The excitement of giving or receiving an engagement ring is both thrilling and heartwarming in equal measure. After all, this piece of fine jewellery is symbolic of love and eternal unity, so it’s no wonder engaged couples want to pick the perfect ring.

A lifelong treasured token, an engagement ring is usually an enmeshment of both partners’ likes, inextricably combining the aesthetic preferences of each individual and is a representation of love itself.

Sydney has an eclectic mix of engagement rings to choose from and there’s something for everyone. Engagement rings in Sydney represent the many individuals and distinctive styles of the people who fill the city. That’s why jewellers, such as Lizunova Fine Jewels, offer a range of ready to wear, bespoke and custom made designs which respond to each couples unique requirements.

Founder and designer, Maria Lizunova, carefully designs each engagement ring and wedding ring, taking the desires of the couple to heart. Through her thoughtful bespoke process, Lizunova recognises the rings she creates are not an expression of her, but a unique declaration of the love shared between the engaged couple.

Considerations before purchasing an engagement ring

Knowing what you want is paramount to getting the best outcome. However, a good jeweller knows how to understand the language of their client, to help them determine what they want. Selecting the right stone, size, shape, metal and style plays an important role in finding or creating the perfect ring. 

But with such an extensive range of engagement rings to choose from, both in Australia and overseas, it’s easy to get stuck in an analysis paralysis. A good jeweller will know the right questions to ask you to understand what you’re looking for. If you’re based outside of Sydney, the bespoke process with Lizunova Fine Jewels can be easily run over email, Skype or phone to ensure you get the perfect ring.

It’s important to determine your partner’s ring size to ensure the ring fits when you pop the big question. But how do you determine the ring size without ruining the surprise?

One method is to measure one of the existing rings worn on the ring finger. Another option is to discreetly ask a family member or friend. This will help keep that moment special when you drop down on one knee.

Other considerations include the size of the stone. Certain stone sizes will look bigger or smaller depending on the size of your partner’s hand. Having a customised ring made is a great way to ensure that the engagement ring style and size are a perfect match for your loved one’s hand.

At Lizunova Fine Jewels, these and other considerations – such as diamond or gemstone options, design preferences and budget – are all taken into account. Lizunova Fine Jewels can customise their ready to wear ring designs to suit your requirements or create a one-off bespoke design, completely unique to you. Whether it’s a diamond engagement ring, sapphire ring, or something alternative like a salt and pepper diamond ring, Lizunova’s thoughtful bespoke process and superb craftmanship ensure you will love your ring forever.

Diamond grading: understanding the 4 C’s 

The main components that distinguish the quality and brilliance of a diamond are the 4 C’s: Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat. When you look at a diamond, your naked eye notices a balance of its characteristics, which include, but aren’t limited to, the 4 C’s.

Below is an outline of the 4 C’s and what they mean to help you better understand the features of a diamond.

1. CUT

The diamond cut refers to the quality of a diamond’s proportions, polish, symmetrical facets, brilliance, fire, angles and scintillation – which ultimately affects the sparkle of a diamond.

It’s often said that a diamond’s cut is the most important characteristic of the 4 C’s. This is because the better the cut, the better the diamond’s beauty and sparkle.

To achieve an optimal diamond cut, the cutter must balance the diamond’s symmetry, resulting in maintaining maximum yield and carat weight. Many people often focus on the carat size rather than the cut. And although some people settle on a larger carat size with a fair cut, diamonds that are smaller and well cut are higher in quality.

Below are the seven quality factors to a diamond’s cut that can affect its grade:

Brilliance

Think of brilliance as the shining life light of a diamond. The higher the brilliance, the higher the ability the diamond has to reflect and refract light. This means when light enters the diamond, it’s either reflected out of the top (reflection) or it travels to the center of the diamond and then bounces off its internal walls (refraction). A brilliant diamond will burst with light, creating a striking sparkle. When the diamond cut is poor, the sparkle will be duller.

Fire

Fire is the coloured sparkle that’s visible when the diamond is exposed to light. It’s caused by dispersed light in the colour spectrum within the diamond which produces the rainbow of colours that the naked eye sees.

Scintillation

Scintillation is the sparkle of the diamond. It’s the play of white and coloured flashes of light seen when the diamond is moved and is determined by the depth of the diamond cut – a shallow or deep cut will not return as much light, resulting in poor scintillation.

Polish

The polish determines the condition and quality of each diamond facet. If you choose a diamond with a high polish grading, the faceted surfaces will contain little to no blemishes. How do diamonds get blemishes? When a diamond is cut and polished, tiny dislodged crystals may be scratched and rubbed across the diamond’s surface resulting in imperfections.

Symmetry

Symmetry is the exactness of shape, outline and alignment of a diamond’s facets. A diamond with excellent symmetry will look perfectly balanced and in proportion. Diamonds with poor symmetry can often appear lopsided or irregular in shape.

2. COLOUR

Colour grading in diamonds runs from colourless to a pale yellow. Despite the term ‘colour’, the more colourless a diamond is, the higher its value. 

The exception to this rule is rare fancy coloured diamonds such as pink, red, blue, green and yellow. 

The colour scale for colourless (white)diamonds starts from D (the least colour and the most valuable) and ends at Z (noticeable colour and the least valuable).

D: These diamonds are completely colourless. They’re extremely rare making them the most valuable.

E – F: These diamonds are colourless to the naked eye. Only an experienced gemmologist would be able to detect a slight hint of colour.

G – H: Colour is often difficult to spot with the naked eye because these diamonds are close to colourless. However, if you place this grade of diamond near a better graded one, you’ll be able to see the difference.

I – J: In this grading of diamonds, colour is slightly easier to detect. But the diamond in this colour grade can appear colourless if it’s set in yellow or rose gold jewellery.

K – M: Colour in diamonds between K-M grade is easily noticeable.

N – Z: This colour grade is the strongest and most noticeable, appearing very light yellow or brown.

3. CLARITY

Clarity denotes the absence or presence of other material. Formed deep within the Earth by extreme heat and pressure, diamonds contain ‘birthmarks’ and imperfections within them called inclusions. They can be colourless such as ‘feathers’, ‘needles’ or crystals, or black which makes them easily visible to the naked eye, or scratches marks and imperfections on the surface of the diamond which are called blemishes. The fewer inclusions, the higher the clarity, and the rarer and more valuable the stone is.

Diamond clarity is graded from FL (Flawless, being the top clarity) to I2 (Included 2, being the lowest clarity), as set out in the GIA Clarity Scale below:

• Flawless (FL) – No inclusions or blemishes are visible using 10x magnification. These diamonds are extremely rare.

• Internally flawless (IF) – Blemishes are visible using 10x magnification, but no inclusions are. These diamonds are extremely rare.

• Very, very slightly included (VVSI1 and VVSI2) – Inclusions are there, but they’re difficult to spot, even by a skilled grader using 10x magnification. 

• Very slightly included (VSI1 and VSI2) – These minor inclusions are only visible under 10x magnification.

• Slightly included (SI1 and SI2) – SI1 flaws are generally invisible to the naked eye, whereas SI2 inclusions can be visible.

• Included (I1, I2 and I3) – The lowest clarity grade, these inclusions are almost always visible to the naked eye, affecting the aesthetic appearance and brilliance of the diamond.

For clarity, inspect the diamond carefully and closely from all angles, including the sides and the pavilion (back of the stone) to ensure it is eye clean and any inclusions aren’t interfering with light reflection and visual appearance of the diamond. A diamond certificate alone won’t tell you how a diamond’s blemishes will impact the stone’s appearance and brilliance, so it’s a good idea to get the opinion of a diamond expert.

The most popular range of diamond is the VSI2/SI1 range. This is because they appear flawless to the naked eye and are much better value than the higher graded ones.

4. CARAT

The general rule is: the higher the carat, the higher the price. But when people hear the term ‘carat’ they assume it refers to the size of the diamond. This isn’t the case at all. Carat refers to the weight of the diamond, not how large the gem is.

A 1 carat diamond equals 200 milligrams, or 0.2 grams. Each diamond is exceptional in its own way, and although carat weight is important when choosing a diamond for your engagement ring, the cut and the overall appearance and brilliance carry equal, if not greater, importance. For example, one diamond may be 1.2 carat but could look smaller in comparison to a 1 carat diamond due to its cut and shape. 

If you’re purchasing an engagement ring with more than one diamond, the stones are weighed together to give a total carat weight. For example, if a three stone engagement ring is 2 carat, it means the weight of all three stones put together total 2 carat.

When it comes to defining how a diamond’s carat weight relates to its actual size, you need to consider the dimensions of the crown (the diamond’s top surface) and the quality of cut. The quality of the cut is about making sure the diamond isn’t too deep or too shallow for its overall size and carat weight, as this will impact the size and brilliance of the stone.

When a diamond is cut too deep it appears smaller because some of the carat weight will be hidden in the base of the stone, affecting its visual appearance and light performance. If a diamond is cut too shallow, it’ll appear larger when viewed from the top, but light will slip through the bottom and the diamond will lose some of its brilliance and sparkle.

It’s vital to remember that the other three C’s – cut, clarity and colour – are equally as important to a diamond’s value as the carat. Just because two diamonds may have the same carat weight, it doesn’t mean they will be the same price.

Each diamond is distinctive in its own special way, but with the fundamentals of the 4 C’s in mind, you should be able to select the perfect diamond for your engagement ring that you and your partner will love for a lifetime.

If you would like expert help in finding the right diamond and creating the perfect engagement ring, Lizunova Fine Jewels would be delighted to assist you.

To begin creating your unique ring, simply email info@lizunova.com or call (02) 9221 1900 to book your complimentary bespoke jewellery design consultation.