The Initial Emergence of an Idea

Navigating the Professional Consultation

When you do walk into a jeweller's shop, or make that googled search yes you likely feel you are paralyzed with the range of option that is more like you just opened the flood-gates of stuff and words that is surrounding light and metal. This is the moment you begin to really see the true view a professional will seldom work for you, although you can trust yourself in equal measures. Even good jewellers, not those who reflect on their vocation as a job however those that respond to their vocation as a vocation; don't start it with desirable, items they typically start it with, a more open-ended basic question. "Tell me about the person who is going to wear this" Jeweller's are listening for clues, as you are sharing these stories. If you mention in the story the person always wore her Great Aunt's old pearl necklace which as well worn, highlighted her face; well we are veering towards heirloom's which is where identity can be tied etc.., It matters to the piece. If you are talking about the work the partner does as a carpenter to moving his hands well suggest something durable low-profile necessity.Then, that's the whole of it - that movement from taxonomy to a sort of accessory to a kinda, of her or his.

The Centerpiece: Understanding the Four Cs

Let's not step away from the diamond for a moment, for this is the centerpiece of it all. When we talk about diamond quality, we talk about the Four Cs - cut, color clarity and carat weight - which represents the alphabet of this language. However, to be fluent in the language of diamonds, means you have a good intuition about the Four Cs - and you can also recollect the Four Cs together. The Four Cs come together, rather poetically, into the art or aesthetic quality of a diamond.

The Primacy of Cut

Let's talk about cut, for an illustration. I think we can reach an agreement on this, that better quality diamonds in terms of cut will have more sparkle than an equally quality diamond with lesser cut. But 'better' is a generic description and does little to give an insight when we talk about gaudy diamonds that are cut in perfect ratios of proportions in the cuts. Master-cutters do not group cut quality as something they view on some chart, instead, they are working with a raw piece of crystal and sculpting light. They are making a series of decisions, decisions which might be nearly undetectable, to assess the proportion of whether that stone is simply brilliant or literally alive with fire. When light hits a diamond crystal and into it just right, it does not just bounce off the surface of the crystal or jumps around, it dances.When it bends light, separates into display colors, and sends brilliant white light flashing back into your eye; it is occurring in a split second. As opposed to something you are reading about in someone else's report, it is a singularly spectacular show that diamonds are putting on, that moment you are simply watching a diamond flicker at you from across the room; or watching a small rainbow project onto the wall when in the morning sun. This is often why cut is i number one request by connoisseurs. Because, a smaller coloured diamond - which is likely less flawless but cut to superior proportions - will always be far livelier and desirable than a larger diamond that has significant flaws, awful cut, leaks light and fire out of the sides and only creates a sad dull shimmer.

The Nuance of Color

And aside from all that, diamond colour is not as simple as just picking D - Z, colourless is a term to denote contradiction, a fashion term developed by marketers way back around the 1950's mid-century. But in fact, many fine diamonds have a gentle warm colour as it stands. A K or L colour diamond will behave without fail and without reservation in a warm yellow or rose gold. The warmth of the body colour with the metal creates one warm light. A D flawless diamond may look nice, but even in its colourless state may have its own presentation and can often feel cold to someone.Picking a color is not simply about what is better than another, it eventually comes down to: "what light temperature do you want to experience?' Is a highly multi-colored shimmering in platinum acceptable for you? Or do you only experience the warm buttery glow of the warm earth of gold? These are aesthetic questions, not science.

The "Villain" of Clarity

And then comes clarity... which is perhaps the worst villain of the Cs. Periphery instinct is to simply want "flawless" - ie "I want to say I have the perfect piece." The assumption is, as in colour, a tier of anything less than perfect denotes a sign or merit of something else imperfection to the next tier, or same tier or same piece or person. And I must say again, and rarely nearly perfect, and potentially nearly doesn't matter in character. Most inclusions, or you can say internal birthmarks or, even character of a diamond, comes in the microscopic size, relatively totally without the un-aided eye.....So, an SI1 diamond, for example, could potentially be an "eye clean", most likely contains incredibly beautiful optical phenomenon and is cheaper than a VVS diamond. And, again, a well-placed oblivious inclusion is a practical feature - you could consider it a statement, is a fingerprint, or is just like one, and you have high confidence.It's always preferable to not think of clarity in certain context or thinking with what feels like a sensitivity from our eyes concerning purity, as much as knowing a stone is in its finest detailed due diligence for acceptable yield or appearance to the eye of those who are knowledgeable. It is enlightening when one realizes that many clients assign budgets to a tier of inclusiveness which actually only has an opportunity to be judged by size while they are looking through a loupe, it is meant to also know if that inclusiveness was fairly a better use of money assigning more weight to some other C(intuition use, maybe the best cut, or even slight carat weight which would again be seen, and typically eye catching) it is timely.

The Social Pressure of Carat Weight

Even the most objective and arguably simplest of the Cs of carat weight, does carry the social pressure; it is just a weight, not a linear size. If you consider cut and shape your viewing of the face, the size of the diamond can change a lot. The face up look of a well shaped round brilliant diamond of 1 carat can even feel larger (diamonds do have a loading top down) than that of a poorly cut .2 carat diamond. Even shape is a matter, an elongated shape has more surface area for its carat weight than rounds or cushions of the same carat weight, so for the same carat weight the elongated shapes will have more brilliance. While there is often pressure to go after a "worthy" carat weight, it has truly become a slippery slope. The best size is the size that fits, looks and feels right for your hand, and the size that fits comfortably within your budget, which box you will never fill up with a large 'dead' diamond, but rather a slightly smaller and beautifully sparkling diamond. In the end beauty and grace seem more like a fitting option regardless.

Choosing the Setting: The Ring's Voice

When your diamond settles into place you can start to think about the homes for the diamonds (the setting). This is where the ring really starts to find its own voice and personality.

Metal Choices

The first important decision is the metal choice. Platinum is an amazing dense and heavy, durable metal that is actually whitened in nature so it will not need rhodium keep it from fading. It's an inferred heavyweight boxer. Over the years, with wear, it will soften, will develop a supple patina, candlelight sheen and a life well lived- although you can polish it back to high shine, time and time again. White gold is an alloy of gold mixed with 1 or more white metals (such as palladium or nickel) so you can achieve the same shock and awe visuals without the same price tag. White gold does however require maintenance because white gold jewelry will need to be re-plated with rhodium about every year so the true white wow factor is maintained. Yellow gold is unique in its allure, warmth and timelessness.The color is rich and sophisticated, and will complement nicely with both the brilliance and warmth of white diamonds. Yellow gold is very forgiving with surface scratches because it retains the yellow color throughout the metal. A rising star in fashion jewelry is rose gold, an alloy of gold and copper. In addition to a romantic feel, the emitted pinkish tone will complement many skin tones while also offering a warm vintage feel to any design-even in a more modern style.

Setting Styles

The overall style of the setting is the intersection of practicality with art. Prong settings are popular for good reason, the four or six claw metal prong maximizes the amount of light hitting the diamond (or other gemstone) from the stone, maximizing the brilliance of a stone. Prong settings do sit fairly high off the finger and catch on clothing, around other objects etc. A bezel setting is wrap of thin rim metal around the diamonds girdle. A bezel setting encapsulates security with practicality. A bezel setting will sit flush on a finger, promote damage protection for the diamond/gemstone, and provide a more sleek modern look to anyone who has an active lifestyle. A channel set with a stone with multiple smaller diamonds in a channel set between two walls of metal. A channel piece would be somewhat seamless, but also very secure with a continuous line of diamonds in the body of the ring. There are also many intricate, elaborate styles in specific pavé diamonds that truly give the entire band of the ring an appearance that it is made of tiny diamonds, creating a seamless look of fire on the surface. The cathedral style of setting (we mentioned briefly above) is an elaborate style with arching shoulders of metal to elevate the center stone that enhances the architectural beauty to the overall presentation of the ring.

The Importance of Trying On Rings

Another way of seeing this is sometimes the biggest 'ah ha' moment in the entire experience will happen when you start seeing the different styles. There are times when a ring that you had visualized from the image would be cute or charming or possibly unique that when tried on, is uncomfortable, or substantial in your hand. On the flip side, could be a ring that you tried on and remembered it when you were shopping on line, or a ring that you glanced at but sighed and went on to the next item, and when you try it on, it is an undeniable comfort and looks as though it were made for your hand. This is the reasoning why even in a day of technology and information and live video, having the experience of walking into a store and physically seeing the rings with your hands is worth the trip.You sense the heft of the metal in your palm, you see the light reflecting off of the stones from all angles, you can see how it looks and feels on your hand when you move your hand as you talk or feel, so much of that feeling can never be felt through a video or picture, it's a whole other layer of personal, sensory experience. It's understood that rings are not just something that the person puts on, or sees, they feel like they are a part of your body, you just know when you are officially wearing a ring.

The Custom Design Journey

If you elect to go the custom design route, it can be even more personal than the process of merely selecting a ring from a ring collection of what may be the most beautiful rings ever made! Custom designing is not just selecting a ring from a collection, it is the artwork you create. The custom design starts with maybe a couple of items that may indicate what you are thinking of as a combination or inspirtation: a scribble on a napkin, a leaf from a still picture with a great vein pattern, or the curve of a seashell! You sit across from a designer and with a couple conversations those nebulous ideas start to take shape. You may see wax models to touch the materials, or see the rings in renderings of three dimensions, without even touching 1 gram of gold! One has the ability to roughly begin to spec all kinds of details, for example the thickness of the ring, or even the surface texture of the metal (brilliant polish to high shine, brushed to satin sheen, or hammered for organic texture). It takes time. It takes patience. It takes trust. But in the end, you leave with a ring, that only one other person has, that is a physical representation of the connection, as opposed to merely a reflection of your promise or commitment to one another; rather a representation of the time, the energy, of the process, of the two of you, you and the designer, engaged in.

A Modern Choice: Lab-Created Diamonds

As recently as the early part of the 2000s, the introduction of lab created diamonds changed the pure diamond landscape. If you are comparing a stone as a diamond strictly mined, and lab-grown, then you not really obscuring it, the unifying or talking is philosophically rather different. We have a stone, that doesn't for the larger part, refer us back to a story that refers to geology, geological time, but rather through human invention, and scientific rationalism.A diamond that originates from the earth and is an exceptional piece of jewelry, carries within it the history, and is, historically, referred to as -- a piece of the earth that is ancient, a timeline of something that took our planet billions of years to form -- without seeming, all at once, deep underneath the crust of the earth formed over extreme heat and pressure, and I can only surmise, a process I can only guess was some kind of random violence. The diamond's ascent to the surface of the earth was random violence, if even that; yet perhaps partially mediated or even volitional about its own journey of who knows how many thousands of years, to a passing enjoyment in your hands at a place of purchasing selection, having gone on its opaque historical journey, very convoluted in its own right. A diamond created in a laboratory conjures a new narrative design. An specifically laboratory grown diamond lived experience might mise en scène just as an experience of your current (perhaps) engagement to know about recreating rather natural conditions of the mantle of the earth likely in managed clean rooms planned precise engineering or who know what takes the process of nature pretty much billions of years to develop and produce in possible just days to weeks. The acquaintanceship is known and traceable.

A Question of Values

There is nothing in each case as being better or worse and choosing either a mined diamond, lab created, or synthetic diamond is your own problem. Shopping at retail is purchasing decisions which itself is predicated on values, it is simply a question of preferences do I buy into the romanticness of the natural existence of the object bought, and went on some journey of existence and ↔ or have owned by some other person you probable will never know (the natural exception), do you want to wear the developed raw power of the slow acquired past of nature, or do you want to participate in a ethical and economic enjoyment of human creativity for innovation and conception of the use of objects made? Will the unseen rarity of the mined diamond and its limited resource possibilities have cone magic? Is is (for you) an social democratising inherent philosophy of lab created development of beautiful diamonds may never be made (in regard to value as a label of use under the capitalist system)? More or less probably not, it is right or wrong moral consideration. This is a what a consumer considers to be anyway on a spectrum of the value of the strangers consideration of meaning in the original condition of the stone birth.
As America has retail space and somewhat or many ways have both cases (arrive, shop and dwell in your own accepted ennui or glow and in its placid pluralities you also should have a rock that can in an individually accepted manner meaning(s) too.

Beyond the Engagement Ring

Beyond engagement rings in the United States, there is a immense wide variety of diamond jewelry. Diamond anniversary bands, which are often gifted to commemorate milestone wedding anniversaries, offer a new perspective of adding and layering onto an already established story. Eternity bands, which are set with diamonds all around the band, stand for a love that exists, unbroken, but also not finite in ways of celebration. Diamond stud earrings to lavish chandelier earrings, can convey elegance and everyday wear or glamorous black-tie affair accessories. A diamond pendant worn close to one's heart essentially serves as an ever-present visual reminder of a thoughtful piece of jewelry that is subtle but still exceptionally meaningful as a work of art. Mostly these pieces are not about a significant single question or answer, but they convey the story of two people living life together. These are reminders of time spent together, personal occasions, anniversaries and often just "because". Important or not important, these pieces can be just as meaningful as a proposal to be engaged. They signal developed love that has taken action and stood the test of life and yet still reliably shines in the most extra ordinary of ways.

Navigating Finances

The notion of purchase any significant item also brings forward an aspects of finances into the light of ones thinking, even if its subconscious. The American jewelry market has made adjustments in offering various options because of this fact. Traditional jewelry stores offer layaway plans for people to buy rings over time and accommodate interest free payments to pay off a ring over time.Some jewelers have a connection to lenders who want to finance these exceptional purchases. For larger custom pieces, it is standard to set up payments, as a relationship to time—an initial deposit to start the project, a payment for the casting stage, and one last payment upon completion of the project. There is an understanding during this that, while the intent to make the purchase is significant, this purchase is taking place in the human world, with budgeting and finances. A good jeweler would not want to put you in a position where you feel pressured to make a financial decision with which you are not comfortable. The jeweler wants you to get a piece about which you will feel great, rather than worrying about the price and the debt.

The Human Interaction

Ultimately, purchasing a diamond engagement ring in the United States is a human interaction. It is a process that blends your head and your heart, romance and realism, tradition with self-expression. It calls for you to be both a dreamer and a detective; a romantic and a prudent consumer. You will learn more about diamonds, about metals, about design, about the jewelry industry than you ever thought. Most importantly, you will learn about yourself and your partner, working through your own preferences to develop your own values that can lead to making a decision true to your own taste.

The Ring's Lifelong Role

Your ring will then begin its own work. It will be there on a Tuesday evening cutting veggies for dinner, and you'll catch the glisten of your ring, and you'll smile. It will be there with you in the hospital room, your hand firmly gripped in your partner's hand, the hard sparkly point of certainty in a moment of vulnerability. It will be there at some point decades into the relationship, perhaps on the hand of a child or grandchild, asking about the story of this ring. You won't tell them the Four Cs, price per carat or clarity grade. You'll tell them about the hunt. You'll tell them how you knew; you'll tell them the expression on your partner's face when they first saw it. You will tell the story of love, with the diamond ring just being brilliant punctuation. So, over a lifetime, it becomes less a thing you owned, and much more part of you. It is a tiny sparkly witness to you and your partner's beautiful, unfolding story over thousands of both ordinary and extraordinary experiences.

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