Should You Design Your Own Diamond Engagement Ring?

Do-it-yourself is a common way for consumers to get important projects done. Big box retailers are patronized by shoppers learning how to lay tile, put up wallpaper, even learning how to map out and complete difficult renovation projects. There is something about taking on a challenging project yourself that brings immense satisfaction.

When it comes to designing a diamond engagement ring, you can do-it-yourself too. No, you won’t have to extract and polish the diamond nor will you be expected to melt and form the band and setting. Rather, you can build the exact diamond ring you want based on the diamond selected and the settings offered by your jewelry store. Building a ring yourself is a privilege that no bride-to-be should do without.

Many couples today shop for an engagement ring together. Some men find it much easier to enlist the direct input of his special woman, relying on her personal tastes and knowledge to find a ring that she’ll always enjoy. Leaving nothing to chance, the couple comes to agreement on a ring that has the look and price both can live with.

When designing  a diamond engagement ring there are some things to keep in mind:

Select Your Ring Style – Choose a band that you like and a setting which offers maximum visual appeal for the diamond. Prong, bezel, pave, ballerina, flush, bead and other choice settings can influence the look of the ring and maximize the diamond’s gleam. Platinum and yellow gold are some of the more popular bands with silver, titanium, and tungsten also available. Copper and rose gold bands are beautiful, but rare.

Choose Your Diamond’s Cut – Not to be confused with a diamond’s shape, the cut of the diamond determines how well that light is returned to the viewer’s eye. A well cut diamond will look brilliant and fiery while a poorly cut stone will look lifeless and unappealing. Speaking of the diamond’s shape, diamonds are available in princess, round, asscher, emerald, marquise, oval, radiant, pear, heart and cushion. Brilliant choices, but she already knows which ones are her favorites!

Consider the Diamond’s Color – The least amount of color in a diamond the better that it will look. Like a perfectly clear window, a colorless diamond allows more light to pass through it, for a brilliant and fiery appearance. Although a truly colorless diamond is a rarity of nature, certain grades of diamonds have small amounts of color not recognizable by the untrained eye.

Select Your Diamond Based On Its Clarity – Every diamond has certain identifying characteristics or blemishes within the stone. Chips, scratches, air bubbles, and pits are inherent in virtually every diamond with the rare diamond having no flaws. Diamond clarity of VS2 and higher are free of “eye-visible” flaws and combined with a color grade in the G-I range, are excellent values.

Choose The Right Carat – The weight of the diamond is called the carat. Starting at ¼ carat up to 5 carats (even more), the actual weight of the stone is determined by this sort of measurement.

Of course, there are endless choices when it comes to building (designing) your engagement ring. Your budget, her tastes, and a variety of other factors will determine what ring will be chosen.  You don’t have to make a trip to the jewelry store to build your ring, as online merchants such as James Allen can help you find that perfect diamond engagement ring.