Quick and Easy Buying Guide

Carat weight: 1 carat = 200 milligrams = 6.5 mm diameter. Doubling weight doesn't double diameter.

Diamond clarity: FL/IF/VVS/VS = super expensive, near perfect. SI = best value if you can check a photo for obvious inclusions (defects).

 

Color: D-G = colorless, expensive, only if you have money to burn. H-J = best value. Can go lower in gold metal settings than white metal.

Cut: Better cut ratings let more light into a diamond, making it sparkle more. Very important property, don't skimp here.

Set a budget and minimum cut (Premium). Go J color for gold and I/H for white metals. Go searching for SI1/SI2 clarity diamonds at James Allen. Pick a diamond with small/no inclusions. Choose a ring setting and buy it risk-free (60-day returns).

Buying Wholesale Diamond Rings

One option for buying a diamond engagement ring at a lower price is to go to a wholesale outlet. By doing this, you can avoid buying from a jewellery store that marks up the price of a ring well beyond the wholesale price.

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Now, there are of course reasons, many of them legitimate, why a local jewellery store marks up the prices of the diamond rings it sells. The store needs to cover costs including renting the space from the mall, paying staff, paying for advertising, and in general to make a profit.

Some of these affect you, as a consumer, in a positive way. For example, you are much more likely to get reasonable service in a normal jewellery store compared to a wholesale outlet. The wholesale outlet is all about cutting costs as much as possible, and is unlikely to offer a comparable level of service.

Wholesale outlets will likely have a large number of a certain type of diamond engagement ring and only in certain sizes. If you are looking for an esoteric ring design, you're unlikely to find it in a wholesale outlet.

The guarantee offered by wholesale outlet may be significantly less attractive than that offered by a normal jewellery store. In fact, there may not even be a guarantee, in which case you should steer well clear, especially if there is not a certification, and if you are not confident in assessing the diamond ring yourself. The wholesale outlet may also not offer a return policy.

A similar option to buying from a wholesale outlet is to buy directly from the manufacturer. Once again the idea of doing this is to avoid the mark up imposed by your local jewellery store. The warranty and return options offered by the manufacturer may possibly be better than those offered by a third party wholesale outlet.

You can also just by a part of your ring from a wholesale outlet. For example, you could purchase just the diamond from a wholesale outlet, and then go to a local jeweller to have a ring designed and to have the diamond set in the ring.

One other thing to be cautious of is that just because a diamond ring is being sold by wholesale outlet does not mean it is cheaper than what you could get in a local jewellery store. This is why you need to have done your research, so you can tell instantly whether you are getting value for money.