Designing your own gemstone engagement ring can be a satisfying affair when you know where to look. It is fortunate that we are here to help you with a useful guide to designing an ideal piece of jewelry for your engagement. Read these tips created with inputs from popular engagement ring designers.
Be Picky about Choosing a Vendor
You need to ensure that you are working with a business that follows ethical practices and allows you to completely customize the ring. Nobody wishes to end up with an imitation diamond or a conflict diamond on her engagement ring finger. Do your research before shopping for one. Read reviews from only reliable sources. Ensure that a company is as good as what it claims to be. One way to ensure this is to check whether a company uses ethically-sourced natural diamonds in jewellery, and helps extremely poor couples make marriage aspirations come true. What you look at to measure whether your vendor is worth its salt does not necessarily have to be this; it can be something along the lines.
Start With the Centerpiece Gemstone
The main or center stone is the real showpiece, especially when there is a particular setting encircles the centerpiece of a ring making it look bigger than it is. Once you choose a center diamond, it is easier to build the remaining decisions around it. As this is where 4C’s of diamond will come into play, let us take a more thorough look at these four characteristics of the gemstone.
Carat: This is a measurement of how much a diamond weighs. There is generally a perception that the bigger a diamond, the better it is. However, this is not entirely true. Sometimes, it is worth buying a smaller center diamond, with a cluster of melees surrounding the centerpiece. This will make the center stone look larger. There are many settings with which you can get this effect. Why is it worth choosing a smaller stone and having it surrounded with melee diamonds? The answer is obvious: much of the budget is dedicated towards the central stone; so, by going for a small one and choosing a setting that enlarges it on the eye, you will be saving a lot of money on your engagement ring.
Cut: There is more to the cut of a diamond than just the way it looks. Of course, the way it is cut does influence the eventual shape of a diamond. In addition to its quality, a diamond’s cut can have an effect on its sparkle and plays a role in determining how it plays with the natural light. So you should give more priority to the cut of your diamond. Yes, carat and clarity are important, but not as important as the cut.
Color: At the end of the day, which color to go for is your personal choice. That said, it is fine to avoid aiming for absolute perfection. This way, you can save a lot on your ring. Besides, make sure that you choose a diamond color that contrasts with your engagement ring metal. To give you an example, just do not go for a yellow diamond-yellow gold combination.
Clarity: Although the GIA grades some diamonds as “Flawless”, it does not mean that these stones have no flaws. These do not have visible blemishes or inclusions when looked at under 10x magnification by an experienced and skilled grader. However, “Flawless” graded diamonds can have extremely minor blemishes. These are very rare diamonds, though, so you would hardly ever get your hands on one.
Most diamonds will have imperfections of some sort, but several grades look so similar to the unaided eye that it is okay to go for a grade that falls just shy of another one to save money.
Select a Setting
Two of the most popular and classic settings are “Three Stone” and “Solitaire”, but there are many others on the market. Find out whether you wish to highlight your center stone alone or give it some competition; adore the one-band style or the illusion of multiple bands. Basically, determine which physical features are most significant to you and choose the engagement ring setting which best shows those off.
Choose a Metal
There is more to precious metal than shine or color, although those are also important. One more aspect to take into account is durability. If you are an active person, you may have to consider platinum or 14 Karat gold. If you are all about dazzle, then lighter colored metals such as platinum or white gold tend to make gemstones look brighter. Above all, do not forget to choose a metal you like.
Single Out an Engagement Ring Size
There are surefire ways to find out that magical number. However, if you need dead-on accuracy, then your safest bet is getting thee to a shop or two just to be sure. If you have an engagement ring that fits like a glove, then another option is printing out some sizing charts and then comparing your piece to those.