The offer of engagement rings and loose diamonds is very wide, everything from simple designs, that result into affordable diamond engagement rings within the budgets of most people, to extravagant engagement rings worth many thousands of dollars. However, the price-quality proportion is not always best observed.

Some people will consider jewelry as an investment and choose high quality diamonds that will have appreciated value; for others, fashion style and their own taste prime. An important skill is to balance between your quality standards and the available funds, and then make your own appraisal as an informed buyer.

As cost is a rather big factor when buying a diamond, it is often referred to as the “fifth C”.

First of all, diamonds that are graded to the highest levels are much more costly, being also very rare. However, a beautiful diamond doesn't necessarily have perfect properties and the best grades. Buying a top grade is very often paying for quality factors that are not perceivable towards lower grades.

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Price Factors

There are many factors that influence the diamond engagement rings price. You should be aware of:

• the classic 4C properties — cut, color, clarity and carat weight
• the seller's markup
• hidden charges

To find out these things and to avoid unnecessary charges:

• study more variants of gradings and pricing
• have your stone/jewelry appraised
• always compare: visit several stores, check the information on the Internet, use any source of information that comes handy.

In the following, we will trace a few lines on how diamonds quality affect diamond engagement rings price:

Cut Quality

A High cut quality (Ideal Cut) will entail higher costs because it requires great skill and a lot of work hours and because a great quantity of material is lost in the process of achieving a good cut.

The exact amount of premium for an ideal cut is very difficult to estimate, as it varies depending on the source. An analysis of the on-line resources states that the extra money is around 10-15% over a poorly cut diamond.

Color

The amount of color in the colorless diamonds is in reversed proportion with the diamond engagement rings price: the more color, the less money. For fancy colored diamonds there is another story: the price goes up as the color is more intense.

From D to E prices are likely to fall about 25% and then about 10% for each additional grade (for F 35% and so on). So you can get a colorless E stone saving a lot and getting the same effect.

Clarity

Less expensive diamonds are often cloudy because of other minerals contained in their structure. The level of accepted inclusions is a matter of taste.

Take into consideration that imperfections in clarity not only reduce the diamond's beauty, but also diminish its resistance to knocks and abrasions.

From IF to VVS1 clarity, the decrease in price will be of about 25% and about 10% for each clarity grade; until SI1 and SI2 the decrease is of about 5%.

Carat Weight

The value of diamonds increases with weight. The diamond engagement rings price increases with carat weight and it also increases per each carat (the increase results from the cube root relationship between diameter and weight).

You should know there are substantial differences in price from say 1carat to 0.9 carat So, you can save a lot of money and the effect will still be the same.

Balancing the Factors

To obtain similar effects and lower the costs:

• you may choose a larger diamond which is graded lower for clarity and color or you may opt for a smaller stone with higher cut, color and clarity
• one of the most popular suggestions is to look for the best color and cut you can afford. When these are of a high grade, imperfections in clarity will usually go unnoticed.

As you can tell, there are many options, the final decision is also a matter of taste, and there is no certainty that a lower graded gem will be any less charming than a highest graded one.

The Rapaport Diamond Report:

This is a monthly official list of high wholesale diamond prices in New York used by dealers worldwide to keep up with changing market prices. Before buying, always ask to see the price listed on Rapaport for the size, shape, color and clarity of your diamond. Make sure you are buying for at least 10% less than that price, as the prices on this report are the starting point for negotiations.

Dealers buy at different discounts from this list. Efficient dealers will obtain better discounts and keep costs down until a good price is obtained.

Beware: Unusual jewelry discounts arise doubts on the price policy of the store in question. Such discounts lead you to the thought that either prices are usually particularly high in that store, or the so-called “discounts” hide seriuosly flawed pieces. There is nothing wrong with legitimate discounts, they are made to increase sales, but deceptive pricing has no real bargain to offer. When coming across a discount, compare quality and service as well as the diamond engagement rings price, go to several stores and ask questions, just in case...

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