Are you looking to buy diamond jewelry?

Whether it’s a personal investment or a gift to a special someone, it pays to seek advice from a professional. Backed by immense knowledge and years of experience, a diamond specialist can help you get the best value for your money.

If you find it costly to get an expert guide, don’t worry — you can learn all the best tips for free. All you just need to do is read these insights from professional diamond specialists:

Get Certified Diamonds

Diamond jewelry is relatively expensive, so you have to buy it wisely. And yes, you know you’re getting high-quality stone if it is graded by the American Gem Society or the Gemological Institute of America.

These world-renowned laboratories cover a great deal of information in their reports. They talk about the 4 Cs you need to find in diamonds: carat, color, clarity, and cut.

While these four factors are essential, your ultimate consideration should be the cut. Remember, a ring with well-cut diamonds will make color and clarity issues less obvious. They also appear brighter, making them appear larger than their actual carat size.

While their reports provide some assurance, it is still your role as a consumer to scrutinize the stone. Even if it’s new, scrutiny will help you search for flaws, if there are any.

Choose the Right Shape

While most people search for a round diamond shape, there are many other style trends to consider.

Non-round diamonds are hip and modern, not to mention cheaper, too. In other words, opting for an alternative shape is good if you want to remain within your set budget.

Apart from the affordable cost, non-round diamonds may appear much bigger as well. With their longer shape and diagonal length, it’s like buying a larger stone for cheap.

For an affordable yet modern look, be sure to consider these unique shapes:

• Square
• Oval
• Princess
• Pear
• Marquise
• Cushion
• Emerald
• Heart
• Trillion
• Radiant

The Carat Size Will Bump Up Your Budget

According to insider market information, carat weight is the principal determinant for price. You’ll find that the cost is higher for diamonds with benchmark sizes: 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and so on.

Although this is the case, the price doesn’t turn out the way you expect it. Say, if a 0.5-ct diamond ring costs $1,800, it doesn’t necessarily mean that a one-ct ring would cost $3,600. It would cost you about $7,000, while a two ct-diamond may take you back by as much as $27,000.

So if you’re looking for a nice carat size that won’t hurt your wallet, go outside the benchmark size. A 0.92-ct ring is sure to cost cheaper than one-ct bling.

Industry insiders also recommend going for the diamond’s face-up size since its price doesn’t get inflated like the size. You’ll have more face-up area with a 0.5-ct diamond than a 1-ct one.

In other words, the appearance of your jewelry won’t suffer even if you choose a lower-ct diamond.

Color and Clarity Shouldn’t Be the Focus of Your Search

While considering color and clarity is essential, you shouldn’t dwell on this.

In terms of color, the option for your stone is colorless or not. As for clarity, it’s either flawless (eye-clean) or not.

You don’t have to ask the jeweler a question about these Cs, as you can make the right decision based on your impression.

Simply put, you need not favor a D-color diamond over the H style if you can’t discern the difference between the two. Likewise, you should be content with choosing an SI1 diamond because it appears just as clear as an F (flawless) diamond.

Visit the Site Before Buying

While the diamonds you like may look perfect on online media, it will help if you make a personal store visit before purchasing. If not, you may have a hard time returning the jewelry to the business owner.

At the store, you can see and experience the diamonds yourself. You can learn more about the stones under magnification and at different angles at their intended setting. You can even ask questions about it instead of waiting for an email response for several days. And in case there’s a feature you don’t love, you can have it changed right before you take it home.

Another good thing about personally examining your diamonds is that you can see the seller and establish rapport. Who knows? This experience can lead to discounts or free stuff whenever you order online.

Diamonds are expensive. That said, you have to read up on all the data to assist you with the purchase.

With this insider knowledge, you’re sure to be offered the diamond jewelry that you love at a price you’ll definitely like.