Know Your Solitaire

It is important to know what kind of engagement ring is your thing taking into account your preferences and your budget. There are many aspects that need to be considered while deciding upon that perfect ring. Let me give you a small overview in the most lay man language to help you out a little. I'll start with the basic 4C's of diamond- Carat, Cut, Colour, and Clarity.

Carat:

Carat is nothing but the unit of weight of the diamond i.e. the weight of the diamond is measured in terms of a carat. The price of the diamond is directly proportional to the carat of the diamond. Hence, bigger the weight of the diamond, higher the price of the same.

Cut:

The cut of the diamond has an effect on the way the light travels within the diamond. In simple language, the reflection of light by a diamond is governed by the width and the depth of the diamond. Hence, the cut of the diamond forms an important point. Better the precision of the cut of the diamond, better the reflection, and higher the price.

Colour:

The rule is simple: Clearer the diamond, better the quality of it. Now there are various stages of this clarity. These stages range from D to Z wherein D includes the most clear diamonds and Z includes brown or pale yellow ones. Lesser the presence of yellow tinges, clearer the diamond, and higher the price.

Clarity:

The term itself is self-explanatory. A diamond might have blemishes or inclusions which hampers the clarity of it. What are blemishes and inclusions? You can merely call it features that affect the clarity of a diamond.

The clarity categories are divided into six as follows:

1. Flawless
2. Internally Flawless
3. Very Very slightly included
4. Very slightly included
5. Slightly included
6. Included

You needn't know the details of these categories. All you need to know is, the price of the diamond falls as the category falls from 1 to 2 and so on.

Types of Solitaire:

Let me quickly give you a pictorial description of the three basic types of solitaires.

• Single stone solitaire: This type of a solitaire ring is adorned by a single stone. This is the most budget friendly type of ring.

• Side stones ring: The stone is enhanced by smaller stones at its side, highlighting the diamond in between.

• Pave rings: Definitely my favourite type, the band is embellished with smaller stones. I'm seeing a lot of women going for a pave ring with no single stone in between.

Another very important feature to be considered is the type of cut of the diamond. There are so many types and the worst part is you want them all (at least I do.) I'm going pictorially explain these types for I think that's the best way to do it.

Types of Cut:

Round: Simple yet classy, this is the most popular cut which

is in use.

Oval: These are ovally cut. They are classy,just like that of a round cut diamond with a touch of uniqueness.

Marquise: This one looks a tad bit similar to that of an oval diamond. The difference between the two is that the ends of a Marquise cut diamond have a sharper edge. Definitely
looks smarter than the oval cut one.

Emerald:Rectangular cut diamind with rounded corners is termed as an Emerald cut solitaire ring. Originally this cut was designed for emerald, but now it can also be applied to diamonds.

Princess: One of the most popular cuts of the recent times. On the face of it, it looks like a
rectangular or a square shaped diamond, however, the side profile of this cut diamond is similar to that of a pyramid.

Heart: Gradually becoming a popular trend. The point to be noted is that a heart cut diamond is almost always bigger in size.

Trillion/ triangular: Personally speaking I haven't seen many women opting for this cut. If
you or your significant other has a taste for different styles, probably, this cut is for you/her.

Pear: Shaped like a pear, looks contemporary and classy at the same time. If you ask me, Ithink this is the cutest cut available.

Cushion: This is one of the oldest cuts present since years now. The simplest way to
describe this cut is when looked at this ring from the side, it looks as if the stone has been encased, cushioned into the ring giving it a pillow-like look.

Halo: Halo is nothing but a setting of smaller diamonds around the center stone. Any center stone instantly gets highlighted when it is outlined by such smaller diamonds, whatever be the size of the diamond.