Cheap Diamond Engagement Rings - Are Some Prices Too Good To Be Truth?



Posted: Thursday, January 21, 2010

by
Kirov Jewelry Studio

Cheap and jewelry are two ends that never meet. I am referring to genuine pieces made from precious metals and set with genuine stones. Fine jewelry is intended to be pricey; it is a form of concentrated wealth and statement of status. The materials included in fine jewelry are properly sorted and their costs barely flexible, so if the cost of the engagement ring is too good to be truth, it most probably is. It is good to work out first how cheap is cheap, and since people have different purchasing power this term is far from objective.

If you see price tag of $100 for a diamond engagement ring you would imagine it is cheap and mentally pair it with bargain. This is a good selling approach but is not entirely right; cheap - yes, bargain - definitely no. If you strip the markup from the price you will most probably end up with cost of $20 - 25 and this is not a bargain. Yes, you could get something that can be lawfully named diamond ring for the cost of $20. Thin mass finished shank comprising 1.3gr. of 10k gold set with 0.02ct. diamond of almost industrial quality and lot of visual tricks to make it look substantial. Bargain is a ring with cost much bigger than the markup. It is all in the proportions between these two values and the price itself is irrelevant.

Since it is hard for non specialist to work out the cost, the best is to make sure you compare similar products. The general term "diamond ring" covers every finger decoration with diamond on it. We have to dig deeper to have an objective evaluation point, and learn about type, weight and purity of precious metal (10k, 14k, Platinum, palladium etc.). We have to have the size and quality of the diamond including the frequently overlooked but very important cut and in the end have a close look on the design and craftsmanship. These are all the segments shaping the price of your ring. The Net is a handy way to compare costs and request quotation; still it is reassuring if the merchant clearly shows all of the above info next to each item. Diamond engagement rings are not cheap objects and the client deserves information about what exactly he is spending his hard earned cash for. It likewise indicates that the merchant is confident in the competitiveness of his price and proudly displays the ring particulars in order to prove it.

Another very important piece of information is often displayed in rather ambiguous way. I am talking about the so called total weight shortened to t.w. behind the carat weight. It is used for diamond rings with more than one diamond and there is nothing wrong with it, if the weight of the central stone is clearly disclosed. In most cases however, the weight comes merged, leaving to the client to guess what share of the total weight is main stone and what smalls, and this is if he manages at all to figure out what t.w. is. One carat of smalls has much lesser value than one carat of 1/2 carat diamonds and throwing these two values together leaves huge ground for misconception.

Cheap diamond engagement rings are not always cheap when properly assessed. Make sure you compare apples with apples and opt for the best value for money based choice.

Vasco Kirov is an experienced designer and master bench jeweler. His recently launched "palladium only" jewelry website contains additional information about diamond engagement rings and a remarkably well priced selection of them. Visit http://www.palladiumdiamondring.com

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