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).
Lazare Diamonds
Lazare diamonds are a diamond cutting company that was established at the start of the 20th century. The company has spent more than a century refining its techniques and now offers some of the premium cut diamonds in the world. For example, Lazare played a pivotal role in defining the shape of the oval shaped diamond.
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One of the focuses of Lazare diamonds is on excellence of diamond cut. The cut of the diamond is responsible for giving the diamond its fire, and is widely considered one of the most important characteristics of the diamond.
Lazard diamonds are optimised to have the best cut possible which means the best sparkle possible. On their website they specifically pride themselves on not compromising on diamond cut in order to get the biggest diamond possible. The consequence of this is of course that these diamonds will appear more expensive for a certain size, but what you're paying for is the extra quality in the cut.
If you're looking just for a diamond, Lazare has an online website where you can perform an online search for loose diamonds.