Good, and Fair cut diamonds, which produce the most brilliance.
- Color: Colorless diamonds are most highly valued and are priced accordingly. For the best value, choose a colorless or near-colorless diamond that has no noticeable color, grades D-J. These are the only grades of diamond color offered by Blue Nile.
- Clarity: Diamonds free from internal flaws, or inclusions, are very rare and highly valued. The best value in diamond clarity is a diamond with no inclusions visible to the unaided eye. Blue Nile only offers diamonds graded FL?SI2, some of the clearest diamonds available.
- Carat weight: Since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller diamonds, diamond value rises exponentially with carat weight. With a clear understanding of cut, color, and clarity, you can balance the overall diamond quality with the size of your diamond.
Engagement ring guide courtesy Blue Nile , Inc.
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