In a diamond engagement ring purchase, the most advisable would be to buy the loose diamond and the setting separately. Thus you can make a safe purchase of a certified diamond and your own appraisal judgement of the jewel, avoiding cheats.

Ask For

When entering a jewelry store or buying loose diamonds from a web dealer you should ask for:

• Diamonds’ grading certificate (issued by a independent, well-known gemological laboratory)
• The refund policy (usually a written 30 day, money back guarantee)
• The Rapaport wholesale diamond price list for the chosen diamond
• Details on the store/business (for how long it has been working in the domain) and on the jeweler (education, credentials).

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Extra Care

You should take extra-care at:

Examining the Stone

• Ask for a microscope (or at least a 10x loupe).
• Make sure there are no shadows on the diamond in order to get the clearest view possible.
• Examine the stone from all angles under white light and daylight if possible. (the ideal situation would be that the jeweler has a special full-spectrum diamond light).
• Always compare stones against white paper.
• Compare more stones of varying clarity.
• Compare the stone with a master set of stones that the jeweler should have for color examination.
• Compare more stones of the same carat weight to spot possible cut irregularities.
• Have the jeweler explain the cutting grade to you. To determine the table and depth percentage, ask the jeweler the maximum diameter, the depth and the table measurement.
  The ideal situation is for the jeweler to have a GIA Proportionscope. This machine positiones the diamond outline against the ideal cut image and you can see exactly the diamond's proportions and cut compared to the perfect ideal cut.

Large Discounts

Knowing that you usually get what you pay for, a big difference in price from other sellers (considering a stone with similar properties) must be questioned, as it is likely that you are not getting the quality you expect.

Other Things You Should Know (Little Tests For Your Jeweler)

• On a SI or VSI stone the inclusions cannot be seen when looking at the diamond in the face-up position (they should be visible only when the stone is placed upside down). If inclusions are obvious and the diamond is presented as a SI or VSI, then surely it is not the grade the seller is representing it to be.
• Ask for the exact weight of your stone — in points — in order to better compare prices. Even if the seller tells you that a particular stone is one-half carat ask for the weight in points because there are substantial differences in price from a 0.48 carat to a 0.50 carat diamond for example.

When balancing diamond properties, buy the lowest clarity you will accept (for example you are not likely to notice any difference between a IF and a SI1 grade) in the highest color you can afford. The carat weight should always be a little under the wanted size to keep the price down (0.02-0.05 carats). Keep the standard high for the cut, bad cuts are not a good deal.