It's the start of a new year...let's design your dream ring in 2020! One of the questions we get asked most frequently in regards to designing a completely custom ring is "Can you work with my budget?" or "Do you have a minnimum amount that you're required to spend in order to design a custom ring?" The answer is we don't have budget requirements! We can work with any budget, in some cases we may just have to give and take a bit in certain areas! Here are some budget friendly tips to help you design your dream ring no matter what the budget.
Learn your 4c's
Knowing what they mean and how to use them to your advantage is very important when choosing a diamond! Some clients for example, really care about color and are willing to give on clarity. Decide which of the 4c's are most important to you!
- Color: The color range of diamonds starts at D (colorless) and ranges all the way to Z (light). Anything ranging from D to F is graded as colorless. We recommend a diamond in the G to J range, the slightly warmer tone creates a difference in cost and to the untrained eye looks colorless.
- Clarity: Clarity grades how many inclusions are in your diamond. Ranging from flawless to included. Diamonds with slight inclusions can save you thousands of dollars in comparison to flawless diamonds.
- Cut: The cut is graded from excellent to fair. If sparkle is the most important thing (which let’s be real it always is) then we recommend staying as close to an excellent cut as possible. But if not, we can play around with the quality of the cut which in turn affects the cost.
- Carat: The amount that the diamond itself weighs. Think, if you have two people of the same weight but one is tall and one is short, the weight shows up differently. This is also true for diamonds. If you are looking for a 2ct diamond but don’t want to pay the 2ct price, look for a diamond that has the same table measurements as a 2ct but may actually weigh a little less.
Fluorescence
Roughly 30% of diamonds are naturally made with fluorescence. While some people view fluorescence as a defect, we are big fans of it over here. If your stone is a slightly warmer color but has fluorescence the diamond can actually appear to be more coloreless then it is actually is. This happens because the fluorescent glow and make the stone look a shade more coloreless then it actually is.
Consider shapes outside of Round Brilliants
While round brilliant cuts are the most popular, they are not necessarily the most cost effective. There are two reasons why round brilliant diamonds are more expensive than your other shapes. First, they are in the highest demand, and secondly because of the complex cuts on the round brilliant, part of the raw diamond is lost in creating that specific shape. And that is reflected in the supplier's cost reflects that.
A simple and classic setting is your friend! A simple setting will allow you to put more money towards the stone itself. A simpler setting can cost anywhere from $1,200 - $1,700 while a complex setting can cost anywhere from $2,000 - $4,000. By doing a simpler setting you are allowing room for a larger diamond.
Explore Gemstone Options
Gemstone engagement rings have become more and more popular and are a beautiful alternative if you want a larger center stone but your budget doesn't permit for a large diamond. From morganites, to tourmalines to sapphires the list goes on and we can explore all of your gemstone options during your appointment!
We are here for any of your custom engagement ring and diamond questions! Our goal is to design your dream ring. You can email hello@lpriorijewelry.com with any qurestions about the process!