Most diamond engagement rings are cherished for a lifetime and passed on to future generations as heirlooms. This necessitates ensuring the quality of the diamond that you choose for your engagement ring. The most popular choice for an engagement ring is a 1 carat diamond engagement ring.
The 4Cs Of Diamonds
The 4Cs are the global standard used to measure the quality of diamonds and to compare diamonds. The 4Cs stand for color, clarity, cut and carat. Color ranges from completely colorless to slightly tinted with yellow or brown color. The more colorless the diamond is, the rarer and pricier it is. Some rare colored diamonds like rose or blue diamonds belong to a league of their own. Clarity depends on inclusions or blemishes. Flawless diamonds with no inclusions are the rarest in this category.
The brilliance, sparkle and fire of the diamond depend entirely on the proportion, symmetry and polish of the diamond. These factors are determined by the cut. The carat decides the value of the diamond. It also represents the size of the diamond. The greater the carat, with all other Cs also aligned towards the best quality, the rarer and more expensive the diamond.
The Band For The Ring
The metal for the band is usually made of yellow gold, white gold or platinum. The colors of the gemstones in a ring depend largely on the color of the metal it is set in. The expensive colorless or near-colorless diamonds are better set in white gold or platinum as the color of these metals helps highlight the diamond’s colorlessness. This is mainly because the color of the metal reflects through the stones. This means setting a flawless colorless diamond in yellow gold would make it appear a bit yellowish; which beats the purpose of opting for a colorless diamond.
Colored diamonds and other colored gemstones usually benefit from the gold or rose gold setting because the metal color helps enhance the color of the stones. Those who are particular about having a yellow or rose gold band for their ring can get the best of both worlds by setting the colorless diamonds using platinum or white gold prongs or bezels and pairing them with yellow gold or rose gold bands. This way, the diamonds will look exactly the way they are supposed to while you get the satisfaction of wearing the band of your choice.
Understanding the 4Cs plays a crucial part in ensuring the quality of the diamond that you purchase. Since most people choose to keep the original band and setting of the diamond ring, care should also be given while choosing these for your ring.