How To Find an Affordable Engagement Ring
June 14, 2009 by Tom W. Mason
Filed under Dating Sites
Many people find engagement ring shopping to be an extremely intimidating process. This is a big, meaningful purchase, after all. However, there are ways to save money and make the entire process a lot easier and less stressful, all at the same time!
First, here’s something you probably already know: big diamonds are the most popular. This is one of the things that puts so much stress on ring shopping – we’re afraid we’ll have to spend more than we can afford. After all, larger diamonds come with a larger price tag.
There’s good news too, though. There are a number of ways you can find larger diamonds for only a small fraction of what you initially thought you’d pay. It’s all about getting the most out of your purchase.
Here’s an example to help you understand.
Every diamond out there has been graded according to four major characteristics. These are carat, clarity, cut and color. We’ll take a look at color to show you more.
Color grading is done on a scale ranging from D to Z – D is the best of the grades and Z is the worst. Color grades for each diamond are performed by inspecting the diamond under high magnification on a white background in a lab.
However, while there may be a big difference between a D diamond and an H diamond to the microscope, there’s not a big difference in those four grades as far as you’re concerned.
There’s no difference at all between the two to the naked eye. Unless you look at both diamonds side by side on a white background, under magnification, you’ll never see any difference at all. Even trained eyes can have a hard time telling the difference between I and D diamonds, though there’s a little visible decrease in color quality if you know what to look for.
So what’s the point? You should never pay for a D grade diamond when the human eye can’t distinguish it from an H!
After all, there’s a big difference in price, even if there’s not one in appearance. You could pay thousands of dollars less. Most jewelery stores try to encourage customers to buy higher grades, since they’re technically better quality, and most people listen – paying a lot more than they should.
This is only one of the methods you can use to save when you buy that all important ring. Picking a diamond that has a lower color grade but looks the same will allow you to buy a bigger one for the same price. That’s shopping smart.
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