New Orleans Original Bride - New Orleans Finest Wedding Magazine

Wedding Rings to Remember

Finding that special ring will not always be easy. Searching through thousands of combinations of settings, cuts and types of gems can seem overwhelming, but not impossible. Education is the best way to make sure you get the most for what you pay. If you know the 4Cs: cut, color, clarity and carat; searching will be much simpler. Choosing the gem is one part of the process. You must also select the setting and type of metal, such as silver, gold or platinum. Start by setting a preliminary budget, the minimum and maximum you wish to spend. Unless you are a gemologist, always shop at a reputable jeweler. It is very easy to think you are getting more than you really are. Small and simple, with very high quality gems and metals, are the most popular today. If you are choosing the ring for your fiancé, find out what style, gems, and metal they prefer. Remember they will be wearing the ring, not you. Choose something they will be happy wearing, forever.

Diamond settings are usually platinum, gold or silver. Platinum is quickly becoming the standard metal type for wedding bands and engagement rings. Platinum is the rarest, densest and most expensive of all setting types. Rings and bands are not the same. A ring has a defined top, usually where gems are set; bands have no specific top or bottom. Before you start your diamond search, make yourself familiar with the 4Cs of diamonds on the following page.

Know the 4Cs of Diamonds
CUT: The diamond’s sparkle and fire are dependant on the quality of the cut. A stone’s cut is determined by the placement, number and shape of the facets. The diamond's cut quality determines the brilliance, the amount of light a diamond reflects, and the fire, which are the rainbow reflections of color. Cuts are graded from an ideal class I to poor class IV. Examine the diamond to make sure it is perfectly round and the cut is symmetrical.

COLOR: Diamonds range in color from violet-blue, yellow-orange and several colors in between. This is due to chemical additions when the diamond formed millions of years ago. The majority of diamonds will range from white to yellow (F, G, H and I on the GIA scale). Whiter diamonds allow more light to pass though them.

THE GIA COLOR SCALE
D-F: White (colorless) G- J: Nearly colorless
K-M: Faint yellow         N-R: Very light yellow
S-Z: Light yellow         Z+:    Various colors

CLARITY: The clarity of a diamond is how clear and free from imperfections it is. When viewing a diamond for clarity use a gemologist's 10x magnification loupe. Imperfections called “blemishes” are located on the outside of the diamond. These include chips, scratches, polishing mistakes and fractures. Inclusions, which are spots or internal cracks, are located on the inside of the diamond. Small inclusions are invisible to the naked eye and normal in all but perfect F1 diamonds.

F1: diamonds are free from inclusions and blemishes when viewed with a 10x loupe, and are very rare and expensive. VVS1 & VVS2: Very, very slightly included. Very small blemishes or inclusions that are barely visible, even when using a 10x loupe. Also rare and expensive. SI1 & SI2: Slightly included. Inclusions of a SI1 and SI2 diamond are larger than a grain of salt. Most SI1 diamonds are visually clean to the naked eye. SI2 have imperfections which may be visible to the naked eye upon close inspection.		IF: diamonds are free from internal flaws, but may have slight blemishes. These are also rare and expensive. VS1 & VS2: Very slightly included. Small blemishes and inclusions that are very small when viewed with a 10x loupe. Considered a high-quality diamond. I1, I2 & I3: Imperfect diamonds. The diamond's inclusions and blemishes are easily visible to the naked eye. These diamonds look dull and cloudy.
Most engagement and wedding rings are VS1, VS2 and SI1.
CARAT: The standardized unit of weight for a diamond. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. This differs from the karat used to indicate gold's purity. A diamond’s weight can also be categorized as a point. 100 points equals one carat. For example, a 150 point diamond equals 1.5 carats.

For more information and a large pictorial selections of rings and bands please visit one of our distribution vendors for your copy of Original Bride.