Engagement Ring - FACTS, not fiction

I'm starting this thread to dispell many of the inaccurate posts that I've seen on this forum over the last few months. Hopefully it will be of some use to people who are genuinely looking for assistance.

Firstly, I am a qualified diamond grader. I trained for this several years ago in the International Gemological Instute (IGI) in Antwerp. I also hold a diploma in Science Studies (Gemmology) from NUIG. I have been working in the jewellery retail industry in Ireland full time for the last 8 years, and for 4 years part time prior to that.

Diamonds.

Diamonds are graded by what is commonly refered to as the 4 C's; Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat.

Cut refers to the shape, proportion and finish of the stone. A badly cut diamond will not refract light properly, making the stone look lifeless.
Most common cuts include brilliant (round), princess (square), emerald (rectangular), and oval.

Colour refers to the lack of colour in the stone. It's graded from D at the top of the scale to Z at the bottom. D,E & F are refered to as exceptional white, G,H & I as white, J & K as slightly tinted, and below that as tinted. Colour can be affected by fluorescense, as can value. Fluorescense in a high colour can devalue, and in a low colour up the value. This is all dependent on the level of fluorescense (whether it is light or strong). Colour can only be determined using a special "dialite" light.

Clarity is the amount of inclusion in the stone, or internal marks. These can be black or clear, and are refered to as IF, VVS1-2, VS1-2, SI1-2, P1-2-3, depending on their size and position. A lot of inclusion will block light travelling through the stone, so the stone will be duller if it's bad. Clarity is always rated using a 10x triplet loupe.

Carat is the physical weight of the stone. 1 carat = 0.2 grams. Prices will jump at the 1/2 and full carat marks, and sometimes at the 1/4 carats. Also, small diamonds aren't "chips"; they often have the same amount of cutting work gone into them as bigger stones.

Certificates are the "passports" for a gemstone, stating all of the above. There are about 40 companies who certify stones, and of these there are only a handful whose certs are worth the paper they're printed on. A popular myth is that if a stone doesn't have a cert it isn't a diamond. This is rubbish. There are a lot of beautiful stones out there that aren't certified, and a lot of stones where the quality doesn't make the cost of certification viable. Generally, if the salesperson is trained, they can tell you what you need to know by looking at the diamond.

Conflict diamonds are those whose sale are used to fund wars, and are illegal to trade. The term applies to some diamonds from around 1990 onwards. Don't worry to much about this, as most traders will have letters from their suppliers stating that they are "Conflict Free", who will in turn have letters from their suppliers, and so on up the chain.

The metals used in diamond set rings are usually gold and platinum. American and Continental setting are often 14kt gold, wilst Ireland and Britain are more inclined toward 18kt. Pure gold is 24kt, which is never, despite popular belief, used to manufacture jewellery, as it is way too soft. 18kt gold is a mixture of 18 parts gold to 6 parts other metals to give it strength and colour. White gold is 18 parts gold and 6 parts of metals such as palladium, which gives it a whiter appearance. However, the predominant colour is still yellow, so the ring is rhodium plated. This plating may need to be redone every couple of years (depending on how good the plating is done, and what kind of wear the ring is getting), and should cost no more than €50. Platinum is a completely different, harder metal, which is also more expensive than gold. 18kt gold rings are sometimes stamped "750", 14kt stamped "585", and platinum "950".

If you are buying abroad, bear in mind that the difference in price is generally the taxes charged in the country you're buying in. Retailers in Ireland have to pay 21% VAT and tax on their end of year profit. Not so in the likes of Dubai. Also bear in mind that a lot of the cut qualities of stones bought abroad aren't particularly good, and settings are also often not particularly well made. At least when you buy in Ireland, you can go back to the shop you bought it in if you have a problem.

At the end of the day, talk to the salesperson in the shop you go in to. If they sound like they know what they're talking about, you'll be OK with them. Also, try rings until you see one you like on your hand; don't fill your head with nonsense of the internet or one of your friends wrong information before you go in. Finally, try a wedding band with the engagement ring, as that's the long-term look you're going to have, so you need to know that you can get a band to sit with it and look well.

I hope that this helps people looking for information. If I think of anything that I may have missed, I'll add it later.

Best of luck.

Regards.

David.