Diamonds Shopping Advice.

This piece of advice how to choose the most suitable for you stone is based on over twenty years of selling diamonds and interviewing thousands of diamond shoppers. While purchasing a diamond mind these six tips:

1. Make up your mind on diamond shape. This is the first and, perhaps, the most important step, requiring additional knowledge of the taste of the person you plan on giving the diamond. Remember that tastes differ, so if she has a fancy for a princess cut, your surprise marquise isn't going to enchant her. To find out what shape she loves best go shopping with her.
2. Chose diamond size. Take into consideration the diamond size of your girlfriend’s relatives, friends and colleges. If all her friends have half carat diamonds and you gift her a one carat stone, she will really appreciate it. There exists an engagement rite called "show the ring" where your girlfriend is to show all her friends the diamond to compare with everybody’s ring. It’s understood that everybody estimates the size of it at first. They are not looking at certifications, clarity grades or finish ratings. Not many people regret their buying a "larger" engagement diamond because the size does matter. However, if you don’t have enough money for a particular size diamond, try to consult a good specialist on how to get the big diamond for the small price.
3. Know your financial resources. Try to allocate money for a diamond in accordance with your current budget. You may also consult your friend who has experience in purchasing diamonds. There is a proverb that an engagement ring costs two months salary. An interesting thing to note is that rule of thumb is one month salary in Europe and three months salary in Japan.
4. Determine your priorities. Before purchasing a diamond answer the following questions which will help you to decide the most important diamond features:
   • Do you really need that large size?
   • What color of diamond looks white enough for you?
   • What level of clarity can you agree to?
   • Do you want the perfect brilliance combined with ideal cut or are you just looking for the cheapest diamond possible?
   As a rule, the best way to understand your shopping priorities is to compare actual diamonds. Examine into the diamonds with different color grades and see if you can detect a difference with the naked eye. Examine into SI1 clarity diamonds and see if the inclusions are visible. Compare a diamond with ideal cut to that with average or poor cut. Look at the difference in size between diamonds with different carat weights.
5. Select a diamond retailer carefully. Look for a jeweler who is interested in selling the best diamond for you because there are many retailers who just want to sell what they have in stock. Try to turn to several jewelers. Remember that even the largest jewel retailer cannot stock the variety of possible diamond size and quality combinations.
   
   Even those jewelry stores, which have been in business many years may still lack integrity, provide low levels of customer service, have unqualified staff members, or offer unreasonable prices. Remember that the luxurious and expensive store decor is included in the price of your diamond. So, try to find a reliable jeweler who doesn’t enjoy great luxuries and, therefore, can offer great value and price.
6. Remember your intention. Do not forget that you are making this important purchase to show your feelings and with the hope of bringing happiness to the special person in your life. At some moment of your seeking you may feel rather perplexed by various retail sales pitches. Stay smart and ask yourself once again what will make that special person the happiest and you are bound to make the best purchase.