The purchase of an engagement ring is one of the larger investments a couple will make aside from a house and a car. The process of purchasing a house and a car is very similar as we perform research, search out value and location, and then selecting the best choice based on all of these factors. The average diamond engagement ring is purchased with less research and attention to detail. This creates the opportunity for a less than desirable result. Evaluating a car for purchase takes several steps and ultimately taking into consideration the likes and dislikes of the person who will use it. Buying a diamond engagement ring is very similar.
When you set out to buy a car you look at all of the models available, and you select a model which suits your likes and dislikes. When you set out to purchase a diamond engagement ring, you select a shape of a diamond. Just like when you set out to buy a car, you set a budget. You pick a color and whether you are buying a car with all of the bells and whistles, a base model, or somewhere in between. When selecting a diamond engagement ring you set your budget, you select a quality and you go about shopping.
When you go out to buy a new car you normally buy from the manufacturer licensed dealers and you are safe and covered by warranties and you have several apps to compare prices and service. When you pick a jewelry store you have few options open to you and you have very little knowledge of the actual market. That is to say that what you find online is many times not the same quality or value as what you may find at a local jewelry store. Also, selecting a national jewelry store brand usually means paying more and getting less.
How do you select a jeweler? Trusting a jeweler with this purchase is an important step. The jewelry store you select should carry diamonds graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). This means that the diamond you are purchasing has a grading report by the world’s most trusted gemological laboratory. The GIA is trusted because they are not subject to influence by anyone outside their organization when making a grade. The GIA insulates their diamond graders from outside influence and ensures through a series of steps that diamonds being graded are not attributable to any know supplier or jeweler. Thus, providing a truly impartial grade of each diamond. A grading report from the GIA is accepted world wide and is a major part of establishing value. Regent Jewelers carries only GIA graded diamonds in its inventory.
Once you have selected a jeweler which carries GIA graded diamonds, you then need to establish the price you are being quoted is within the norms of the market. This is no easy task as markets fluctuate on a monthly basis and are subject to global as well as national economic factors. Generally speaking, you can find the market value for the diamond you are being offered by comparing it to exact matches online. The match must be exact as small details such as cut, inclusions, fluorescence and comments on the grading certificate can devalue a diamond greatly.
The final step is picking a mounting for your diamond. I always recommend you go simple if you do not know exactly what you want. This way you have the engagement ring’s most important component, the center diamond, and you can select or create a design for your perfect engagement ring without pressure. Regent Jewelers is here to help with the design of this ring.
Regent Jewelers has several decades of combined experience in the engagement ring business and we would love to be a part of this most significant purchase in your life. Please call us to make an appointment or stop by our store.
