Buy Loose Diamonds, Then Design the Rest of Your Jewelry Piece

Many jewelry stores offer to sell you loose diamonds, but why on earth would someone just want to buy a loose stone with nothing to connect it to? The answer is custom design. Many people choose to design their own jewelry to be unique and have a handcrafted work of art in their jewelry collection. Not only do handmade rings last longer if properly taken care of, they also will be of superior quality because they were not made in bulk.

When designing a ring, you must first purchase the certified loose diamonds and then design the setting around those stones. If you simply buy a setting right out of the display case, you cannot be certain you will find a diamond that particular size that will fit. It is always best to start with the largest part of the jewelry, then work your way down to the minor details. Also, you may find a very good sale on a particular size of loose diamond. If you have already purchased the setting, you may have to start all over and find another one to accommodate this stone that was on sale. It takes planning and preparation to design jewelry.

Certified Loose Diamonds: Evaluation

Certified loose diamonds are evaluated by trained gemologists in labs. These industry professionals spend entire work days squinting into high powered microscopes to evaluate the quality of diamonds. When you get a certified diamond from one of these labs, you know exactly what it is worth independent from market trends and any metal into which it may be set. This is vital, especially when considering getting your jewelry insured. Any certification you can bring with you helps to make sure you get an accurate pricing.

To summarize the process, let’s do a quick overview of what determines a diamond's quality. The 4 Cs of diamond evaluation are carat weight, color, clarity and cut. Carat weight, as you might imagine, refers to the mass of the diamond as measured by a gemologist. Color refers to the presence of naturally occurring color in the diamond. Diamonds often have strains of yellow or brown in them and it is almost impossible to find a colorless diamond. Clarity refers to the amount of inclusions and imperfections of the gem. Cut is the design the diamond is faceted and proportioned. All of these factors add to the eventual quality conclusion of the diamond and have a say in its price.