When you’re ready to go shopping for an engagement ring, the more you know going in, the better. You’ll have dozens of options to choose from, including the stone, cut, color, setting, quality, and more.
One of the more crucial decisions to make will be whether to get the traditional diamond engagement ring or a different stone. Though other colorful gems may catch your eye, you’ll be glad you chose the diamond.
They’re one of the most valuable jewels on the market, carrying high values globally. In other words, diamonds are as universal a symbol of wealth and luxury as you’re apt to find anywhere.
But their value is just one of many reasons that diamonds remain the top stone of choice for engagement rings. Here are five more.
- Long-Lasting Shine
Diamonds are one of the most brilliant stones, naturally speaking. They shimmer in any light. A diamond’s essential clear surface is the perfect reflector of light, so most women can’t resist that glitter.
Some diamonds shine more than others based on their level of reflection and refraction. In technical terms, the way the diamond is cut will increase the natural sheen. Multi-faceted diamonds shine more than smoother gems, for example.
Shine also depends the dispersion of black specks inside the stone. These dark components actually help to heighten the reflection so the diamond shines more brilliantly.
All it takes is a little polishing to bring that incredible luster out again.
- Durability
You’ve probably heard the catch-phrase “Diamonds are forever,” and it’s as close to the truth as you can get, in terms of anything you’re likely to own or to wear. Diamonds will degrade to graphite after centuries of weathering, but you’re unlikely to witness the degradation of a diamond in your lifetime, even if it happened to belong to your great, great, great, great, grandmother.
Diamonds are incredibly durable, thanks to their composition. They’re composed of carbon — not coal, exactly, but pure graphite — that has been heated and crushed under massive weight for thousands of years, which leads to the creation of one of the hardest substances known to man.
Diamonds can cut through almost any other natural substance. This means you don’t have to worry about your gem cracking if you accidentally bang it against a wall or drop it on concrete or stone. It will stay intact as long as you own it … unless you choose to have it cut.
- Flexibility of Cut and Style
Because diamonds are such a hard, durable substance, they can be cut and styled into more shapes than most other gems. Softer stones can’t be cut smaller than a certain size, or fit into specific settings, because their chemical makeup is not sufficiently durable or tough to allow it.
You’ll see many more styles of diamond engagement rings than any other stone, which is another reason the gem is so popular. When you can select from many options for unique formations, diamond rings offer a greater opportunity for something unusual and visually appealing.
- Symbolic Romance
Don’t forget about the essential symbolism of a diamond. Because they “last forever,” diamonds don’t just symbolize a life-long commitment, but embody it; and many brides want to begin their wedded life with this feature in place.
As citizens of the modern age, we have also been trained to associate diamonds with romance and commitment. Commercials, movies, videos, advertisements, and other visual stimuli regularly show us diamonds at the center of romantic tales and scenes.
It’s hard not to want that for yourself when you see it everywhere you look.
- Online Shopping Is Easier
Shopping online for an engagement rings offers many advantages. First, you can shop in the privacy of your home without word getting around to your soon-to-be fiancé the way it might if you were to be observed visiting a jewelry store.
There are also more options when you shop online compared to what’s available at your local jewelry establishments. You can peruse rings much more swiftly online.
However, shopping for jewelry on the Internet can also present a few challenges. One naturally worries about the quality of the jewels being less than what’s advertised. If you can’t touch it and turn it over in front of your eyes, you’re going to be less certain that it’s what the seller claims it is.
Although quality of diamonds can be falsified when you’re shopping online, it’s more difficult to do than you might think. Diamonds are typically graded based on the 5 Cs: cut, clarity, carats, color, and confidence of credibility.