Diamond Solitaire Rings: The Ultimate Buying Guide

On the Mohs scale of hardness, a diamond is rated at 10. There is no other substance harder than a diamond. It’s 58x harder than any other substance known to man. Let’s understand what this means.

The hardness scale defines scratch resistance. A harder stone can scratch a softer one, not the other way around. Since the diamond is the hardest substance known to us, it’s scratch proof. You can wear it everyday, brush it against surfaces, and it will not show a blemish. Your diamond solitaire ring will look like new forever. The only thing that can scratch a diamond is…well.. you guessed it, a diamond.

Don’t be mistaken though, hardness and strength are two different things. Your diamond is hard, but it’s not the strongest substance around. If you take a hammer to it, your diamond might not scratch, but there’s a chance it will break. So treat it with care.

Okay. So, this is where things start getting complicated. But stay with us. As with any other gemstone that we use in our engagement rings, we go through virtually every option available in the market with a fine attention to detail. We create samples, and see how the stone looks with the design language we’re following. Only after a thorough analysis do we finalise on the kind of stones we want to use. Here’s what we look at while analysing Diamonds (For those of you who’re aware, this is where we talk about the 4C’s – Cut, Clarity, Carat and Colour, among other things):

Laboratories like GIA grade for the size of the inclusion, not the type. So we step in and do the needful. We use diamonds that are graded VS2 and above. In these diamonds, the impurity is small enough that it is invisible to the naked eye. But we go further to inspect it under a 10x scope and choose as far as possible, the pieces that exhibit a watery inclusion, not an opaque one.

Another tactic we employ is to reject, as far as possible, stones with inclusions in the centre of the diamond. Even if invisible to the naked eye, we prefer our diamonds to be clear in the centre. Inclusions if any, are better contained on the side. This also shows that the person who was cutting the diamond had the foresight to plan the inclusion on the side, an area where it’s less noticeable.

In simple terms, we use diamonds that are better than industry standard (VS2). But we go beyond and manually inspect the diamond, so you get the best value when you purchase a diamond solitaire ring from us. If you’d like an upgrade on the diamond clarity, we do offer VVS2 as an option too.

Laboratories like GIA grade for the size of the inclusion, not the type. So we step in and do the needful. We use diamonds that are graded VS2 and above. In these diamonds, the impurity is small enough that it is invisible to the naked eye. But we go further to inspect it under a 10x scope and choose as far as possible, the pieces that exhibit a watery inclusion, not an opaque one.

Another tactic we employ is to reject, as far as possible, stones with inclusions in the centre of the diamond. Even if invisible to the naked eye, we prefer our diamonds to be clear in the centre. Inclusions if any, are better contained on the side. This also shows that the person who was cutting the diamond had the foresight to plan the inclusion on the side, an area where it’s less noticeable.

In simple terms, we use diamonds that are better than industry standard (VS2). But we go beyond and manually inspect the diamond, so you get the best value when you purchase a diamond solitaire ring from us. If you’d like an upgrade on the diamond clarity, we do offer VVS2 as an option too.

The diamond’s cut is extremely important. A well cut stone displays better brilliance and whiter colour tones as compared to a stone that’s been cut poorly. The cut of a diamond is largely ignored by most people, but it’s a make or break aspect as far as we’re concerned. So much so that the GIA calls it the diamond’s WOW factor. As we do for our other gemstones, we gladly pay extra to our supply chain to procure an excellently cut diamond.

Diamond colours are graded on a scale that starts at D and goes on until Z. Grades D, E and F are considered to be pure white. Grades G & H are considered to be near colourless. A well trained eye can start seeing colour beyond H. And so, all of our diamonds come with H+ colouring. When you order a diamond solitaire ring from us, it will be graded colour H or better.

Like all of our rings, we pay a lot of attention to every single detail to make sure your diamond solitaire ring is just right. The ring needs to look cohesive as a whole. The elements of the ring should blend well with each other, and not be conflicting. This is where carat comes in. Carat is quite literally a measure of weight. 1 carat = 0.2g. This means, a 1 carat diamond weighs 0.2g. And since size and weight are correlated, a heavier diamond also means a bigger diamond. Our design decisions are generally determined by the size of the diamond, not the weight. But we assure a minimum weight of diamond with each of our solitaire ring designs. More importantly, irrespective of the weight of the diamond, your ring will look cohesive and stunning. That is our promise.

Fluorescence is the property of a diamond to shine brightly under UV light. It seems to give the diamond a slightly bluish tinge in certain lighting conditions. You might see your diamond shine bright blue in a club, or areas where dense UV light is present. But the effect of fluorescence is at best negligible in normal lighting conditions. On a normal day, the presence of fluorescence makes no difference to the look of the diamond. In fact, fluorescence can be preferable at times, for example when looking at a diamond with a yellowish tinge and colour grades ranging from I to Z. A strong fluorescence in this case, would make the diamond appear 1 or 2 colour grades whiter in normal sunlight. Since its effect is so minimal, and even preferable at times, we do accept stones graded with medium fluorescence or better.

The speciality of a diamond is that it looks absolutely stunning by itself, and also with other diamonds around it added as design accents. We offer our rings in a variety of diamond sizes, and each comes with the option of a cluster of diamonds on the side, so as to enhance the design of the ring.

The diamonds we use in our jewellery are typically sourced from Canada, Russia or Africa. These places offer some of the best quality Diamonds in the world. While we aren’t particular about where the stone is sourced from among these three locations, we always make sure the stone comes with a certificate or assurance of fair trade. Further, we get each and every stone vetted to make sure of its origins. Every piece of Diamond jewellery you buy from us, that contains a centre stone larger than 0.30 carats, comes with a certificate of authenticity from GIA or IGI.

As diamond colouring goes beyond Q on the grading scale, it tends to display a strong yellow or brownish pink colour. These diamonds are sometimes called champagne diamonds. We offer champagne diamonds as an option in our Made To Order collection.

We’d recommend you care for this piece like you would any other piece of jewellery. Take it off before you enter the shower, or go for a swim. Also, keep it away from chemicals and oils. Like any transparent stone, Diamonds may display oiliness over a period of time. This may dim the sparkle of the stone too. But worry not, it’s easy to get rid of the layer of oil on your stone. Simply use a soft tooth brush and some soap water to clean your ring.

We offer a wide range of diamond sizes for your perusal, within our collection. Diamonds larger than 0.30 carats come with a GIA or IGI certificate. When using centre stones, we typically recommend sizes of at least 5mm, so as to maintain the sanctity of the design and make the ring look proportionate.

Diamond Ring Buying Hack: Based on the quality, sometimes, a ring with a larger diamond may be less expensive than one with a smaller diamond. See other hacks here. 

Diamonds are commercially available in any shape or cut you prefer. Round diamonds are a classic. There’s something about the proportions of a round diamond that fits perfectly within a solitaire engagement ring. It goes well with other diamonds, and colour stones too. It lends a certain balance to the entire design.

But diamonds are available in a variety of shapes and cuts. As consumers become more discerning, and search for rarer, more unique options, other cuts have been gaining popularity too. The following shapes are currently trending for use in Solitaire Engagement Rings:

• Oval Cut Diamonds
• Cushion Cut Diamonds
• Emerald Cut Diamonds
• Radiant Cut Diamonds
• Baguette Cut Diamonds
• Rose Cut Diamonds

As far as our collection goes, we presently offer round and Oval cut diamonds in our Ready To Order Collection. These designs are exquisite, and a lot of thought went into them before defining the proportions.

Other cuts and shapes are available too, but only as a Made To Order Piece. This is partly due to availability of pieces, but also because the other shapes require a certain level of personalisation and discussion that is only possible with our Made To Order pieces.

Unlike other gemstones, we offer our diamond solitaire rings in all 3 variations of solid 18KT gold – white, yellow and rose gold. The inherent white brilliance of a diamond means it looks great with any colour of gold.

Over the last decade or so, white and pink gold have been fairly popular. Yellow gold, once considered to be a traditional choice, is also re-emerging as a classic option.

It’ a popular myth that you should spend 3 months’ worth salary on an engagement ring. But frankly, there are no rules at what you “should” be spending. Your budget should depend upon what you’re comfortable shelling out on an engagement ring, and what you want to get made. Here are a few more tips on how to approach your budget decisions.

There are a number of different ideas on how to do this. The simplest way is to speak to your to your partner directly. It’s easier to understand their likes and dislikes, as well as their preferences when it comes to design, colours etc. We’ve written an article to touch upon exactly this – it should give you some ideas. But before you go engagement ring shopping, check out these top tips here at the link.

We love some nerdy facts, and there’s a reason behind it. Gemstones are a work of art, but the science behind them is equally important. One stat that really caught our attention is that diamonds are 58x harder than any other substance known to us. That’s a fairly baffling number! Here are some stats relating to diamonds.