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).
LifeGem
If you are looking for a way to keep the memory of your loved ones with you at all times, then LifeGem may be the answer.
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LifeGem is relatively new company specialising in creating LifeGem memorials. These memorials consist of diamonds created from either a lock of hair or the cremated ashes of a loved one.
Note that the company insists that this isn't only for relatives or loved ones who have passed, but can also be used to celebrate the love that exists between two people who are still alive.
The LifeGem creation process is an artificial diamond creation process that consists of four steps.
In step one, the company obtains a sample of carbon from either a cremation or from a lock of hair.
In step two, the carbon which is extracted in step one is heated to a very high temperature which converted into graphite.
The graphite is then put under intense pressure to turn it into a diamond, much like the forces that create diamonds underneath the surface of our planet. This is step three.
In step four, the diamond cutters shape the diamond according to your needs, label it and certify it. The certifiers are GIA trained staff.