Re: Serious question
First thing to consider.
Is she going to be staring at this thing and ridiculing any imperfections? If no, then focus on Cut and Color.
Get a near colorless diamond. Like D, E or F on the color chart.
Get a great cut. This is gonna vary.
Make sure to get the style she wants. I knew my fiance wanted Princess cut, so my choices were easy.
So then it boils down to Clarity and Size.
If she's a nitpicky person, focus on clarity.
If she's not gonna stare at it under a 10x loupe then you can tone down clarity to either a VS2 or an SI1 or SI2. Another cool one is finding an I1 with diamond crystals in it. Some I1's have spots on them, dark spots or pits, but every now and then you'll come across one with the crystals in it which can even add to sparkle. The one I got my fiance was an I1 with diamond crystals and the inclusion was only visible by the naked eye in pure sunlight looking at it from underneath. (as in, once it was set, it vanishes).
Another very important thing to focus on is the size of her fingers! A half carat diamond on tiny hands will look MASSIVE. My fiance has tiny hands. I looked like the stud of the century getting her a half carat. It looked far bigger than it actually was.
One thing a lot of people lose focus on is the band you put it in. I chose an English style solitaire setup that was very simple. It was incredibly gorgeous and still over a year from the engagement, my fiance gets at least 3 to 4 compliments on it a week at the hospital she works at.
There's a TON of variables. Don't be afraid to shop around. But DO come educated to wherever you go and do come with at least a budget to stick to, and an idea of what type of band you want to go with.
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