Ring by Spring
This weeks blog is a little late because yesterday I was busy getting my AGGIE RING! In honor of ring day here in Aggieland, today’s post is about another very important ring. A completely different kind of ring, for your left hand, not your right. Engagement rings! There are so many different ones, and that makes determining which one you want for the rest of your life a little harder. I’m going to break down diamonds so you know what even goes into choosing one. The diamond is arguably the most important part of your ring. Knowing what you want in the diamond will make the ring selection process easier.
There are 5 categories in diamond selection: shape, size, cut, color, and clarity
I used to think there was just shape and size to worry about, but then some friends started getting engaged and talked about the 3Cs. That’s when I realized I probably didn’t know enough about diamonds and should fix that so I know what’s going on when one day God willing I get engaged.
Shape- this one is all about what you personally like and what looks good on you. There are 10 different shapes to choose from:
Size- this is the most visible condition of your ring. Everyone will be able to see how big it is. While researching I learned that a carat is the weight of the diamond, not necessarily the size, so two 1 carat diamonds side by side will weight the same, but one my look bigger or better than the other.
Cut- now I used to think cut was the same as shape. I was mistaken. Cut is quite literally how they cut the diamond. How many cuts are in it, the angles of the cuts, and how those factors allow the light to reflect off of it to get the gorgeous, flawless, lifeful look you want your diamond to have.
4. Color- color ranges on a scale of D to Z. Why it doesn’t start at A is beyond me, but that is beside the point. D is absolutely colorless. It’s very rare and the most expensive grade. A more midrange grade is G. This one has very little color, but the color isn’t noticeable unless it’s compared to better grades. J is the last of the range where the color is there but not noticable. Any in the D-J range are going to be a good value. The most common grade of color is F-H because they have great quality at the best value.
5. Clarity- this last category considers the visible flaws on the diamond. Internal and external inclusions are determined and a grade is given to them. SI2-SI1 is usually where flaws get more noticeable and FL is absolutely flawless inside and out. Most people choose a diamond between VS2 and SI1 because the naked eye can’t see the flaws but because they are there, the price is a little lower.
Now that we know plenty about diamonds, you can base the rest of your decisions on the look you want. Solitaire, halo, diamond band, how many pegs, side stones, how thick the band is, etc. Now go on Pinterest and get inspired.