Saturday, November 14, 2009

How to Buy a Diamond Engagement Ring

Ladies n gentlemen….
today… hAM is going to teach u how to pick a Diamond Engagement Ring~~!!!

Yes.. basically ppl say 4C’s about the diamond… wat the hell is this 4C’s??
actually 4C’s is referring to Carat, Colour, Cut & Clarity...

After I hav done several researches & discussions wif my frens (recently i teman a new fren of mine pergi these diamond & jewelryshops to choose her wedding ring toO).. I found out tat there are another 2C’s (Certification & Cost) ned to be consider when u wish to buy a diamond... these 2 C's are also damn important toO..

Ok~ tuan-tuan n puan-puan… leng zai n leng lui.... let’s learn about these 6 C's: Carat Weight, Colour, Cut, Clarity, Certification, & Cost....


Carat Weight: it determines how large and heavy the diamond is... usually, the larger the stone, the more costly it is –this is so simply becoz larger diamonds are found relatively infrequently in nature therefore it is more valuable... the price of diamonds jumps at certain carat weights, e.g. 0.5, 0.89, 1 & etc.. So one trick is to buy just below the "mark", e.g. buy a 0.95 ct instead of a 1 ct diamond... It will look the same but u can save some serious money...

***pls note tat 2 small diamonds will never be worth as much as one big diamond equal in their weight, e.g. a 1 ct diamond costs more than 2 diamonds of 0.5 ct.... so b'careful when a jeweler talks about "total carat weight"...

Below is the chart showing the "Average Standard Size" for the different categories of the Carat Weight diamonds.




Cut : it is the most important criteria.. Cut is the only one of the 4C's that is influenced by the human hand... the rest (color, clarity, carat) are created naturally as diamonds form in the earth…. the proper cut enhances a diamond's capacity to reflect light and makes it sparkle more…. Diamonds that are cut too deep or too shallow lose or leak light through the side or bottom, resulting in less brilliance ultimately & value… (somtimes the biggest diamond is not necessarily the best... a smaller diamond with a better cut will look better and may actually appear larger than a poorly cut diamond of bigger carat weight)... Diamond cutting is the art of changing a diamond from a rough stone into a faceted gem.. it requires great skill and training… generally, a well-cut diamond will internally reflect light from one mirror like face to another and disperse and reflect it through the top of the stone... the GIA Diamond Cut Grading System categories the cutting in 5 grades (excellent, very good, good, fair & poor) to describe the overall cut quality of a standard round brilliant diamond... Btw how to estimate a cut grade? See ur diamond’s certificate lah…





Color: Diamonds come in different colors from perfectly clear to varying shades of yellow (and other colors).... a lettering system from D to Z is used to identify the amount of color present in each diamond, with D awarded only to rare, totally colorless diamonds (Based on GIA Standard).

  • Colorless: D, E, F
  • Near colorless: G, H, I, J
  • Faint yellow or brown: K, L, M
  • Very light yellow or brown: N, O, P, Q, R
  • Light yellow: S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z



I grap this from website… som ppl say tat only experts can tell apart a D, E, F and most people cannot distinguish between D, E, F, G, H (even I) once the diamond is set in a ring. So the best value on a budget may be selecting H or slightly better. Note: Some say to choose "G/H" or better when the diamond is set in platinum or white metal ring settings. Tiffany (the famous dept. store) starts at "I" or better.


Clarity: This refers to internal imperfections (inclusions) inside a diamond. All diamonds, except for the rare "IF" grade, have flaws (small crystals, cracks, specks, etc.). The clarity scale (GIA) is divided into six primary categories:

  • Flawless (F or FL) - no discernable surface blemishes or inclusions visible when viewed at 10x magnification.
  • Nearly Flawless (IF) - insignificant surface blemishes and no internal defects visible at 10x magnification,
  • Very, Very Slightly included (VVS-1 & VVS-2)- extremely difficult to very difficult to find surface blemishes or minute inclusions at 10x magnification, but can be more readily seen at 10x once located at 20x magnification.
  • Very Slightly included (VS-1 & VS-2) - difficult to somewhat easy to find surface blemishes or minor inclusions at 10x magnification.
  • Slightly Included (SI-1 & SI-2) - easy to very easy to find surface blemishes or readily noticeable inclusions at 10x magnification.
  • Imperfect (I-1, I-2, I-3)- surface blemishes or obvious inclusions are somewhat difficult, easy, or very easy to find with the naked eye, especially after being located with 10x magnification.



Certification: If the diamond doesn't hav a certificate, then u r only relying on the seller's word... u r unable to confirm the color, clarity, cut & etc... "GIA" is the most recommended becoz they are very strict and will not grade diamonds than are not totally natural... GIA (Gemological Institute of America) created the International Diamond Grading System in the 1950's & established the standards that revolutionized the diamond industry. hmmm… u can choose other lab to carry out the ‘investigation’ 1.. but they are more “careless” compare wif GIA.. well… a standard GIA report will show a diamond's color, carat weight, clarity, depth, table, cutlet size & etc. n the most important 1 is it is reliable & trustworthy… aiyoyo.. comparing wif a student came out from Howard University and another from UNITAR… u trust which 1? ofcoz lah Howard University… it is branded~~~!!! =p

Cost: This is totally depends on ur budget…. normally the jewelry industry likes to say the budget is ur " 2 months salaries"~~~!!! but frankly speaking.. that doesn't make any sense de lah…. It is depends on budget n ur financial….


ok.. after we go thru all these 6C's... there r som tips for u b4 u select a ideal diamond...

  • try to look for a seller who has been in the buz for a number of years and well knows by the public 1 (so tat wont kena con)...
  • try not to buy a diamond already in a setting.. u cannot see the color and they almost never has a certificate also...
  • plan n do more researches before u buy or look for som expect teman u pergi 'hunts' the 'batu' (stone) lah... hey.. this is diamond.. a luxury thing, u think beli sayur-sayuran @ pasar?? must b'careful de mah... take time to comparison shop and learn....
  • make sure that u compare "apples to apples" (same color, clarity, carats & etc.) when u choosing the diamonds...
  • negotiate, after several comparison plus walking shop by shop.. i bet u sure hav better understanding wat's the reasonable price for the 'stone' (batu) right?
  • free ring~~!!! ask them to provide u the free ring~~ hey.. diamond is a farking luxury stuff.. go 'wut' them to giv u a free ring to set ur diamond... =p
  • hmm.. it depends on u wan the 6 prong ring setting or 4 prong ring setting... Prongs serve to hold the diamond inside the ring.. A diamond has a greater chance of falling out and being lost if a prong breaks in a 4 vs. 6 prong setting... but 4 prong settings also give a round diamond a bit of a square look... so... depends on wat u want lah....
finally, i wish u all the best & get the best diamond for ur money~~!!! n do let me noe if u gonna propose to ur gal~~!!!!!!

2 comments:

Tina K said...

damn, u r funny! hahahhaha

actually, unless ur gf is that type yg suka diamond ring and high maintenence, then u must take into consideration all the 4 or 6Cs la.

for me, i dont give a damn also la my diamond ring how many carats, how is the clarity, etc etc...coz i cnt tell the difference anyway! also, i seldom wear it unless out with my fiance, or else jatuh la my saham if i wear it! hhahahha

ahh_mun vS hAM said...

hahaha... i just try to pretend like an 'expert' here... lolz...

god damn... RM20k+- for a 1.01 Carat, VVS-2, E class Diamond.... n tat was discounted in a Tax free country sommore.. damn crazy... i wont buy for my gf also.. gila... =p

Tina... tell ur fiance bout the diamond market price... then u jst ask for the Cash, Condo, Car & Credit card sudah enough aredi... =p