Diamond Buying Guide

Beyond the 4 C’s

Ultimately, you are purchasing a diamond for the piece of jewelry it creates and the sentiment behind it. At Perry’s, you have the rare opportunity to trade up at any time if the diamond you are trading was purchased through our store.
Other than that, it is only worth an estate stone price, at the mercy of the market (which is not good in poor economies) . Side and/or accent stones will typically yield a scrap value if sold outside of a mounting. So, do yourself a favor…

TAKE ALAN’S ADVICE…

 A diamond should be beautiful, it should have fire and brilliance … and yes, let’s be honest… BIGGER is always better!

Size of a diamond is referred to as carat weight – CT or TCW (total carat weight). In order to receive the biggest sparkle for your buck, find a stone with a nice table (the top view best reflects size). However, DO NOT sacrifice cut in the process! A stone with a fabulous CUT can look much larger as well.
Hearts on Fire is a prime example! Many customer’s have looked at a Hearts on Fire Diamond, guessing it was DOUBLE the actual carat weight because of it’s incredible cut! it is actually trademarked as “The world’s most perfectly cut diamond.”  My Signature Perry’s Hearts Forever Ideal Cut Diamonds are extraordinary as well. Cut ultimately is the #1 factor in a diamond’s brilliance, fire and beauty! Yet, cut is not something that can be seen online, and it’s not one of the 4C’s! It is something that has to be witnessed in person.

So, the rest is just prioritizing… what is most important to her, and to you (and yes, that should be the order of the prioritizing – her, and then you). Think about what she wants and what your budget can afford.

Decide which of the following factors are most important.  This makes the process easier when you come in to talk to a sales associate… Keep in mind, the mounting/setting/ring(whatever you want to call it) effects the importance of these factors greatly.

If you are willing to sacrifice the ideal on certain characteristics, you can maintaincarat weight without increasing price… You can also enhance or detract from a stone’s characteristics via the mounting with professional assistance.

Other than cut and size, G-H is the average color for an American engagement ring, which is nice! Of course, D-F is the ideal. if you are putting your diamond alone in a solitaire mounting, you can often find a larger stone up to a K-M color and it still looks great (especially in antique or antique-style mountings) … again, as long as the cut is good!

If you are using a yellow gold mounting, or at least the stone is surrounded in yellow gold, you can even a buy a U-V color, to add size without a dramatic jump in price. However, keep in mind, a diamond typically does show best surrounded by white gold or platinum and white metals are the most popular right now.

Look at her jewelry and see if she has a mixture of yellow and white metal, or if she wears more of one than the other. This will help you when selecting a mounting.

In terms of clarity, anything under an I – this means VVS, VS or SI clarity stones, will not show any imperfections to the naked eye. However, if the inclusion is on a facet, it can effect the stone’s cut. Feather inclusions can hardly been seen under a microscope, so really you just want to stay away from a stone with a noticeable black carbon mark. Once again, we are back to the mounting. The setting often determines how much (if at all) a black carbon inclusion can be masked.  This, again, is when professional assistance comes into play.

Importance of the diamonds’ symmetry depends GREATLY on the ring selected and how it is mounted in the piece.   A Perry’s Emporium sales associate can help determine if you can get away with purchasing a ring less symmetrical, based on the setting she will like.

As you have probably noticed by now, setting makes or breaks the jewelry! Settings are much more a matter of taste, personal preference and practicality than anything else. So, the best thing to do is bring her in… let her get giddy, try on some rings and tell us what she likes. Women love this and it really is romantic!

Our professional sales staff can help make the process educational for you (in terms of finding out her likes, dislikes and how things look on her hand). We can also help bring both parties together on what is realistic for the budget. Yet, there is something to be said for sweeping her off her feet in total surprise!  So don’t be afraid to go it alone! Our sale professionals can certainly assist in determining what they think she will like (based on information from you, such as her build, occupation, dress style, etc).

Most importantly, this is an important and exciting purchase… usually one of the biggest in your life! Get to know AND TRUST the person and the business you are buying from!

Spend 20 minutes with us and see what we are all about!

Worst case scenario… you’ll gather some information, visualize everything for yourself and walk out with your own jewelers loop.

Seeing is Knowing!

WE’LL SEE YOU WHEN YOU GET HERE!