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 and make the whole process much simpler.

Everyone wants the biggest diamond possible – bigger is considered better. This is one of the things that stresses us out so much. No one wants to pay a lot, but a bigger diamond is the goal.

Fortunately, there are ways to get a high quality, large diamond for a lot less than you might think. It’s all about getting the most out of your money.

Here’s an example to help you understand.

Every diamond out there has been graded according to four major characteristics. These are carat, clarity, cut and color. We’ll take a look at color to show you more.

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? D-grade diamonds look the same as H-grade diamonds, unless you have a microscope. That’s a difference of four grades.

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.

So what’s the point? You should never pay for a D grade diamond when the human eye can’t distinguish it from an H!

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 save when you buy that all important 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.

Tags: diamond rings, diamonds, engagement, engagement rings, Gift Ideas, Gifts, jewelry, Marriage, proposing

Related Posts:

• What to look for when buying cheap diamond engagement rings
• Looking For an Engagement Ring? Here’s How To Save BIG Money!
• A Great Marketing Tool – Promotional Key Rings
• Want to find a cheap engagement ring?
• Wedding Rings – what is it?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, June 9th, 2009 at 2:35 am and is filed under Gift Ideas. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.