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).
Bridal Set Engagement Rings
A bridal set ring is a pair of rings that have been designed at the same time to suit each other and to be worn together. They can either be physically separate rings that can be worn together, or they can be an integrated set of rings that make one piece.
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There are a couple of advantages to buying a bridal ring set upfront, rather than buying an engagement ring first and then buying a wedding ring at a later date.
The first advantage is simply that you don't have to go through the hassle of trying to find a wedding ring which matches your engagement ring. A wedding set has been specifically designed so that the two rings match well. This is of course not a guarantee that you will like the way the two rings match, so you should still check whether the design looks good to you.
The second advantage of buying a bridal set upfront is that you may be able to save a significant amount of money. Often the combined price is less than the price of buying a two rings individually. The price saving may disappear of course if you choose badly and decide to get a different wedding ring later on. If you struggle to find a wedding ring that matches your engagement ring, and are forced to customise a wedding ring to make it match, then the price advantage of a bridal set becomes even more apparent.
There are some disadvantages to bridal ring sets. If one of the components of the ring set is lost, the remaining component may look obviously incomplete when worn by itself. In the case of integrated bridal ring sets, the fact that the two components are soldered together makes it hard to pass on only one component is an heirloom. Integrated ring sets can also be more complex and more delicate than separate rings, a consideration for women who do manual labour or sport.