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.

Jewelry Store Employees Need Hands-On Learning, Too

Experience is a necessity when it comes to your specialty. Yes, you can go to school and learn a lot of facts about what you plan on doing for living, but without hands on experience, you may not realize exactly what it is all about. A perfect example is a surgeon. Although this person has had extensive education and formal training in the medical field, he or she will not completely realize everything the job entails until they get into a residency or other situation where they can do some hands on work. In a staged environment such as a classroom, everything is controlled, but in the real work there will be many variables that come into play on top of performing what you have learned in school.

Another great example is jewelry stores. Yes, it seems like jewelry stores would be a pretty controlled environment, but that is probably because you have not experienced a woman freaking out because her diamond ring has become chipped or she flushed her wedding ring down the toilet by accident. When you factor emotions into the equation, people will act differently and there will be more pressure to perform satisfactorily. Believe it or not, some people view jewelry as a life or death situation!

Loose Diamonds: The Four C's

Give me only 45 seconds and I will educate you on the four basic features of loose diamonds you will need to know before purchasing one. The four C's of diamonds are easy to remember and will make you sound like a professional when you enter your local jewelry store. The first C: Cut. Many people think this is strictly the shape of the stone. False! This also refers to the facets that are cut into the stone. Facets are little lines in the stone. The create edges within the stone and reflect light. Reflecting light equals bling and chicks like bling.

The second C is Color. This is pretty self-explanatory. Most are colorless or white, but diamonds can also be black, blue, or many other colors. The third C is Clarity. Diamonds are formed deep within the earth, so it is only reasonable for them to have some damage from being exposed to such extreme pressure and heat. Flawless diamonds are very rare and are even more expensive. The final C, and arguably the most important, is Carat weight. This measures the weight of your stone. The bigger the weight, the bigger the stone. All of these factors play a role in the value and price tag of your diamond. Happy shopping!