The 4 Step Diamond Decision-Making Process
So you're ready for that once-in-a-lifetime purchase but don't know where to start? We've got you covered.
While it might be easy to spot snatched stones on Instagram, knowing how to choose the right one for your ring finger can be a little complicated. Where to start? How about here, with 4 easy steps to bop when you're ready to choose a rock.
1. What In The Budget?!
First things first, you gotta have a budget. Of course, if money is no object, you can start a general carat size and jump right to step two. For the rest of us, knowing how much we can spend will dictate a lot about where we go from here.
But fear not! Small budgets by no means mean that you can’t have the rock of your dreams. It just means we’ll need a little finesse. And our skills just so happen to be iconic in that department, so we got you.
2. The 3 Little C's
Once you’ve sorted your budget, it’s time to move on to looks. After all, we are here for a gorge drip, so let’s figure out how to find it.
Setting a bar for things like color and clarity at a certain minimum can help you save big, stay in budget, and find the right rock. However, you don’t want to go below that minimum. You want a snatched stone you gotta stay in the zone. Once we figure that zone out we can spend the rest on size, but we'll get into that.
Color
Here’s the deal. A diamond should appear colorless, but that doesn’t mean it has to actually be colorless. Instead, look for a diamond that has little to no trace of color. We're talking minimal.
However, that doesn’t mean you need to be splurging on the D-F grades. TBH anything H (for real even an I) or higher will do the job. Getting anything higher is not necessary as long as the rock appears colorless. Remember, finesse.
Checking the color against your setting is also super important. If you’re going with crispy clean white gold, you might want to go with a G color. Whereas if you’re going with yellow gold an H or even an I color will be totally gorge.
Clarity
Ok, so here’s the tea. Clarity has nothing to do with the sparkle of your stone, so don’t worry about saving a little cash in this department. Instead clarity has to do with blemishes and inclusions within the diamond. So the most important factor of clarity is finding an eye-clean diamond.
Now, a diamond that is eye-clean is simply one that has no blemishes or inclusions you can see with the naked eye. So once you find one, you’re set. Spending extra to get a VVS1 or VVS2 diamond is like throwing cash at the wall with no added benefit.
You can find a totally gorge eye-clean diamond in the VS range, and even an SI1 if you’re down to look for it. But here’s the main take away, anything more than eye-clean is just a waste of money.
Cut
Ok, remember how we said clarity has nothing to do with sparkle? That’s cause this is where the magic happens. And as much as we love to save you money, we won’t tell you do do it here. Low-key, getting a good cut is probably the most important factor in diamond buying.
The cut is responsible for the brilliance, shine, sparkle, and everything else that qualifies a diamond as top quality snatched. A poorly cut stone will be dark, dull, and sad–big yikes. On the other hand, a killer cut is a major W as it can even hide color and inclusions, saving you big on the former two categories.
3. Room For Chonkage
Once you’ve set up your minimum markers for the crucial stuff like cut, color, and clarity, the rest of your budget goes towards chonkage. And that really is the fun part, is it not?
You can pop over to collection of center stones and set up the sliders with your minimums to get an idea of what kind of carat weight you can snag. But don’t forget, you can always stretch your budget by toggling between diamond types.
Big rocks don’t always have to come from big budgets. Taking a little look at lab-grown diamonds can open up your options in a big way. So, you may have heard there are two types of diamond, natural and lab-grown. You might not know that the two are identical down to the atomic level. With the exception of their price tags that is.
On average lab-grown diamonds cost around half of what a natural stone might cost. Which is absolutely fantastic news if you just so happened to want to double your options. Moissanite is another lab-grown option that has undoubtedly earned an honorable mention. It’s been gaining major mainstream popularity in the recent years, and we absolutely love it. It’s a steller sparkly alternative to diamonds that’s just a fraction of the price.
All this to say, you got options, bae.
4. Don't Forget the Set-Up
How could we forget the gorge base of operations? Budgeting for a setting is easier than you think. Especially since you can start by pricing out all our settings to see what works for you. Picking just one to love, that’s a little harder, but we digress.
Solitaires are definitely the most budget-friendly, but they’re anything but simple. The twig is one of our most popular settings, and it’s also our most affordable. Many of our simple settings also feature hidden halos for a gorge sparkle from the side surprise.
A general rule of thumb is the more intricate your setting, the more it’s going to up your budget. Settings with pave diamonds or halos will cost you a few hundred to a few thousand more than a simple solitaire.
But hey, all that glitter? Totally worth it! We live for the drama. Seriously tho, no matter your budget, you can find a gorge setting to fit your dream rock. Take The Mia for example, extra glitz, snatched setting, perfect drip. And it’s not going to break the bank. We love that for you.
Decisions Decisions
Ready to pick your perfect diamond? While finding the right forever purchase might seem intimidating, it doesn't have to be. Breaking it down into budget, quality, size, and setting gives you a place to start and a finish line. And isn't winning a little easier with baby steps?
Diamond buying doesn't have to be complicated. You've got this. But hey, if you need help, we've got you covered there too.
