Diamond engagement rings
the king of gemstones !

Diamond is indeed the king of gemstones. For civilizations diamonds have captivated the eyes of the beholder. Diamond rings are gifts for special people and for special occasions. Be it for engagement or marriage or a birthday, diamonds rings are the first choice in every mind. Diamond is the birthstone of April, signifying, purity and durability. The brilliant shimmer of the diamond engagement rings makes it the unprecedented choice for special occasions, also diamond wedding rings.

Diamond engagement rings are indeed owner's pride. The rings come in all shapes and sizes depending upon cost and design. Mounted in platinum and gold, diamond rings are the classic choice for wedding bands, engagement rings etc. The ring thousand folds the memories and exclusivity of every occasion.

The gemstone is highly valued not only because of its unique shimmer but also due to its rarity and its formation. Diamonds are formed at around 100 miles below earth's crust where, the temperature surpasses 2700 degrees and the pressure level is as high as 65.000 times from the earth's crust. The rigorous process metamorphoses the carbon to form the hardest substance on earth. Diamonds are thus an epitome of solidity and signify purity and imperviousness, perfect for bonding two people together as a diamond engagement ring.

In the past India was one of the most sought after diamond mining centers of the world. Presently diamonds are excavated in around 25 countries around the world, except in Europe and Antarctic regions. Significantly, about 80 percent of the total diamonds excavated every year come from Australia, Botswana, Zaire, South Africa, Russia, Angola, and Namibia.

While choosing diamond engagement rings, one should consider the 4C's, introduced by Debeers, in the early 1900's.

These are:

Color

Cut

Clarity

Carat

Color
Colorless diamond engagement rings are of highest quality. Gemological institute of America (GIA) a non-profit organization specializes in grading diamond. Diamonds are graded in a range of D to Z, where D being closest to colorless and highly sought after. Through E to J grades are near colorless to hue of light yellow, while through K to P one can observe faint tincture of the color yellow.

However, there are fancy rare diamonds that are originally red, blue, green, yellow and even pink. This exquisite group of diamond engagement rings can cost an exorbitant sum of money.

Clarity
The clarity of diamond engagement rings are inversely proportional to the kind and number of inclusion bodies in the crystal, under a 10x magnification. Inclusions are mineral components and are visible as minute crystalline structures or a conglomeration of such crystals inside the diamond. Under 10x magnification, inclusions may vary in shapes from pinpoints (white marks), carbon blemishes (black marks), to crystalline growths and feather like structures that arise due to the crystal fracture.

The GIA grading of diamond engagement rings ranges from FL, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2 and I1, I2, I3, depending upon the degree of flawlessness

FL and IF are flawless and the most precious, whereas VVS1 and VVS2 have atomic inclusions that can be seen only under the magnification. VS1 or VS2 have slightly greater degree of inclusion than VVS1 and VVS2 while, SI1 - SI2 have inclusions that are more pronounced than VVS1 and VVS2. I1, I2 and I3 are the crudest of all the variety, where the inclusion bodies are larger and can be seen with naked eye.

Cut
A well-cut diamond engagement ring disperses the maximum amount of light. The most sought after cut is the round cut diamond that has the most scintillating effect. Other famous diamond engagement rings shapes are marquise, pear, oval, radiant, emerald and princess cut. The cut is not merely the shape but also the number of faces on the stone, to reflect maximum amount of light. The main adage is to make the stone act as a prism emitting the light in a scintillating manner. The perfect round cuts have 57 to 58 facets.

Carat
The weight of diamonds are measured in carats, where 1 carat is approximately .2 mg. Diamonds weighing less than half a carat are designated in point increment, where a 100 point is 1 carat (1.00), while 25 points to a ¼ carat (.25). It is noteworthy that a smaller carat diamond with higher clarity, cut and cut may cost more than a diamond engagement with higher carat but lower 3 C's.