Making a diamond engagement ring is one of the most rewarding and exciting aspects of being a gemologist. When a customer contacts me for a diamond, it is a very personal purchase and carries a tremendous amount of meaning. What I love most about what I do is helping a customer get that beautiful diamond ring that they didn’t think they could get. Watching how proud a customer becomes when they give that beautiful ring away is the best part of my job (aside from seeing beautiful jewelry being made every day)!
Recently, I was given a referral from a friend looking to get engaged. All I got from the customer was a budget, a desired carat weight, and a photo of a ring that his fiancee had saved to her Pinterest board. As soon as I saw the photo, I knew he needed a BIG round brilliant cut diamond on a very thin “micro pave band.”
The first step was working on a diamond search and providing him with some available options. We decided to consider J color GIA certified diamonds because he was able to get the size he wanted while saving some money. J is the lowest color grade still considered in the “near colorless range.” For certain diamond cuts such as a round brilliant, customers typically are very satisfied with a J color. In a well proportioned round diamond, the sparkle definitely trumps the color. The customer settled on a 2.15ct J/VS2 GIA certified diamond which was the largest measuring option at the most affordable price!