The Laings Journal
When you’re buying diamond jewellery, you always want to make sure you get the best value for money. Maybe you’re buying a diamond engagement ring for your partner, or perhaps you’re just looking for a gift for yourself like a diamond necklace or some diamond earrings. Whatever your desire, you want to be sure you are getting the best quality for the best price - so here we offer you a quick and easy diamond buying guide to help you make an informed decision when making a big investment.
The first thing you should do when shopping for diamond jewellery is decide what your budget is. While it can be tempting to make a purchase on impulse, you don’t want to spend outwith your means. This is why it is important to do some research to determine the best diamond you can get for your budget.
One of the best ways you can make sure you get excellent value is by understanding the four C's of buying diamonds. If you’re not sure about what the four C's are, let us give you a quick idea.
THE FOUR C'S
COLOUR
Diamond colour is graded from D (the best) to Z (the most inferior), the scale is based on the absence of colour - this is because less colour means it is rarer, higher quality and has a more intense the sparkle when cut. Diamonds of a lower grade colour can often have a dull, yellowish hue which is considered less attractive and therefore less valuable. Laings of Glasgow do not stock any diamonds lower than H in colour.
CLARITY
The clarity of diamonds refers to the absence of inclusions within the stone, diamonds are a natural substance which means that most of them will have minor blemishes, however they are often not easily visible unless closely scrutinised. As with colour however, the higher the grade of clarity the more valuable and harder to find. The table below illustrates clarity abbreviations and what they mean - these abbreviations will be available to view on all certified diamond rings on our website to help you choose the quality that is right for you.
CUT
The cut of a diamond is all important - this is what gives the stone its sparkle. The cut requires absolute precision and expert craftsmanship to ensure the highest quality of symmetry and precision, which in turn is what allows the diamond to sparkle with maximum brilliance. This is another reason why buying certified diamonds is important as you will find detailed within the certification the finer details of the cut grade.
CARAT WEIGHT
The Carat weight is a measurement of how much the diamond weighs (metric carat = 200 milligrams). You will find that prices increase as the sizes increase, however you may discover two diamonds of the same size with different prices. This is due to the three other details mentioned above - so it is possible that a smaller diamond will be more expensive than a bigger diamond if the colour, clarity and cut are higher on the scale. Diamonds with good specifications in all areas will always be more expensive to buy and tend to make a good investment as they hold their value more effectively than that of lesser quality stones.
If you want to learn in more detail about the 4C's then check out our handy guide for more information.
TOP PICKS
As a final helping hand, we have highlighted 4 TOP PICKS from our Laings Signature Collection that we believe are unbeatable in quality and value.
1. THE 0.32ct PRINCESS CUT DIAMOND RING £795 - This piece is remarkable value - to get a 0.32ct diamond ring crafted in Platinum with official IGI certification under £800 is a rare find. The stone itself is not of great size, but the workmanship is of the highest quality and even though the diamond is not enormous, the clarity and colour are very good. These details combined make it an excellent buy for those who appreciate understated elegance and are working with a more limited budget.
2. THE 1.00ct ROUND BRILLIANT DIAMOND RING £7915 - We couldn't write a list if TOP PICKS without mentioning this showstopper! Any solitaire diamond of 1ct or above is considered by most as a coveted treasure. As soon as the full carat weight is reached the price can often escalate - it is always important however to ensure that the diamond is of exceptional quality, since the bigger the diamond, the easier it is to spot imperfections. This is where certification is essential - this particular ring is an unbeatable D in colour with fabulous SI1 clarity and would not be out of place at the most glamorous red carpet affair!
3. THE 0.25ct TRILOGY DIAMOND RING £695 - A great way to make your money go further is to spread your budget across not one stone, but three. Smaller single stones are more affordable, which means you can increase the carat weight of the ring as a whole without the higher price tag. This white gold trilogy ring is a perfect example, the individual diamonds equate to 0.25ct each, which means over all you have 0.75ct - this design provides an excellent show of diamonds in a classic style that will never date.
4. THE 0.50ct ROUND BRILLIANT TWIST RING £2375 - As the most popular cut, the round brilliant always looks timeless, but for those ladies who like to be that little bit different, the twist style is a perfect choice. The solitaire style evokes class and sophistication and the twist design gives it that individual flair, this particular ring also showcases an extremely impressive diamond with an E colour and VS2 clarity it is a wonderful buy at an accessible price.
P.S. Don't forget our INTEREST FREE CREDIT OPTION! We give you the chance to spread the cost of your purchase over 3 years with as little as 10% deposit.
At Laings, we are diamond specialists and won’t be beaten on price or quality, there are of course many retailers in the market who will offer discount on prices - however it is always worth remembering that if they can slash the price by hundreds of pounds, there is a chance that the item was marked up too high to begin with. At Laings we are part of a large jewellery buying group with an extremely strong buying power - this enables us to source the best quality diamonds for the best price and pass the savings onto you, our customers.