Monday, December 8, 2008

How To Find an Affordable Engagement Ring

By Tom W. Mason

If you're intimidated by the process of engagement ring shopping, you're not alone. Most of us are worried about this large, important purchase. However, there are some ways you can save a lot of money and make the whole process much simpler.

First, here's something you probably already know: big diamonds are the most popular. This is one of the things that puts so much stress on ring shopping - we're afraid we'll have to spend more than we can afford. After all, larger diamonds come with a larger price tag.

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 that'll tell you more.

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.

So what's the point? Why pay more for diamonds graded higher when you can't tell the difference between them and one that's graded lower.

After all, there's a big difference in price, even if there's not one in appearance. You could pay thousands of dollars less. Most jewelery stores try to encourage customers to buy higher grades, since they're technically better quality, and most people listen - paying a lot more than they should.

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. - 15359

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