1st time buyer seeking much needed advice

[malcom188]

I am in the market for a diamond engagement ring and could use some help. I have been researching online and right now I feel a little overwhelmed. I am currently serving in the Navy, which means I am on a limited bugdet. I want to avoid the trap of buying something I can''t afford but at the same time get something she will be proud of. From what I have learned so far, I can do that with a spending cap of about $2000.
I plan on buying the ring from a dealer, not online. Are there obvious questions I should ask? What things does experience tell you are the most important things to look at?
This is very new to me, so any help would be very appreciated.

rich

 

[Hest88]

Hello and welcome!

Are you buying a round diamond? If you are, that actually eliminates quite a bit of the uncertainty. Take a copy of the AGA cut charts for a round. Ask a vendor to let you see different colors and clarities within your price range so you can see how low you can go and still be comfortable. You may find that you can go as low as I, SI2 and feel comfortable in how white and eyeclean the stone is, and then you can get a larger stone for your money.

If the vendor only has stones with GIA report--meaning you only have table and depth info--you can do one of three things. 1) Ask for a Sarin analysis to get the additional stats. Depending on your vendor, that may not be a possibility. 2) Send your chosen stone to appraiser to confirm it is a nice stone. 3) Among the stones with proper table/depth values, compare them side by side and trust that your eye will tell you which one is the most dazzling.

Also, don''t forget to look at the stones under different kinds of lighting. Store lighting can be misleading. Put the stone under the table, cup it in your hands, take it by the window, or, if possible, take it outside.