I have a role with my husband's friends. It seems whenever any of them needs to buy their significant other an expensive item they come to me for help. I have helped 14 lost men through the maze of diamond ring shopping. Number 15 has recently asked for my assistance. Like sheep to their Shepard.
Since it has become increasingly popular, many believed that they could propose with something besides a diamond ring. I will tell you the same thing I told these gentlemen. Shut up, suck it up and get a diamond. I repeat get a diamond. Unless you are 2,000 % sure she doesn't like diamonds get over yourself and buy a diamond.
Be sure to do your research on what she wants. Ask close friends or family members to see what she likes. Or go "future present reference shopping" like my husband. Whenever we'd go to the mall he would be sure to drag me into a jewelry store so I could look around. Apparently everyone except me noticed that he was only paying attention when I was looking at diamonds.
Let's get started at the basics. Time to learn your 4 "C's"!
Carats
Carats refer to the weight of the diamond not the size. I am sorry to confuse you like this. Like people , the weight doesn't necessarily go along with the size. Many factors come into play with this "C" such as budget and the size of her fingers. My husband realized that I have small hands (my ring size is a 5 & often wear kid's gloves) so he lucked out. He considered the cut and quality of the diamond itself then decided on the carat size.
To maximize your budget go one size below. Doing this can help you save big. When you go shopping look at a diamond at 1.25 carats and a 1 carat diamond. Do you notice a huge difference? You will in your wallet. With the proper cut you will not notice a difference in size. But whatever you do don't comprise the cut. A shallow cut will have a larger diameter which will make it seem bigger then a deep cut diamond of the same amount of carats. Here's a visual guide of diamond sizes for those who need to see what I'm talking about.
Cut
The cut is a style of guide when shaping a diamond. Cut does not mean the shape but refers to the dimensions of a diamond. These dimensions include depth, width and uniformness of all the diamonds facets. If a cut is done poorly then you don't have that shine factor. Price Scope's advisor tool can help you measure the quality of the cut. If the seller can't or won't provide you with all the information then it's time to move on.
Clarity
A diamonds clarity really means how "clean" it is. Diamonds may have some impurities that are natural to the diamond itself when it was forming in the earth. There are other flaws such as air bubbles and scratches that can decrease the value of the diamond. Here's a great tutorial on clarity and it's worth. FYI, nobody will put a magnifying glass to your diamond in the real world so this maybe a good place to save.
Color
In general when a person is talking about the color of diamonds they are referring to the presence (or lack of) color in a white diamond. The less color there is the more light can come through the diamond which gives it more sparkle. Because of the way diamonds are formed the less color there is in a diamond the rarer it will be. Diamonds are scored alphabetically D (colorless) to X (colored). To the naked untrained eye diamonds, G through I show no color. The only exception to the color rule are fancy colored diamonds like the ones P Diddy seems to be an awfully big fan of.
Now you know the basics head over to Diamond Helpers where they have solid information on everything from finding a jeweler to understanding what you can afford.
another good article, thanks for sharing. here's more diamond buying info that i like
http://www.fancydiamonds.net/diamond_education/4cs