Engagement Ring, Diamond, and Gemstone Buying Guide
By: Nguon Y Tan
GIA Graduate in Gemology, Diamonds, and Gemstones and GIA Accredited Jewelry Professional
At Or Diamond, we choose to work with only the highest quality material so our customer can have the best quality jewelry they can pass on to the next generation. Even our white gold alloy looks the whitest on the market today. We look for ways to incorporate new and exciting innovative idea into our business so our customer can have a pleasant jewelry shopping experience. We are very strict on diamond and gemstone quality control. For accent diamond or gemstones, we always get the first pick from a parcel lot and reject many that we feel is not strict like GIA quality we look for. We don't just get a left over quality from other jewelers' pick because by being in the industry for several decades now, our long term and great business relationship with our suppliers allow us to source only the best quality, best price, and ethnically sourced diamonds and gemstones for our customers.
How to Shop for the Perfect Engagement Ring
When buying and engagement ring, please keep in mind what kind of wedding ring you would like to go with. Some engagement ring can only fit a curved wedding band while others will fit any straight wedding band. If you are looking for a straight wedding band, go for an engagement ring that allow the straight wedding band to sit flush against the engagement ring unless you are ok with having a small gap between the engagement ring and the wedding band.
When choosing what metal to go with and you are open to any metal color and type, go for one that you think will compliment your skin tone color. People with pinkish skin color will look good in rose gold. White gold and platinum would compliment any skin tone as it's a neutral color. If you have any allergic reaction to nickel in gold, opt for platinum or other hypoallergenic metal such as palladium. We do offer palladium as a special order.
When purchasing a certain color center stone and you like a halo design or other diamonds on the ring, make sure that the color of the side-stones matches with the color of your center diamond or moissanite. Please note that any color within 1-2 color differences are not noticeable to the naked eyes. For example, if your center diamond is an F color, go for side-stones that are of F or G-H color only. Do not go below H color. If you are purchasing a diamond that is J color, do not get side diamonds that are of F or G-H color, go for one with I or J color but don't go below J color.
For the side-diamonds clarity, the standard is SI1-SI3. Never go to I1-I3 as there are too many inclusions and some maybe milky which collectively can make the setting look dull. At Or Diamond, we only use GH SI1 as it can match either up or down in color scale. At Or Diamond, we are very strict on picking our side-diamonds. There are many wholesalers who sent us small diamonds that they claims to be VS quality but turns out to be SI1 or an SI1 quality that turns out to be a SI2-3. We always reject these and only pick the best out of the parcel and return the unwanted quality back to our wholesaler. With many years of experience and purchasing experience, our wholesaler knows us thus only send us the highest quality standard diamond. This might not be our wholesaler's fault as they may have a different quality standard but our quality standard is based on the GIA strict grading standard thus we are able to delivery the highest quality goods. Next time you see another jewelers with a lower price of the same design, look at their side-diamonds under a magnifying loupe, learn to recognize it and compare it to our diamond ring. There is a difference.
If you are unsure about what shape of the diamond you want, you can decide based on whether you like more squarish or more elongated look. Go for round, princess, square cushion, square radiant, asscher or heart if you have long slender hand. This will create an illusion that your finger is not too long. If you have a stubby finger, opt for ones with an elongated shape such as oval, elongated cushion, elongated radiant, emerald, pear, or marquise which will create an illusion of a more slender looking finger.
When choosing what metal to go with and you are open to any metal color and type, go for one that you think will compliment your skin tone color. People with pinkish skin color will look good in rose gold. White gold and platinum would compliment any skin tone as it's a neutral color. If you have any allergic reaction to nickel in gold, opt for platinum or other hypoallergenic metal such as palladium. We do offer palladium as a special order.
When purchasing a certain color center stone and you like a halo design or other diamonds on the ring, make sure that the color of the side-stones matches with the color of your center diamond or moissanite. Please note that any color within 1-2 color differences are not noticeable to the naked eyes. For example, if your center diamond is an F color, go for side-stones that are of F or G-H color only. Do not go below H color. If you are purchasing a diamond that is J color, do not get side diamonds that are of F or G-H color, go for one with I or J color but don't go below J color.
For the side-diamonds clarity, the standard is SI1-SI3. Never go to I1-I3 as there are too many inclusions and some maybe milky which collectively can make the setting look dull. At Or Diamond, we only use GH SI1 as it can match either up or down in color scale. At Or Diamond, we are very strict on picking our side-diamonds. There are many wholesalers who sent us small diamonds that they claims to be VS quality but turns out to be SI1 or an SI1 quality that turns out to be a SI2-3. We always reject these and only pick the best out of the parcel and return the unwanted quality back to our wholesaler. With many years of experience and purchasing experience, our wholesaler knows us thus only send us the highest quality standard diamond. This might not be our wholesaler's fault as they may have a different quality standard but our quality standard is based on the GIA strict grading standard thus we are able to delivery the highest quality goods. Next time you see another jewelers with a lower price of the same design, look at their side-diamonds under a magnifying loupe, learn to recognize it and compare it to our diamond ring. There is a difference.
If you are unsure about what shape of the diamond you want, you can decide based on whether you like more squarish or more elongated look. Go for round, princess, square cushion, square radiant, asscher or heart if you have long slender hand. This will create an illusion that your finger is not too long. If you have a stubby finger, opt for ones with an elongated shape such as oval, elongated cushion, elongated radiant, emerald, pear, or marquise which will create an illusion of a more slender looking finger.
Successful Tips to Finding the Right, Stunning Diamond
When purchasing a diamond, be sure to look out for the dimension vs. the carat. In today's diamond market, the price of a diamond is based on the weight or the carat size of the diamond. However, for example, no all 1 carat diamond will have the same dimension in millimeter or will have the same face up view. Some 1 ct will look bigger or smaller than another depending on how the diamond cutter choose to cut the diamond's proportion. Shallower stones tend to look bigger face up with deeper stones tend to look smaller face up. So the next time you are want a large looking diamond, don't go for the carat size, go for the dimension!
Another very important factor to consider when purchasing a diamond is the diamond's fluorescent which greatly effect price. A diamond's fluoresce or glow blow when a UV light source hits it. For example, the UV ray from the sun. There are degree of fluorescent in diamond which rank from None, Faint, Medium, Strong, and Very Strong. According to the Gemological Institute of America, it's a theory that if you have a diamond with D, E or F color and you have strong or very strong blue fluorescent, it can make the diamond appear milky/hazy. However this does not happen to all diamonds. On the other hand, if you have a diamond that is G, H, I, or J color and you have medium, strong or very strong blue fluorescent, it might make the diamond appear more colorless or whiter due to the blue fluroescent canceling out the yellow tint in the diamond. The most I would recommend would be up to medium fluorescent unless price is your major concern.
Buying diamonds that are G color and below? Please pay attention to this one. Diamonds are naturally yellow and brown. They are more abundant than the more colorless diamond. Therefore, as you go down the color scale grade, the diamond color tint can go to either yellow tint, brown tint, or grey tint. Opt for one with the yellow tint because this tint look the brightest. Brown or grey tint will make your diamond look dull and not bright therefore then to be less expensive. Watch out for this! If there is a diamond you are looking for on our website and not sure what color tint the diamond has, simply contact us and we will help you to verify the tint color.
Another very important factor to consider when purchasing a diamond is the diamond's fluorescent which greatly effect price. A diamond's fluoresce or glow blow when a UV light source hits it. For example, the UV ray from the sun. There are degree of fluorescent in diamond which rank from None, Faint, Medium, Strong, and Very Strong. According to the Gemological Institute of America, it's a theory that if you have a diamond with D, E or F color and you have strong or very strong blue fluorescent, it can make the diamond appear milky/hazy. However this does not happen to all diamonds. On the other hand, if you have a diamond that is G, H, I, or J color and you have medium, strong or very strong blue fluorescent, it might make the diamond appear more colorless or whiter due to the blue fluroescent canceling out the yellow tint in the diamond. The most I would recommend would be up to medium fluorescent unless price is your major concern.
Buying diamonds that are G color and below? Please pay attention to this one. Diamonds are naturally yellow and brown. They are more abundant than the more colorless diamond. Therefore, as you go down the color scale grade, the diamond color tint can go to either yellow tint, brown tint, or grey tint. Opt for one with the yellow tint because this tint look the brightest. Brown or grey tint will make your diamond look dull and not bright therefore then to be less expensive. Watch out for this! If there is a diamond you are looking for on our website and not sure what color tint the diamond has, simply contact us and we will help you to verify the tint color.
Understanding the Essential Characteristics of Gemstones
Buying gemstones is one of the most, if not the least, most frustrating purchase if you are not sure what you are looking for and many seller has many different prices for something that can look very similar. Read on more to get the best tips in purchasing the best gemstone for your ring or jewelry.
Unlike diamonds where the cut is perfected and very precise, a gemstones tend to be more lenient when we grade its faceting or cut quality. The pavilion can be little bit off center and still be considered a nice gemstones if the other more important factors are passed. The most important thing to consider when purchasing a gemstones is to make sure that the gemstone is not too shallow that light leak through the bottom of the stones allowing you to see through the stones or what we called a "window". Window effect is very common in gemstones and all gemstones will have some sort of light leakage or window but we must make sure that it's not too sever that it can affect the beauty of the gemstones. For example, when purchasing a sapphire or a ruby, put the gemstones face up through a printed text page and see if you can see the letters through the gemstone. The part of the gemstone where you can see the text through it means that area has a window. We want to make sure we see less of the window as much as possible. The best way to make sure how big or how small of a window is OK depend on the ring setting that you choose. If your ring setting has a metal covering the bottom part of the ring will be more forgiving in a relatively large window, say 30-40% window of the entire stone. When there are metal under the ring and we set this gemstones onto the ring, the metal reflecting light will return the leaked light back to the stone allowing us to see a bright gemstone. However, if the ring setting does not have any metal right under the gemstones and you can see your skin right under the gemstone, you would want to get a gemstone with smallest window possible because your skin cannot reflect light back to the gemstone. If in doubt, contact us for help!
Another sort of important factor is the color of the gemstone you are getting. I say sort of because color is a very subjective matter. So the color really depend on the person and what color they likes best. One may like rich blue sapphire while others may like the less expensive greenish blue sapphire. However, just keep in mind that the more commonly desirable color will fetch a higher price than the less desirable color.
You might also hear about about treated gemstones. There are many different kind of treated gemstones. The most commonly used in the trade is heat treatment. Almost all of certain gemstones variety are color treated to get a more desirable color such as blue sapphire. As many in the trade think, as long as the color is permanent and will not fade away is ok to purchase. Avoid any non-permanent treatment such as clarity enhanced because with time and cleaning, the treatment will go back to its original form.
Unlike diamonds where the cut is perfected and very precise, a gemstones tend to be more lenient when we grade its faceting or cut quality. The pavilion can be little bit off center and still be considered a nice gemstones if the other more important factors are passed. The most important thing to consider when purchasing a gemstones is to make sure that the gemstone is not too shallow that light leak through the bottom of the stones allowing you to see through the stones or what we called a "window". Window effect is very common in gemstones and all gemstones will have some sort of light leakage or window but we must make sure that it's not too sever that it can affect the beauty of the gemstones. For example, when purchasing a sapphire or a ruby, put the gemstones face up through a printed text page and see if you can see the letters through the gemstone. The part of the gemstone where you can see the text through it means that area has a window. We want to make sure we see less of the window as much as possible. The best way to make sure how big or how small of a window is OK depend on the ring setting that you choose. If your ring setting has a metal covering the bottom part of the ring will be more forgiving in a relatively large window, say 30-40% window of the entire stone. When there are metal under the ring and we set this gemstones onto the ring, the metal reflecting light will return the leaked light back to the stone allowing us to see a bright gemstone. However, if the ring setting does not have any metal right under the gemstones and you can see your skin right under the gemstone, you would want to get a gemstone with smallest window possible because your skin cannot reflect light back to the gemstone. If in doubt, contact us for help!
Another sort of important factor is the color of the gemstone you are getting. I say sort of because color is a very subjective matter. So the color really depend on the person and what color they likes best. One may like rich blue sapphire while others may like the less expensive greenish blue sapphire. However, just keep in mind that the more commonly desirable color will fetch a higher price than the less desirable color.
You might also hear about about treated gemstones. There are many different kind of treated gemstones. The most commonly used in the trade is heat treatment. Almost all of certain gemstones variety are color treated to get a more desirable color such as blue sapphire. As many in the trade think, as long as the color is permanent and will not fade away is ok to purchase. Avoid any non-permanent treatment such as clarity enhanced because with time and cleaning, the treatment will go back to its original form.
A Guide to Finding the Right, Quality Moissanite
Buying moissanite can be very frustrating as there are just so many brand out there. Well, this guide will help you in determining which to go with.
One very very important factor about moissanite that many moissanite seller don't want to tell you is the fact that moissanite by nature is a doubly refractive gemstone. This is similar to when you look inside a mirror and you see two image of yourself. However, this doubly refractive nature can only be seen at only one angle way through the gemstones. A great moissanite cutter knows this so they orient the doubly refraction at an off-center angle so that the final cutting stone will not show this hazy looking effect. Diamond on the other hand are singly refractive which makes them very crystal clear when you view them under any angle. Due to doubly refraction, a moissanite that is cut in crush ice will make the whole stone appear hazy or milky. You tend to find crush ice in some moissanite shapes such as the tip of a pear shape, the tips of a marquise or the windmill area of an asscher cut or an emerald cut (however, these two small windmill area are too small to be noticeable.) If you haven't seen a real diamond yet, you might pass the crush ice to be looking decent enough. If you are looking for the most colorless or whitest moissanite on the market, opt for Charles and Colvard as many other brand tend to be in the GHI color range. Some brand like FAB moissanite can be as low as J or K color. Some other brand moissanite might have a more less desirable brown tint to them which will make them less bright compare to a whiter or yellow tint color.
If you are looking for a shape of moissanite that look the most like diamond. Here's the list from the most alike to the least alike: Round, Cushion, Oval, Asscher, Emerald, Radiant, Heart, some Princess, Pear, and Marquise.
If there is many question or concern in choosing your jewelry or loose diamond, please do not hesitate to contact us.
One very very important factor about moissanite that many moissanite seller don't want to tell you is the fact that moissanite by nature is a doubly refractive gemstone. This is similar to when you look inside a mirror and you see two image of yourself. However, this doubly refractive nature can only be seen at only one angle way through the gemstones. A great moissanite cutter knows this so they orient the doubly refraction at an off-center angle so that the final cutting stone will not show this hazy looking effect. Diamond on the other hand are singly refractive which makes them very crystal clear when you view them under any angle. Due to doubly refraction, a moissanite that is cut in crush ice will make the whole stone appear hazy or milky. You tend to find crush ice in some moissanite shapes such as the tip of a pear shape, the tips of a marquise or the windmill area of an asscher cut or an emerald cut (however, these two small windmill area are too small to be noticeable.) If you haven't seen a real diamond yet, you might pass the crush ice to be looking decent enough. If you are looking for the most colorless or whitest moissanite on the market, opt for Charles and Colvard as many other brand tend to be in the GHI color range. Some brand like FAB moissanite can be as low as J or K color. Some other brand moissanite might have a more less desirable brown tint to them which will make them less bright compare to a whiter or yellow tint color.
If you are looking for a shape of moissanite that look the most like diamond. Here's the list from the most alike to the least alike: Round, Cushion, Oval, Asscher, Emerald, Radiant, Heart, some Princess, Pear, and Marquise.
If there is many question or concern in choosing your jewelry or loose diamond, please do not hesitate to contact us.
