How Do I Buy a 3-Carat Diamond Solitaire Platinum Engagement Ring?
- 1). Assess your fiancée's tastes in jewelry. There is little point in buying a massive stone for a dainty hand. It is even worse to blunder into buying a tiny diamond for a large hand. Ask a jeweler's advice on what size setting would be most suitable, and bear in mind that diamonds are available in a flatter cut, or narrowed to suit a galleried setting.
- 2). Inspect your selected diamond carefully through a jeweler's glass. Take along someone who knows something about diamonds for a second opinion. Examine the stone for flaws; those tiny black spots of carbon are the telltale signs of a defective stone.
According to the "Four C's" (Carat weight, Color, Cut and Clarity), a good diamond should be cut to reflect and is graded according to its brilliance. A colored diamond should be intense in color rather than pale. The combined elements of carat weight, intense color and the excellence of cut will determine its value. Diamonds come in a rainbow of colors, but consider that taking a chance on a pink, champagne or yellow stone is risky if the wearer is likely to prefer the purists' white variety. - 3). Insist on a Grading Certificate; it is the best assurance of quality and should be readily available with a larger diamond. The certificate should ideally be issued by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) or other accredited laboratory. Diamonds without such certification are not necessarily bad diamonds. However, if you are not expert at accurately assessing diamonds it would be wise to secure certification for a stone weighing 3 carats. Remember that a set diamond cannot be certified without first being removed from its setting, so inquire about certification before paying for your set solitaire diamond.
- 4). Beware of diamonds from countries such as Liberia, Sierra Leone and parts of West Africa. They could be "blood diamonds," sometimes known as "conflict diamonds," traded by terrorist military groups. Make it clear to your diamond retailer that you are not interested in buying a "blood diamond" and demand proof of origin.