Gift Ideas Blog

If you’re intimidated by the process of engagement ring shopping, you’re not alone. Most of us are worried about this large, important purchase. However, there are some ways you can save a lot of money, find a discount engagement ring and make the whole process much simpler.

One obvious thing that most of us know is that the bigger the diamond, the better. This fact is responsible for a lot of people’s fear and anxiety when buying a ring. They’re afraid of having to spend a lot to please their fiance. After all, larger diamonds mean a higher price.

There’s good news too, though. There are a number of ways you can find larger diamonds for only a small fraction of what you initially thought you’d pay. It’s all about getting the most out of your purchase.

Here’s an example that’ll tell you more.

Diamonds are graded using four major characteristics – cut, carat, clarity and color. We’ll check out color to see how you can get a larger diamond for less.

Color grading is done on a scale ranging from D to Z – D is the best of the grades and Z is the worst. Color grades for each diamond are performed by inspecting the diamond under high magnification on a white background in a lab.

What’s the catch? Diamonds that are D grade won’t look differently from one that’s four grades lower in quality – an H.

There’s no difference at all between the two to the naked eye. Unless you look at both diamonds side by side on a white background, under magnification, you’ll never see any difference at all. Even trained eyes can have a hard time telling the difference between I and D diamonds, though there’s a little visible decrease in color quality if you know what to look for.

The point here is that no one should ever pay more for a higher grade diamond if they can’t see the difference between it and one that’s supposedly lower in quality. Leave the finest diamonds for the very rich – after all, the difference can only be seen with a microscope! That’s one key to finding discount engagement rings.

The price difference between the two ranges is enormous. You could pay thousands of dollars more for a D grade diamond. Most jewelry stores encourage buyers to choose the highest grades, of course. Most people fall into this scheme, and pay a lot more than they need to.

This is only one of the methods you can use to find a discount engagement ring. Picking a diamond that has a lower color grade but looks the same will allow you to buy a bigger one for the same price. That’s shopping smart!