Diamond Jewellery: What to Look Out for When Buying

Buying diamond jewellery can be as special as the person you are buying it for. Whether its a binding engagement ring, a sparkling necklace or a subtle broach, this type of jewellery will always please.

However getting everything right in terms of purchasing decisions should be a thought out process rather than a rush of blood to the head idea. In the following article I have given some tips on choosing the right period regarding the jewellery’s age, how to pass judgement on a good quality diamond and lastly how to make sure what you buy will be most appreciated by the person you are buying it for.

1. Think About the Time Period.

As their are many ages when it comes to buying jewellery, it is worth researching what age will suit your needs most. Every ages styles are different, which makes them all unique. Victorian style jewellery for example is renowned for its outlandish and extravagant designs. Making use of many different stones such as rubies, sapphires and opals, much of this era based its designs around a yellow and rose gold framing. Now, if we look into the Edwardian era, not too long after, we can see quite a change in the way diamond jewellery and alike was produced. Platinum became the metal of choice and due to the invention of the oxyacetylene torch, more precise scrolling made its way onto Edwardian pieces.

The time of the piece can make such a difference to its overall feeling. Victorian jewellery always tried to present a more individual, artistic feel, Edwardian a more feminine aura. Make sure you consider this option carefully as it will help you decide more clearly what type of piece you want.

2. How to tell a Good Diamond

There are so many different aspects to look for when buying diamond jewellery. Considered the most imporant of all, is the quality of the diamond. Below are some brief points you should be aware of when making your precious stone purchase.

Cut

A good cut is perhaps the most important factor to consider when choosing a diamond as this decides the overall sparkle of the stone. This factor is decided by the jeweller rather than the other three which are primarily ruled by nature. A high grade, rare diamond will look no more special than a piece of tat if the cut is poor. The most profund cuts are known in the industry as ‘brilliant’ but not surprisingly the most expensive.

Colour

Diamonds come in a beatuiful range of colours such as canary yellow, ocean blue and green. However the most precious or rare are known as ‘colourless’. Colourless diamonds are more expensive than other stones for one simple reason, they allow more light to pass through them which gives them their apparent ‘fire’. If you want your ring to twinkle, think about the colour.

Clarity

The clarirty of a diamond refers to how perfect it is. If the stone is chipped or has scratches on it, it is considered ‘imperfect’. This is discovered and decided under 10x magnification.

A diamonds clarity is graded on a scale which starts at (F1). This stands for a flawless diamond with no ‘internal’ imperfections. It then moves down to(VS1) and(VS2) which categorise slight imperfections not noticed by the naked eye, onto (SI1) and (SI2) whose imperfections are slightly more noticeable and can be seen clearly under the microscope and finally ( I1), (I2) and (I3) which are considered ‘strongly imperfect’.

Carat

The carat of a diamond refers to its natural weight. 0.2g is the weight of 1 carat. Theoretically the heavier the diamond, the more expensive it is. This name is not to be confused with the gold weight standard which is confusingly called ‘karat’.

3. Possibly the Most Important, Who is it for?

Everyone is different and everyone has different tastes. What may look beautiful to you, may look awful to another. When buying for someone else, consider their personality. Are they a shy type of person, if so then something subtle may be favoured over loud and extravagant. If they are brash and purposely noticeable, then something bigger in size with more colour might be more appreciated.

Also consider their age. Buying something you just saw Flava Flav wear on a recent rap video for little Auntie Kay might not work and vice versa, soemthing off of the ‘antiques roadshow’ for your raving boyfriend could lose its value in terms of appreciation.

Finally is it for a loved one or a friend? Don’t be tight when buying for the one you love, splash out a bit, they deserve it. However if it is for someone that you are still getting to know or haven’t quite figured out how much they mean to you, either wait or keep it more low key.

Buying jewellery is always a pleasure for the purchaser aswell as the receiver. Older pieces carry tales rich in history which we can only ever hear about whereas newer pieces help us reflect on the present day and try to gain an understanding into where the jeweller may have drawn their influences from.

Summary

With a bit of thoughfullness and a teaspoon of patience, your diamond jewellery will be more than worth it, whatever the cost.

This article was written by Misty Angel on behalf of Kalmar Antiques, the diamond jewellery specialists. Misty Angel is a keen enthusiast when it comes to antique engagement rings and has found the pieces that Kalmar provide are more than fascinating when it comes to their past owners and history.