Article

BUYING THE ENGAGEMENT RING
July 23 2009

Buying an engagement ring is a huge decision.  Not only will this be the one piece of jewelry worn by the love of your life signifying that she has committed her life to you, her one special man, but there is also the financial aspect.  The best thing before buying an engagement ring is to become educated about this type of jewelry.

Knowing and understanding information about diamonds is what will put you in control of the situation, meaning when you do shop for an engagement ring, you can “talk the talk”.  The result is that you will be able to buy the best ring for the money.

DIAMOND ANATOMY
   
First, just as a person would learn all they can about a particular car before buying it, the same is true when buying an engagement ring.  The more you know, the better prepared you will be in making a good purchase.  Unfortunately, many people will simply walk into a jewelry store, look at a few rings and in a matter of 30 minutes, they make a purchase.

Let us start by saying that diamonds are actually crystals comprised entirely of carbon atoms, which are arranged in a cubic or isometric matrix.  With a cubic crystal, it expands outward in all directions during the initial growth, moving at identical rates.  The process involves the crystal forming without any type of interference, which makes it pure and a perfect octahedral shape.

Now, the key word is “interference” since most crystals encounter some type of interference during the growing process to include heat, pressure, other elements, and at times, even other crystals.  When this happens, the crystal becomes altered to a certain degree.  The crystal’s form and characteristics are changed, meaning it is no longer perfect.

Once the crystal reaches the Earth’s surface, its future color, clarity, and shape can be determined by a gemologist, with the diamond’s uniqueness being determined by the molecular composition and crystal structure.  These very qualities are what are found in the polished diamond chosen for the engagement ring.

Taking time to learn about diamonds and various metals puts you in the driver’s seat so you can ask intelligent questions and identify when untruths are told.  Knowing a diamond’s anatomy is important in helping to understand the difference between buying an average ring versus a spectacular ring.