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Diamonds are a girl’s best friend! These big, sparkling, gorgeous gemstones will last forever, and that’s why they are the number one stone to choose for your engagement ring. Learn some facts about diamonds, and let’s see some examples to find your perfect one-carat diamond ring.
All About Diamonds
Diamonds are made of one single element, carbon. Millions of years of high pressure and heat formed these gemstones in the Earth’s mantle, hundreds of miles below the surface of the Earth. Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions brought diamonds closer up to the surface and in places where diamond mines now search for them.
Diamonds are the hardest natural material on Earth. The only natural material that can scratch a diamond is another diamond. The richest diamond mine in the world is in Botswana and mines roughly 12 million carats of jewelry diamonds a year.
Diamonds have many industrial uses, such as drilling, machinery manufacturing, construction, and computer chip manufacturing. The world’s largest diamond mine is in Russia, where the Aikhal Diamond Mine produces vast amounts of industrial-quality diamonds. Eighty percent of the world’s mined diamonds are mined for industrial use.
Diamonds are graded according to four characteristics: carat, cut, clarity, and color. Diamonds come in a variety of colors due to impurities, irradiation, or heat. The most valuable color of a diamond is clear or colorless.
How to Choose the Best Value Diamond
Looking for the best price for value for your ring, let’s go over some steps to try to get the best quality for you.
Choose your price point
While expectations can vary on cost, you need to decide what your budget will be for this ring. Don’t over-buy a ring that you cannot afford. With costs associated with day-to-day living, budgeting two to three months salary for a ring could be too high a price. You can always upgrade later on.
Decide on the diamond cut
Shape is important and will help narrow your choices down. Brilliant Round is the most expensive and most popular cut, but there are other cuts that are just as beautiful.
Learn about diamonds
You should know the basics; cut, clarity, carat, and color. Knowing a little about how and why diamonds are priced will allow you to make a more informed decision about your choice of ring.
Choose your shop
Buying from a reputable jeweler will ensure that your ring is valued at the correct price, your gem is quality, and that you will be able to have questions answered honestly.
Clarity vs Size
Once you decide your budget, decide what is more important to you, an imperfect larger diamond or a more perfect smaller diamond. Both will cost about the same amount, but the value is dependent on your choice.
Colored diamonds
Diamonds come in all colors of the rainbow. The most valuable diamond has no color to it, but those diamonds with deep saturation of their color will be the most valuable. Colored diamonds are considered any diamond that has a color when seen in the position of looking at the top of the diamond.
Colored diamonds can be blue, yellow, red, pink, green, brown, or almost any color, even black. Many colored diamonds are colored based on their first and secondary coloration: green-blue, red-orange, as well as pink-orange. The rarest colors of diamond are blue, red, green, and orange. Yellowish and brown diamonds are the most common colors of colored diamonds.
Treated and natural colored diamonds are also an available choice. Treated diamonds are usually heat treated to enhance coloration, to deepen the color. Another term for this is enhanced diamonds. Treatment can also be to enhance clarity within the stone. Stones that have been altered should have documentation for the treatment available from your jeweler.
Less quality diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are an environmentally responsible choice. Lab-grown diamonds are chemically identical to natural mined diamonds. They are created in a mechanical environment with specialized equipment that deposits carbon onto seed diamonds to create new, larger diamonds. The benefit of a lab-created diamond is that the cost is lower than a natural diamond but is virtually indistinguishable without highly specialized equipment and a diamond expert.
Salt and Pepper Diamonds are diamonds that contain black inclusions. These diamonds look like antique mirrors and are a unique version of a diamond. These are still diamonds and still quite hard, but they have a unique look to them. They are a reminder to look beyond flaws in a relationship and focus on it as a whole.
Shapes
Diamonds come in a variety of shapes; Brilliant Round is the most popular by far of all the shapes. However, there are other shapes to consider.
Look for a gemstone shape that looks larger than it is. Consider buying a cushion cut, pear cut, Asscher, oval, or marquise. These shapes also are more shallow than the deep cuts of the brilliant Round, allowing the stone to have a larger surface. The initial rough stone does not have to be larger to accomplish the final cut, making them more economical.
Alternatives to Diamond
Lab-grown diamonds
Lab-grown diamonds are not fake diamonds. Chemically they are the same as a natural diamond but are created in a high pressure, high heat environment. There is no difference between lab-created and natural diamonds to the naked eye.
Herkimer diamonds
Herkimer Diamonds are only found in Herkimer County, New York. These double-terminated quartz crystals are colorless and are extremely inexpensive. They are a beautiful alternative to diamonds. The difference in price is hundreds of dollars less than a diamond.
Moissanite
Moissanite is a lab-created gem that has more sparkle and inner fire than diamonds. The cost of a Moissanite is about half to a quarter of the price of a diamond and is one of the leading gems to be used in engagement rings.
White Topaz
White Topaz is a colorless topaz that has a similar appearance to diamonds. It can make a lower-cost alternative to diamonds.
White Sapphire
White Sapphire is a colorless Sapphire that is a rare find, as most Sapphires have trace elements that add color to the gemstone. White Sapphire is a clear gem that will sparkle and shine but not have as much internal fire as a diamond.
One Carat Diamond Rings: Top Picks
Colored Diamonds
A pale pink or blue diamond can be just as beautiful as a clear diamond.
1 Carat Round Cut Natural Salt and Pepper Diamond Leaf Design Engagement Ring in White Gold
Glittering leaves adorn each side of this beautiful Salt and Pepper diamond. This ring is just vintage perfection. The antique-looking setting matches the vintage-looking glass coloration of the Salt and Pepper diamond. Where else can you find a one-carat diamond ring for just three hundred dollars? The price is incredible! Buy Here.
1.00 Carat Cushion Cut Yellow Diamond Engagement Ring 18k White Gold
The yellow gold halo makes the cushion cut yellow diamond look even larger in this ring. The first halo of diamonds surrounding the center yellow diamond are also yellow diamonds, then again are surrounded by a secondary halo of white diamonds. The total carat weight of the ring is one carat. The diamonds spill down the shoulders of the ring as well, and there is a lot of shine and glitter to be seen in this beautiful, large engagement ring. Buy here.
Black Diamond Ring 1-1/4 Carats to 10K White Gold
Totally unique-looking black diamonds are still diamonds but are full of carbon inclusions that create a matte-looking diamond. This diamond will look beautiful forever and will stand up to daily wear. Milgrain detailing on the band surrounds smaller black diamonds. The head of the ring holding the center stone is detailed with another black diamond on each side as well. This is a very unique-looking engagement ring, for a carat and ¼ of diamonds for under one thousand dollars. Buy here.
Petal Blue Diamond Engagement Ring White & Rose Gold Ring Gold Diamond Ring
This is by far the most unique-looking engagement ring around. The single large color-enhanced blue diamond center stone is cradled in a prong setting. Two additional secondary colored flowers accompany the stone on the side, with a small blue diamond accent. There are an additional two small blue diamonds at the scrollwork on the sides of the band. Chose a single-color metal setting or a two-color setting; the details are customizable. Buy here.
Multiple Stones
Consider a ring with multiple stones, set into a larger single setting to give the sparkle and appearance of a singular stone.
Ellora Harmony Diamond Cluster Top Engagement Ring 1ctw
Five larger diamonds clustered in the center setting, with a halo and additional diamonds dripping down the ring band. This pretty ring features lots of pretty diamonds in the cushion-shaped setting. A sure bet to give you a lot of sparkle for less than two thousand dollars. Buy here.
1 CT. T.W. Diamond Cluster 10K White Gold Engagement Ring
This split band ring starts out with pave diamonds in the shoulders of the band. Each side has a row of diamonds that extend about halfway down the band. The center stone is encircled with a halo of additional diamonds. The ring has very little setting metal showing, and this lends to the look of a singular, large diamond with the cost of a cluster ring. Buy here.
Diamond Ring 1 ct tw Round 14K White Gold
Four incredible halos encircle the center diamond in this ring. A total weight of one carat, this ring features split shoulders that are decorated with diamonds. There are multiple halos tiered on the ring to give these diamonds the light they will need to sparkle. Six larger diamonds on the fourth halo create a floral shape that helps to give additional depth to this ring. Buy here.
One 1/4ct Diamond Three Stone Pave Halo Engagement Ring 14k White Gold (H/I, I1-I2)
One larger stone surrounded by eight smaller stones, in a center setting that creates the look of a solitaire, without the cost of a single one-carat diamond, this ring is pretty for a lower-cost alternative. Two additional side stones at either side of the diamond cluster lend to the three-stone look of this ring. At under $1000, this ring gives the look of a pricier ring with just as much sparkle. Buy here.
Miabella 1 Carat T.W. Diamond 10k White Gold Oval Cluster Engagement Ring
One larger center diamond, surrounded with diamonds in various sizes, on an oval setting. This setting is, in turn, surrounded by a halo of glittering diamonds, and additional diamonds are set into the shoulders of the band as well. The white gold setting is polished to a mirror shine that only enhances the sparkle of the multiple diamonds in this cluster ring. Buy here.
Diamond Solitaire
1.80 Carat H-SI2 Excellent Cut Round Diamond Grande Diamond Halo Engagement Ring
This absolutely stunning diamond solitaire with diamond halo and diamond in the shoulders of the band is delicate without looking small. The over one-carat diamond is a show stopper, and the additional ¾ carat of diamonds in the halo and the gems in the band of the ring really give this ring extra finesse. Buy here.
1 Carat Round Shape Halo Diamond Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold (3.60 g) (, SI2-I1), Size 6 by SuperJeweler
This ring is called a halo ring, with a center stone of a ½ carat and twenty-six side diamonds. However, the unique halo looks like a snowflake design. What a perfect ring for a winter engagement or wedding, along with the opportunity for a unique design and story option to go with it. The center stone is ringed by diamonds that are two sizes and create a petal or snowflake design. The ring is also designed with additional diamonds that line the shoulders of the band, adding up to a total of a full one-carat diamond ring. Buy here.
Vintage Diamond Halo Engagement Ring for 1.00 Carat Stone
Vintage-inspired, this halo engagement ring has a matte finish. The detailing along the halo shines in polished spots surrounding small detail diamonds. There are also small diamonds embedded into the head of the ring, giving side detailing where most rings would be plain. This bracket-shaped halo has enhanced points at several places around the diamond and has such an elegant look to it. Buy here.
1 CT. T.W. Diamond Engagement Ring in 14K White Gold
If you are planning ahead and want an engagement ring that will match an eternity style wedding band, this ring will be stunning paired this way. The large center brilliant round diamond is ⅓ carat and sits atop the other diamonds in a glittering setting. Buy here.
Diamond Solitaire Shapes
1.27 Carat K-SI1 Marquise-Cut Diamond Triple Diamond Engagement Ring
Pompeii3 1ct Halo Split Shank Princess Cut Vintage Diamond Engagement Ring 14K White Gold
Diamond Engagement Ring 1 ct TW Pear/Round 14K White Gold
This pear-cut solitaire ½ carat ring is set off by additional diamonds running down in front, back, and center of the band on both sides of the solitaire. There is a pear-shaped halo around the center diamond; the whole ring totals a full carat weight in diamonds. This is one very sparkling diamond ring. Buy here.
SOLITAIRE ENGAGEMENT RING 1.00 CT. TW.
FAQS
Question: Where should you not buy (blood) diamonds?
Answer: Countries like Angola and Zimbabwe have been well-documented for human rights abuses; look for lab-created or diamonds from Canada.
Question: Which cut of a diamond has the most sparkle?
Answer: Brilliant Round is the classic round cut diamond. It has fifty-eight facets to create the most sparkle of all cuts.
Question: Are moissanite rings tacky?
Answer: Moissanite rings are just as beautiful as a diamond; they are almost exactly the same. They are not tacky at all, and they are almost the same hardness, with better fire and sparkle than a diamond. They are also eco-friendly and have a wonderful origination story.
Question: Where is the cheapest place in the world to buy diamonds?
Answer: The cheapest place in the world to buy diamonds is in a country with diamond mines. Diamonds are the cheapest in India, China, Thailand, Dubai, and Belgium. Diamonds are mined, then cut in these places, keeping shipping and retail markups lower.
Question: Are old diamonds more valuable?
Answer: Antique diamonds do not have any more value than modern diamonds. However, if the diamond is cut in a rare style or the setting is antique, this may add more value to the ring itself.
Question: Where should you not buy (blood) diamonds?
Answer: Countries like Angola and Zimbabwe have been well-documented for human rights abuses; look for lab-created or diamonds from Canada.
Question: Which cut of a diamond has the most sparkle?
Answer: Brilliant Round is the classic round cut diamond. It has fifty-eight facets to create the most sparkle of all cuts.
Question: Are moissanite rings tacky?
Answer: Moissanite rings are just as beautiful as a diamond; they are almost exactly the same. They are not tacky at all, and they are almost the same hardness, with better fire and sparkle than a diamond. They are also eco-friendly and have a wonderful origination story.
Question: Where is the cheapest place in the world to buy diamonds?
Answer: The cheapest place in the world to buy diamonds is in a country with diamond mines. Diamonds are the cheapest in India, China, Thailand, Dubai, and Belgium. Diamonds are mined, then cut in these places, keeping shipping and retail markups lower.
Question: Are old diamonds more valuable?
Answer: Antique diamonds do not have any more value than modern diamonds. However, if the diamond is cut in a rare style or the setting is antique, this may add more value to the ring itself.
Conclusion
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. They are worth the price as they will last forever, are easily cleaned, and do not wear down as other stones might. If budget is a real issue, then there are a multitude of other stones that the from just looking at the ring, the untrained eye would not be able to tell the difference in the stones. Diamonds with color are a wonderful, lower-cost alternative as well. But if you can afford one, get the biggest, most sparkling, and fire intense diamond you can afford.