When you are shopping for a major purchase on your own, you need to be either an expert or savvy enough to do a little research before heading out into the wild, wooly frontier world of the unknown. When that purchase is going to be something as important as a diamond, there are many facts that you must know. Some of these facts you may have heard before, but you may not have understood them fully. Other facts may be completely new to you.

First and foremost, pay careful attention to who you are buying your diamond from. If at any time you feel uncomfortable with what you are being shown or feel that you are being rushed in any way, do not make a purchase. This is not something you want to feel hurried into in anyway.  Look carefully at the diamonds that you are being shown, looking at the Four C’s, (cut, color, carat and clarity). A perfect or ideal cut is the diamond standard, the highest level of perfection but may be very expensive, especially if you want a larger stone. Round cut diamond or cut round diamonds are the most common of the diamond cuts and one that requires the most expert cuts.

Secondly, you must realize that some flaws are almost to be expected- especially with the larger stone sizes. With that in mind, you might consider this as well: three out of every five diamonds that are sold in the US may be weighed wrong for the benefit of the jeweler.  Off carat sizes, or diamonds that are listed at weights other ¼, ½ or one carat may be less expensive, but leaves some room for this practice.

If stone size is more important to you, then consider choosing a stone that is rated below good on the grading scale. If you prefer perfect over size however, you will likely need to start small and then upgrade as you go.