Diamond Rings from South Africa

When buying a diamond ring there are a few issues which you should look at. This will enable you to buy a diamond with confidence, and then have a beautiful diamond ring made.

Diamond Certificate

The diamond should have a certificate – this will ensure it is not a conflict diamond, and you will know exactly what you are buying. It will list the flaws in the diamond, the size, or carat weight of the diamond, and the color of the diamond. This certificate will be useful when insuring your diamond ring, and will help in case of a possible diamond swap when you take it for repairs or remodelling.

Design of diamond ring

Choose your diamond ring design carefully. Remember that you, or your bride to be, will have to wear the ring for the rest of her life, every day. As much as you would like to buy a 2 carat diamond, it is a very big stone to wear all the time – choose a size that matches your budget, and the size of her finger. Also check as to what other rings your bride wears – if she is a girl that loves chunky – then a bold ring is in order – if she likes petite and dainty, then choose a diamond ring style accordingly. Avoid trendy designs – you need a ring design with lasting value.

Palladium and diamonds

Type of precious metal

Platinum, if you like the white metals, is by far the king of precious metals. Hard, white and expensive. A good substitute is palladium, hard, white and not so expensive. White gold, whether it is 9ct white gold or 18ct white gold, is not a great metal for a diamond engagement ring – it’s natural colour is grey, so it usually gets rhodium plated (which come off), it is very soft but not as expensive as platinum. The yellow golds are a little harder – and red gold, in 9ct, is probably the hardest and best wearing of the gold metals. Make sure that the shank of the ring (where it sits under the finger, has a decent thickness – this is where the diamond ring will wear, or thin, as it is worn. Titanium is a grey metal and not often chosen for an engagement ring - if your a paramedic, or a firefighter – this is the strongest of all the metals – design is limited though – and it is an inexpensive option

The jeweller

Choose a jeweller that you know to work with your loose diamond. If you have dealt with a manufacturing jeweller – this will be the least expensive option – retail jewellers can be very expensive. Have a look at other work that they have done and compare prices for the handmade ring. Although price is important, it is not everything, you will want a handmade jeweller who can repair and clean you diamond ring when needed. The jeweler should also give a certificate on the whole ring, with the diamond included – this is called a valuation certificate, and will be used for insuring your diamond ring.