BUYING A LOOSE DIAMOND

I suggest buying a loose stone, presenting the diamond loose, finding a reliable jeweler in your area, pick out a setting you both like, and have the jeweler set your diamond. My main reason for this approach is price. In almost every case, you will save a lot of money buying a diamond from one of the major Web dealers (as opposed to buying from a local brick-and-mortar store). On a find quality 1 carat diamond you might save enough to pay for a romantic weekend away with your sweetheart to make your proposal in style. For ideas about this, you can go to our article on proposal ideas

Here's how (and why you should do it this way):

1 ) Read the article on our site entitled: "Loose Diamonds are Better"
This will tell you why we feel you will achieve a much better result for less money with a loose diamond rather than buying a ring that is already finished in a jewelry display. It also tells you how to present the diamond loose, so you can involve your sweetheart when most women prefer to be involved -- selecting the setting. The fun is creating the ring together!

2 ) Read the article on site called: "How to Choose a Diamond Dealer." This will tell you how to find a dealer that you can trust. Also, read our article on how to avoid the major scams that are still used in find stores across the country.

Use our free Five Easy Steps to guide you through the 4 Cs and beyond.

Ask the Experts if you have any remaining questions. It's free.

Sometimes there can be some value to having everything done in one place. Many of the best dealers (like the ones in our Dealer Ratings) offer excellent prices on settings as well as loose diamonds. The only problem with this is seeing the setting before you buy, since online photos are not enough. The best online dealers will send you the settings in the mail before setting them, but this adds shipping costs. So I recommend using a local jeweler for the setting. This gives the two of you a little time together creating a very special ring with your sweetheart.

You should also decide on your wedding rings options at this time also, since the wedding ring will need to match or work well with her engagement ring.

Hope this helps. If you have any further questions, use our Ask the Experts form to include your own question and add to our growing database of knowledge for future visitors!

Robert Hensley
President
Diamond Helpers

Keywords: loose diamond, setting, how to buy, settings, rings, buying online, web dealers, internet dealers, internet jewelers, web jewelers