Thursday, November 27, 2008

How Can I Find a Cheap a Low Cost Engagement Ring?

By Tom W. Mason

Most of us find engagement ring shopping to be pretty intimidating, and it's no secret why. This is an expensive item that has a lot of personal meaning - we all want to get it right. However, there are ways to pay less, reduce your stress, and know you're getting a good deal.

One obvious thing that most of us know is that the bigger the diamond, the better. This fact is responsible for a lot of people's fear and anxiety when buying a ring. They're afraid of having to spend a lot to please their fiance. After all, larger diamonds mean a higher price.

Fortunately, there are ways to get a high quality, large diamond for a lot less than you might think. It's all about getting the most out of your money.

Here's an example to help you understand.

Every diamond out there has been graded according to four major characteristics. These are carat, clarity, cut and color. We'll take a look at color to show you more.

Color grading scales range between D and Z, with D color grading indicating the best color. To decide what quality color a given diamond has, each one is inspected under very high magnifications.

However, while there may be a big difference between a D diamond and an H diamond to the microscope, there's not a big difference in those four grades as far as you're concerned.

There's no difference at all between the two to the naked eye. Unless you look at both diamonds side by side on a white background, under magnification, you'll never see any difference at all. Even trained eyes can have a hard time telling the difference between I and D diamonds, though there's a little visible decrease in color quality if you know what to look for.

The point here is that no one should ever pay more for a higher grade diamond if they can't see the difference between it and one that's supposedly lower in quality. Leave the finest diamonds for the very rich - after all, the difference can only be seen with a microscope!

The price difference is a big one, too. It could be thousands of dollars. Of course, as can be expected, jewelry stores try to sell the highest graded diamonds for the most profit - you would, too. Unfortunately, most people don't take the time to educate themselves, and pay a lot more than they need to.

That's just one example of ways to save money on an engagement ring. Picking a diamond that has a lower color grading but doesn't look different to the naked eye will allow you to buy a much bigger diamond for the same amount of money. Learn about diamonds and how to buy, and you'll get a good deal. - 16463

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