INTRODUCTION: engagement and engagement ring
The roots of the engagement are found in Jewish customs, from the abrahamic period, and were later accepted by both the Greeks and the Romans. Roman marriage law derives the custom of giving an engagement ring. Engagement is part of wedding customs through which two people decide to formally crown their love. It is customary for the engagement ring to be worn on the left hand, i.e. the 'hand from the heart'. In the Middle Ages, doctors considered that it was in the fourth finger of the left hand that there was a 'Vena Amoris' leading to the heart itself.
In this blog post I will explain to you, in a nutshell, everything you need to know before you decide to buy the ring. Also, from a woman's perspective, I will try to help you with my subjective opinion, how to successfully choose an engagement ring for your girlfriend. My experience in the production and sale of engagement rings records its 12th anniversary, with that I want to tell you 'I got the credentials' :) I'll explain to you what an engagement ring is, what it should look like, what's the difference between an engagement ring with a diamond, zircon, etc. I hope to help you.
1. What is an engagement ring and what does it look like?
In its form, the engagement ring should be distinguished in its form from its rings that the girl has and will receive in the future. The engagement ring is characterized by a single central stone that is slightly protruding and striking. The central stone can be independent or can be accompanied by smaller pebbles on the sides. It is by this central stone that the engagement ring differs from the other rings. The engagement ring on the arm is, among other things, a social message that clearly says that the girl is 'off the market' (from this he does not need to be too small).
An engagement ring can be made of white gold, yellow gold, platinum, or silver. The white gold engagement ring is still the most popular. In our market, a platinum engagement ring is very rarely sought after. The silver-on-eye engagement ring looks identical to that of white gold, but its price is up to three times the price of a white gold engagement ring with zircon.
How to choose the material of an engagement ring?
If your girlfriend wears only silver and white gold, choose a white gold engagement ring (if you can't afford it, choose silver). If your girlfriend is wearing yellow gold choose a yellow gold engagement ring (if you can't afford it, choose gold-plated silver).
The stone in the engagement ring can be diamond, zircon, ruby, emerald, pearl...
I would like to point out that we girls (the vast majority, except for extremely sporty types of girls) do not want to characterize our engagement ring as practical. It is important to us that he is beautiful and that he is in our style. When we tell our girlfriends we're engaged, the first reaction of the feminine is 'Let me see the ring'. When we look at each other's hands we want to feel the excitement of 'That's it and he's the one' :) We're really not interested in wanting to get him drunk on a power cloth or nylons. We'll keep an eye out. In short, when choosing an engagement ring, your priority should be its aesthetics, not pragmatics.
(I note this because I have experienced so many times that guys worry that the stone is too big and will get drunk, be inconvenient for everyday wear... I often manage to talk them out of such ideas, but sometimes they still buy a practical, tiny ring that leaks to which it does not belong in style.)
2. What is the difference between a diamond and a zircon?
Great. Actually huge, but not so visible to the eye.
The difference between diamonds and zircons is in their chemical composition, sites, offer and all other eye not so visible physical characteristics and perhaps most importantly here, the difference in price.
Zircon is a mineral belonging to a group of neosylicates, its formula is Zr[SiO4]. Zircon is found in nature in a wide range of colors, from colorless, which in jewelry store is our substitute for diamond, to red, yellow, green, blue, you name it. Zircon is a common mineral (all present in the Earth's crust) found around the world. Its supply exceeds the demand for it, which affects the relatively low price of zircons. Zircon belongs to the group of semi-precious stones.
Diamond is also a mineral, the hardest mineral in nature, which by chemical composition is pure carbon that is formed into its structure by crystallization at high temperatures due to strong pressure. Diamonds are formed (created) in the Earth's mantle (structure under the Earth's crust) at a depth of 150km and below. Diamond belongs to the group of precious stones (other minerals in this group are ruby, emerald and sapphire) and in this group it is the most prized, rarest and most expensive. The supply of diamonds is less than the demand for them, which also affects the formation of such a high price of this precious stone. There are theories that say that the offer of diamonds is artificially maintained at this level (by limiting both raw and processed diamonds that are released on the market) so that there is no downward price correction. True or not, the price is unfortunately very high and will remain so as it seems.
Plastic example: The difference between a diamond and a zircon of e.g. 1 carat for a layman is in the price and on the eye of the visible glow. The diamond will shine much stronger than zirconium. For more detailed differences, you should take a magnifying glass (lupu). The diamond perfection will be seen under the bang. When you compare a diamond and zircon with a magnifying glass and an unsecured eye sees that the zircon in its interior is full of callouts, stains, debris, cracks... and the diamond, especially if we talk about a higher grade diamond (about it a little later), will be perfect, perfect in the sense that apart from the breakage of light you will not see anything :) No impropriety, mere perfection of nature.
Engagement ring with zircon weight (size) 1 carat you will pay about 2 thousand kuna (depending on the model because here you will pay a ring per gramme of gold) and a diamond of 1 carat you will pay from about 5 thousand euros (for a diamond of a slightly inferior quality) to about 30 thousand euros for a top tier diamond ring. And we talk about prices at jewelers like us and our colleagues in Croatia... If you stop by Tiffany's for the same diamond quality (there's no difference, a GIA certificate means identical stone to both Tiffany's and Karato) you'll pay 3 to 4 times the above prices because you pay the brand. And there's nothing wrong with that. How much Tiffany invests in marketing, they've all earned it :)
3. How to determine the price of a diamond
The factors that determine the value and quality and therefore the price of diamonds are popularly called 4C: Color (Color), Clarity (Clarity), Grinding (Cut) I Karat (Carat). This is actually the whole science. If you change any of these 4 factors, the price of the diamond will change. 4C is actually an algorithm that determines the price of a diamond. It's not that complicated, but it takes a while for all these variables to sit down so you can be absolutely clear about how the price has formed.
What does 4C really mean, i.e. what does each of the C's mean?
Color: the ideal color of the diamond is exclusively colorless (except in posh shades of yellow, pink, blue, green, red where colors represent an advantage). The more impasive the diamond, the more valuable it is. If you take 2 diamonds of the same cardage, purity and grinding, a D-colored diamond will be more expensive than an E-colored diamond, etc...
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D
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E
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F
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G
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H
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I
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J
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Colourless
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Colourless
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Colourless
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Almost impenehous
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Almost impenehous
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Almost impenehous
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Almost impenehous
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Clarity (Purity) (percentage of impeccability): tells us whether the diamond has internal defects (inclusions, callouts) or not. The cleaner the diamond, the more expensive and valuable it is. Diamond of the same cardage, color and grinding in purity IF will be significantly more expensive than the same diamond purity VS1.
GIA nomenclature
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FL-IF FUNCTION
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VVS1-VVS2
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VS1-VS2 (TV)
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SI1-SI2
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I1-I2-I3
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Flawless-Internally flawless
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Very very slightly imperfect1-Very very slightly imperfect 2
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Very slightly imperfect1-Very slightly imperfect2
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Slightly imperfect1-Slightly imperfect2
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Imperfect1-Imperfect2-Imperfect3
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Diamond marked FL (flawless) or IF (internally flawless) is perfectly clean under the tap, flawless, flawless. Diamonds in the category VVS1-VVS2 have very small internal defects that can only be detected by an expert with a lup x10. The location and number of internal defects determined will be diamond VVS1 or VVS2.
VS1-VS2 diamonds have very small defects that experts can detect with a percentage of difficulty from not too severe to easy. Diamonds marked I1-I3 experts can detect defects with the naked eye.
Karat: karat is a unit of diamond mass. One carat (1ct) weighs 200 miligrams, i.e. 1/5 gram tje 1ct=0.2g. It is popularly said that the carat is the size of a diamond which is not inaccurate, but it is not entirely true either. Karat connects to the size of the diamond because it makes it easier to understand. A diamond of the same color, purity and grinding will be more expensive the more cards there are. When growing in ticket prices, the price does not increase proportionally, but exponentially (unfortunately, it is not our fault but DeBeers)
Grinding :grinding the diamond, its proportions and symmetry are of great importance because they have the greatest influence on the shine, vibrancy or glistening of stone. This is the only factor most influenced by man. Grinding factors do not refer to the shape or type of grinding, but only the grinding quality in terms of the deployment, proportions and angles of the faset (surface) as well as the finishing. Each shape will be sanded differently. Before grinding, the locations of inclusions (callouts, defects) natural color and the zvorous shape of raw stone are studied in detail. Then facetes (surfaces) are mapped to sand the stone in such a way as to maximize size, shape and clarity. For optimal light performance (and the diamond has total reflection), a diamond is required that is neither shallow nor too deep.
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EX
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VG
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G
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F
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Q
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Excellent (s)
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Very Good
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Good (20
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Fair (s)
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Poor
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A diamond labelled EX when grinding and ideal will be more expensive than a diamond labeled VG when grinding if their cardage, colour and purity are the same.
WHAT KIND OF DIAMOND TO CHOOSE: Tip: It would be convenient to start from your own budget and determine how much you are willing to invest in an engagement ring. Once you have made a tentative decision on the budget, I advise you to go on a quest that is the most quality combination of given 4C factors for a given budget.
From a professional perspective, diamonds that are D-colored, if clarity, ideal grinding belong to collectible diamonds and are extremely expensive. If you have surplus financial resources, pounce on them. Commercially speaking, F or G diamonds, VVS2-VS1-VS2 claritys are fantastic and significantly more affordable than the above, for a day's carding. As for the shape of the stone, I advise a round brilliant diamond (round brilliant cut), unless the future bride has emphasized that she wants a square stone, in which case I advise the princess cut.
As far as cardage is concerned, we could say that 0.3ct and more are considered luxury engagement rings. In case the girl is sporting a type who does not wear jewelry, I advise an engagement ring with a diamond less than half a carat.
As for the 'compromise' in diamonds in the sense that you can get into a situation where they cost you the same 1.) diamond of 0.3ct, VVS1, color D, grinding EX and 2.) diamond of 0.5ct, VS2, color G, grinding VG. Choose option 2, i.e. take a slightly 'worse' diamond in favor of more cards.
For any cardage combination of color and purity:
'High grade' diamond: IF-VS1 purity, D-F color
Middle-class diamond: VS2-SI2, F-G color
'Worse' grade diamond: SI2-I3, H-I color
Recommendation i.e. 'best buy'in any card would be: purity VVS1-VS2 (and can and can SI1), color G, grinding EX-VG.
4. Shape of a diamond
For the shape of the diamond, jewellers use the word grinding or cut ( English cut). Although this is not the category of grinding that forms the price. The most popular shape of the diamond is ROUND (round brilliant cut). However, other diamond shapes are beautiful and have their own charm.
5. What is the difference between a diamond and a brilliant
A very common moment of 'confusion' is brilliance/diamond. Is brilliance the same as a diamond? It's in nature. Each brilliance is a diamond tossed with the popular Round brilliant cut. Precisely because such a shape and type of incision is most common when buying diamonds (both in engagement rings and earrings) it has become so popular that it has become synonymous with diamonds. It's like a kaladnot/toothpaste situation. Every caladont is toothpaste, but every toothpaste is not a caladont. Thus, each brilliant is a diamond (i.e. each brilliant is processed by the diamond with the technique of round brilliant cut), but each diamond processed is not a brilliant one because it can be of a different type of incision and shape.
6. Advantages and disadvantages of diamonds and zircons
The advantage of zircons over diamond is unencumbered carrying and financial affordability. If a girl loses her engagement ring, you'll easily buy a new one. If zircon falls out, no stress, the repair will cost you about 100,00kn.
The disadvantage of diamonds is precisely the advantage of zirconia. It's a big (other than sentimental) financial loss if the ring gets lost or if the diamond falls out.
In addition to the above, from the perspective of female taste and objects of craving, diamond is far preferable. If you have options do not doubt, buy a diamond ring. If you don't have that many financial options, don't worry because the zircon ring is seem to be just as beautiful. And in this whole process, the most important thing is love.
Can a diamond fall out of a ring: it can. The diamond will never turn out on its own, but it may happen that when wearing the girl damages the pickacts that hold the stone, and due to the following force (most often these are the blows that we make every day, and we do not notice) the stone breaks out.
7. What kind of ring matches my girlfriend?
100 girls, 100 tastes. However, after 12 years of experience, I can somehow classify girls in style categories and accordingly suggest which ring model for which girl to choose.
EXTREMELY SPORTY TYPE
If your girlfriend is mostly sporty (I mean 70% of the time she is in tracksuits, tights, sneakers), she has a job closely related to sports, train a lot to make the ring practical (what I said at the beginning that you do not do). He may have a little more grams of gold and be more specific, but I don't advise choosing a swelled ring with lots of stones. Simple profile, relatively discreet, one central stone, without pebbles accompanied by a central stone. It can even round the fasung (what holds the stone) so that the stone does not stick out too much. With this type of girl you can choose a diamond ring from 3.500,00kn on the way. The ring will be discreet enough to fit into such a budget, and yet ideal for this type of girl.
BUSINESS CASUAL
If your girlfriend is settling in a reasonable intensity in the sense that she is going to work, that in her spare time she is wearing sneakers+blazer, if you had seen her both makeupd and narwhal, but if she could be super natural in a tracksuit, I would advise you the eternal classic. Engagement ring with a round stone of a slightly higher profile, 6 cradles, a ring about 4 grams. It's that classic engagement Tiffany model we see in all the movies. Variations of this model can be that it has 4 pickles, a slightly thicker rail, etc... You can see all suggestions in pictures. For a girl like this, I wouldn't recommend a cross stone, I'd say look at 0.3 ct on top in diamonds. This means approximately from 15,000,00kn on the way. If this amount does not fit into your budget, you can choose a ring in which there are several smaller ones instead of one large central stone. Such a diamond version can bring you out about 7.000,00kn. If this does not fit your budget, I advise you to choose a beautiful zircon ring (like these models in the photo), and make the zircon the size of 1 carat. This will cost you a maximum of 3,000,00kn.
DRESSED UP
If your girlfriend is always nicely decorated, frustrated, made up, if she is mostly on heels, she likes to have long nails and you often see jewelry with zircons on her and you have heard several times that she likes 'bling' you can vent and choose a rich ring that will have smaller pebbles accompanied by a central stone. The ideal combination is our Monika ring, which costs you in performance with diamonds from 10,000,00kn on the way. (depending on how many central stones you choose). Monika in the zircon version will cost you about 3.000,00kn and is beautiful.
8. How to determine the size of an engagement ring
It is best to take the ring that the girl wears on the ring finger of her left hand and take it to us when ordering the ring to measure it and make you an engagement ring in that size. If you are not able to take the ring that the girl does not notice it would be good to approximately know the measurements of the girl in terms of height, weight and note to us if she is an athlete. Often female athletes have stronger fists. The average size of a woman's ring finger is 12 (52). With thin hands it would be 10 (50), and in stronger hands it would be 14 (56) on the next.
If you are not 100% sure which size of engagement ring to choose, don't worry. The most common procedure is for the boys to buy the size of the ring that they think will fit, and if it does not fit, after the faeces the girl comes to us at the jewelry store, we measure her finger and correct the size of the ring.
9. Engagement ring with sapphire, ruby, emerald or pearl
Sapphire (popular color: blue), Rubin (popular color: pinkish red) and Emerald (popular color: green) are gemstones and are recommended for an engagement ring if the girl gave a hint that she wants it or if it means something to you in the dynamics and development of a relationship. In the sense that your song is related to some of these stones, in your favorite film is such a stone... Not all scenarios come to mind right now, but get what I mean. Or if you've heard from a girl many times that she really likes Emerald. Also choose an engagement ring with a pearl if you know for sure that the girl is 'crazy about pearls'. If it is none of the above stick to white zircon or diamond.
CONCLUSION
Thank you for reading this 'Manual' and I hope it is and will be of use to you. The task of this text is to clarify the technicality related to the purchase of an engagement ring. I can't stress enough that of all these categories about which I am the most important love and that your girlfriend will be thrilled and happy with each ring because she loves you.
If you decide to buy the ring with us in Karato you can request more detailed information by email rene@zlatarnicekarat.com or whatsapp/viber on 091 1252 150.
If you plan to buy a zircon ring, we always have them in stock and we offer you over 200 different models. If you decide to buy a diamond ring, it would be good to come to us a few weeks before the planned pasty.
Sources:
- DeeDee Cunningham (2011): 'The Diamond Comprehendum', Nag Press, Robert Hale Limited, London.
- Marijan Dundek, IGI (2000): 'Diamonds', Noble Gems Publications, London.
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