Welcome to one of the best diamond buying guides on the web.
Be glad that we got hold of you as much of the information found here comes direct from a very experienced diamond source.....the Antwerp diamond cutter.

Bookmark this page now, you'll need to refer back to it often as you surf/shop around for your diamond.

In This Section:
This guide will help you get the most from your visit to the jeweller. Everything you need to know to buy a diamond engagement ring, or a loose diamond, spotting a fake diamond, finding a good jeweller, appraising a diamond ring, grading diamonds. After reading this article, you'll know more about buying a diamond ring than anyone you know.

You've then decided to buy her a diamond engagement ring but before running off with all that cash burning a hole in your pocket, let's get you educated on what you need to know in order to buy your girl the best diamond engagement ring that your hard earned cash can buy. "Diamonds Are Forever", but you don't want to be paying for that diamond forever. Buying precious gems is not easy and don't rely on the person selling you the gemstone to tell you what it's worth. You must be able to verify it with your own eyes in some instances, but in most cases you will not be able to. We'll warn you about common diamond ring sales tactics. We're not here to trash jewellers, but like any business, jewellers have a lot of expensive overheads they must meet.

The biggest questions facing a man about to buy his girl a diamond ring are:

1/ What size diamond should I get?
2/ What is an appropriate carat weight?

The consensus among most ladies is that the goal appears to be one carat. Sure enough, diamond prices, per carat, jump upwards at 1 carat, and diamond cutters whose stones end up at .99 carat instead of the full 1.0 carat weight are reprimanded. So there seems to be a lot of interest in the 1.0 carat and above size. Some people argue it's better to get a 1.05 ct of lesser quality than a 0.95 carat. Of course not everyone has the money to buy the full 1ct size diamond engagement ring so a well cut smaller weight size would be a very good alternative. Everyone has a formula for how much to spend on a diamond engagement ring. A female sales person (in particular) may even try to make you feel guilty if you spend less, or don't get a diamond of a certain size. This is my idea: Your love for your fiancée has absolutely nothing to do with the price of the diamond. They are mutually exclusive. Any salesperson making you think otherwise is simply trying to get the most out of you, and remind them of that. Treat it like the business deal that it is and negotiate a good price. The fact that you are asking her to spend the rest of her life with you is the only gauge of your love. Don't let any salesperson make you think differently.

"How do I find out my fiancée's ring size without her finding out?"
You can try to get one of her rings when she's not looking and have it sized, or trace the interior diameter. Keep in mind that a jeweller can easily resize the ring later, that's what they do for a living.

"Is it safe to buy diamond on the internet?"
Yes, it is safe to buy a diamond on the Internet. By the nature of the commodity itself, it is probably the best regulated commodity in the world, not everyone is able to get their hands on them, in quantity, as one would need to be known within the trade, so if you take your precautions and check the suppliers credentials, there should not be a problem. I have not come across a fraudulent supplier online yet, there are many internet suppliers who do not know their diamonds from their luxury fountain pens or watches, but outright crooks, definitely not.

 "How can I buy a diamond on the internet if I can't see it? "
There are a number of professional honest online diamond ring retailers. I can assure you most of the crime is with crooks trying to buy diamonds with fraudulently obtained cards. The online stores will not rip you off.

Find a supplier who you can trust, allow them to earn your trust by asking a multitude of relevant questions, ie:

a) What are the 4C's ( Colour, Clarity, Carat, Cut) and which is most important to the eye?

b) What is a better metal for the ring, platinum or 18ct white gold and WHY?

c) What is the so called 'Ideal' cut and what are its differences with the so called 'Antwerp' cut?

d) Is there a 'best' certificate and if so WHY is it the best?

e) What are the technical parameters of a diamond and WHY are they important?

f) Can one determine from a certificate the true beauty of a diamond and if so, HOW?

g) Is the carat weight a guarantee as to the true visual size of a diamond, if YES, then WHY?

h) Is diamond grading an exact science and if YES, then WHY?

i) Can diamonds be 'enhanced' in order to look better? If YES then HOW?

j) Which are the major diamond exchanges in the world and are you a member of one? if YES, WHICH one?

A couple of these questions are easy to answer but many are not and will present a problem in order to reply correctly. Bookmark this website and refer back to it for the correct answers which will be given to you upon request if you cannot find them on our webpages and compare them to what your potential supplier has told you.
Once you are happy with the level of expertise and experience of your supplier then you can give them your trust and custom. I can assure you that the majority of jewellers, online or not, will not be able to answer all these questions fully and correctly, most will give you only part of the answer or part of the full picture.

Watch out for synthetic Moissanite diamonds.

Synthetic Moissanite diamonds (silicon carbide) gained widespread use in 1999. These fakes are so good that standard thermal conduction testers used by jewellers cannot detect them! Making things worse, they sell for nearly as much as real diamonds, further confusing the issue for diamond buyers. When you look through a 10x loupe, if you see double facets or a doubled table reflection, it is a Moissanite synthetic diamond.

Furthermore a Moissanite stone will have a greater density than diamond and will weigh more for a comparable size to a diamond.

Always remember that the most important factor in the purchase of your diamond and ring, besides the price, is the 5th 'C' that of Confidence in your supplier, make them earn your trust and your custom only then will you be absolutely secure in the thought that your diamond or diamond ring has been wisely selected from a reputable and experienced source at real value for money.

Always happy to answer any further questions you may have.