The answer to this question depends on what is most important to you. If you want the best money can buy, you should look to buy a D color diamond. If you are looking for a combination of value and quality, then a G or H color diamond is probably what you want. If you need to save some money on your diamonds, then consider an I or J color. You can learn more about diamond color on our diamond education page. Just remember that diamond color is only one of the four C’s and you shouldn’t ignore the others in making your diamond purchase.
A check from my husband’s friend, and in the ‘for’ line, it said vasectomy
You can’t pick out your own wedding gifts but you can pick out a certified, ideal cut diamond which will last a lifetime. Save thousands at Desert Brilliance wholesale diamonds.
Upgrading a family heirloom ring can be a classic way to honor your family’s past while looking forward to a bright future with that special someone. You might want to use an antique setting and upgrade the diamond. Or you might have a family diamond that you would like to add to a new setting. Whatever you might want to do with your antique jewelry, we will do everything we can to help. Just contact us here and we can answer any questions you might have.
Everyone has their own reasons. Here are David Letterman’s!
10. Poconos offers newlyweds free room with champagne-glass Jacuzzi.
9. If I’m gonna catch Larry King, I’d better get going.
8. Still drunk from St. Patty’s, dude!
7. She needed a green card.
6. When you’re my age and look like I do, if someone says they’ll marry you, you do it.
5. Don’t have to listen to any more crap from that quack Dr. Phil.
4. I finally fit into my dream dress!
3. Free cake
2. Got tired of waiting for Paris Hilton
1. Figured at the least we’d get a mediocre Top Ten out of it.
Whatever your reason for getting married is, make sure to get the most for your money buy purchasing your engagement ring from Desert Brilliance.
No need to tell everyone the economy is down. Just turn on the news if you haven’t heard.
But that doesn’t mean that people stop getting married. So we thought we would share some ideas on how to save money on diamond engagement rings and diamond jewelry in a down economy.
1. Buy online. The number one way to save money on a diamond engagement ring is to buy online. Online jewelry retailers don’t have the overhead that brick and mortar retailers do. Those savings are passed directly on to you.
2. Weigh the metal choice. Do you really need platinum? If so go for it. If not, think about white gold. If you are going with white or yellow gold, consider selecting 14K gold instead of 18k gold. That will typically save you about 8-10%.
3. Pay attention to the table percentage and width to get a diamond that looks bigger than other diamonds of a comparable carat weight. We posted a blog about this a couple days ago.
4. Review the location of inclusions on the diamond grading report. Diamond clarity is a measurement of the number and size of inclusions (or dirty spots) in a diamond. The more inclusions and the larger they are, the lower the clarity grade. However, by paying attention to where the inclusions are, you may be able to purchase a diamond with a lower clarity grade without really giving up much in terms of noticeable quality. For example, a diamond with a clarity grade of VS1 may only have one inclusion. But if that inclusion is right in the middle of the diamond, it may be much more noticeable than a diamond with a clarity grade of SI2, if the inclusions in that diamond are around the edges of the diamond.
The art of diamond cutting or polishing dates back to medieval Europe when diamonds were not commonly used for jewelry. Because of its natural rough form and extreme density multiple cuts or “facets” are required to realize a diamond’s dispersion commonly known as fire. The ability to make precision cuts progressed over time and was not perfected until the 1900’s. The original round brilliant design was created by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919 who’s mathematical model doubled the amount of light and fire output. Tolkowsky’s design has been the basis for all modern diamond designs. His technique has been refined by computer technology for even more precise facet cutting and brilliance.
The culet is the point on the bottom of the diamond and is sometimes cut to make a small facet. A diamond grading report will reveal the existence of a culet facet. When viewing a diamond from the top, or table, the culet facet may be visible making it less popular in modern ideal cuts. This and other important diamond characteristics contribute or detract from overall value and should be examined before making a purchase in order to verify quality.
It has been ten years since my wife and I were married. Although I had never heard of Rhodium Plating until I got into the diamond jewelry industry I am glad I finally did. I recently had my jeweler perform the Rhodium Plating on both of our white gold rings. My wife also had some bent prongs from chasing our children around all day. I just picked them up this morning and was extremely impressed! My ring I thought had been replaced it looked so good. When my wife looked at her ring she was as happy as the day I gave it to her. The prongs were perfect, the white gold looked brand new, and the diamonds had more “fire” than I had remembered.
Our jeweler never seems to disappoint me or any one of our customers! My only hurdle now is getting her to let me upgrade the diamond. She has serious sentimental attachment to her ring but being our ten year anniversary I really want to put a “nice rock” in its place. I am pretty sure I will reach my goal of an upgrade soon but it will require me to set the old diamond into a beautiful pendant. I can’t wait to pull it off I know she will love it! If you are interested in this process follow the link for more information. If you would like to have your white gold ring Rhodium Plated send me an e-mail and we will set it up! jared@desertbrilliance.com
I’ve heard of being excited about getting married, but this lady has this guy completely wrapped around her finger. He breaks out into hallelujahs in the middle of the wedding ceremony. Give this video just a few seconds and you will be laughing out loud.
This is a question we get a lot and one that we understand. When you buy diamond jewelry online, you don’t get to touch it and look at it from every angle before buying. However, the real benefit of buying diamond jewelry online is the significant price savings that are available along with a corresponding increase in quality. But the secret to obtaining those savings is to make sure you are comparing apples to apples, as the quote goes. It is imperative that you know the characteristics of the diamond you are purchasing.
One of our customer’s recent experiences shows just what I am talking about. This customer found a ring that his girlfriend loved and was what she always wanted at Ben Bridge Jeweler®. The ring was a one carat platinum ring with a one carat princess cut diamond and sidestones totaling 3/8 of a carat. The ring was priced at $7,495. However, they didn’t say anything about the characteristics of the center stone. After pressing them, our customer finally was able to find out that the diamond had an H color (which is not bad), but had a clarity grade of I2 (which means that there were large carbon spots in the diamond that would have been noticeable to the naked eye). Based on a comparable diamond and the same setting, we could have sold our customer the same ring for around $4,800, a savings of almost $2,700. Our customer was amazed to learn of the extra money he almost spent for nothing. Having already saved the $7,500 to purchase a ring, our customer decided to significantly upgrade the center stone to a F color and VS1 clarity at a total cost of $7,015. So he got a much better ring and still saved almost $500.
We encourage you to compare our prices on certified diamonds with those of other retailers. We specialize in providing the highest quality diamonds at “rock” bottom prices. (Pun intended!)
A diamond inclusion is any flaw in the interior of a diamond, such as dirt or carbon that did not form into a diamond. The number and size of inclusions is one of the factors that determines a diamond’s clarity, which is one of the four C’s of a diamond. The number and size of inclusions directly affects the price of a diamond.
A diamond grading report or diamond certificate includes an illustration of the type and location of the inclusions contained within a specific diamond. Because most people are not trained to be able to spot the inclusions, even under a high powered microscope, it is essential to only purchase diamonds that come with a diamond grading report or diamond certificate so that you know what you are purchasing.
You should also beware of “enhanced diamonds.” These are diamonds where a laser or other type of tool has been used to remove inclusions in a diamond. To learn more about enhanced diamonds, you can click here.
At Desert Brilliance, we are proud to offer high quality certified diamonds at exceptional prices. Discover the brilliance of a beautiful diamond at DesertBrilliance.com.
The four C’s of diamonds are color, cut, clarity and carat weight. Each of these characteristics affect the price of a diamond. However, sometimes we are asked which characteristic affects diamond price the most. This question is a bit hard to answer in the abstract because color, cut and clarity have a fixed range or scale, whereas carat size could potentially be limitless with a rough 500 carat diamond recently unearthed. (Click here for a video on this magnificent diamond.) So, for example, a two carat diamond is obviously going to be significantly more expensive than a half carat diamond, which probably makes carat size the characteristic that most affects diamond prices.
However, ignoring carat size, the other three characteristics would probably be ranked in the order of color, clarity and then cut with color being the characteristic that most affects value. The better the color grade of a diamond (click here to learn more about diamond color), the more it affects price. So changing from one color grade to another will have a greater effect on price than changing from one clarity grade to the next highest. The next most important characteristic is clarity. And then cut will have the least effect. Interestingly, however, the cut of the diamond is the characteristic that will most affect its fire and brilliance. (Click here to learn how a diamond’s cut affects the fire and brilliance of a diamond.)
If you have any other questions, we would always be glad to help. You can reach us here. At Desert Brilliance, we offer the finest certified diamonds for spectacular diamond rings and diamond jewelry.
The four C’s of diamonds are clarity, color, cut and carat weight. Answering the question of which of these is most important depends on whom you ask. For example, some people just want the biggest diamond they can get, so carat weight is going to be the most important to those people.
However, if you are looking for a diamond that will sparkle with fantastic fire and brilliance, you should be more concerned about the cut of a diamond. A diamond’s cut determines its proportions. The fire and brilliance that are characteristic of diamonds are created by a diamond capturing light (mostly through the top or table of the diamond), separating that light into its different color lengths and reflecting the light back out. A diamond cut to the wrong proportions will leak light out the sides or bottom. (Click here to view an illustration of how a diamond’s cut reflects light.) A well-cut diamond will reflect back almost all of the light that it captures, which creates that sparkle that everyone wants.
Every wonder where diamonds come from? Some of them may have come from outer space. A type of diamond found in Africa and South America known as a carbonado may have extraterrestrial origins. Carbonado diamonds are black in appearance and so hard they cannot be cut into jewelry shapes. These diamonds are so tough that the only way to break one is using a 20-ton hydraulic press. Traditional diamonds are made of carbon and were formed millions of years ago beneath the surface of the earth. Volcanic eruptions and other seismic activity brought the rough crystals to the earth’s surface where they are harvested. Carbonados on the other hand are believed to have been deposited on earth by asteroid impacts after having been formed in intrastellar galaxies many light years away. The core of some stars is believed to be made of crystallized carbon, the largest of which is a multi-trillion carat black diamond in the center of a star found in the constellation Cenaurus. When one of these stars explodes, it sends carbonado crystals all over the universe. The black diamonds found on earth are quite possibly older than the earth itself.
One of the most popular services we offer is our diamond upgrade for a diamond ring. Often times, two people fall in love when they are younger and can’t afford the diamond that they would both like to have. They settle for a smaller one because that is all the budget will allow, but they agree that some time in the future, they will upgrade the diamond. The future is now with our FREE diamond ring upgrade service.
With this fabulous free service, we will replace an existing diamond on a diamond ring with an upgraded diamond. You simply purchase the upgraded diamond, and we will set it in your setting free of charge. The new diamond could be the same cut as the original, or you might try something new like an asscher or emerald cut diamond for your ring. You may also want to add an anniversary band at the same time for something extra special.
We then use the diamond from the ring to make a diamond pendant for a necklace. Again at no cost to you. You can select either 18K white gold or 18K yellow gold with either a three-prong or four-prong setting. That way you can keep the existing diamond as a remembrance of the love you shared when you were younger.
The process generally takes about 7-10 business days. If you find out about this service too late to take advantage of it for Valentine’s Day or your anniversary, just send us an email and we will prepare a custom certificate that you can give to that special someone and then you can upgrade the diamond afterward. (By the way guys, this is usually easier and can incite less panic than taking a ring without telling her what you are doing with it.)
If you would be interested in finding out more about our diamond upgrade service, just send us an email at questions@desertbrilliance.com. We can give you more details or answer any questions.
(Please note that the chain for the pendant is not included, but can be purchased separately. A platinum setting for the pendant is also available for an additional charge.)
Has anyone ever tried to sell you an “enhanced” diamond? Chances are that it will happen to you. Stay away! Diamond enhancement is a very vague term used by retailers to disclose to the consumer that a diamond has been treated or altered from its natural state. A diamond’s value and visual quality depends on its naturally occurring characteristics. Diamonds with fewer flaws are worth substantially more money than blemished stones. Some jewelers will alter a diamond from its natural condition in order to inflate the quality. Some treatments are clarity enhancements or drilling out imperfections, color grade improvements, and fracture filling. Most of the diamonds that undergo this process were of poor gemological quality to begin with and would be difficult to sell. Diamond treatments can affect the structural integrity of the diamond and some high pressure/high temperature treatments leave scars called treatment lines on the stone. All of these treatments are required to be disclosed to the consumer; however, a small “enhanced” label is all you are likely to see. The bottom line is you will never know the full extent of the damage to the diamond and it may break or fade in the future. You are not getting a good deal when buying an enhanced diamond. Do not buy an enhanced diamond!
When choosing a diamond make sure it has never been modified or altered by any unnatural process. High quality diamonds are sold in their natural condition. Choose a diamond that is accompanied by a diamond grading report or certificate to verify all of its naturally occurring characteristics. These diamonds will always look superior and retain their long term value. The best choice will always be a high quality unmodified diamond.
About 1 in 8 people will have an allergic reaction to white gold. But it usually isn’t the gold in white gold that causes the allergy. Pure gold is naturally bright yellow in color. White gold gets its white color because it is really an alloy (a mixture of metals) that contains gold and some other white metals, usually nickel to give it a white color. (The gold alloy is usually then rhodium plated to give it a shiny whitish-silver appearance. The rhodium is also more scratch resistant than the gold alloy.) It is usually the nickel that most people are allergic to in white gold. The allergy can be worse with 14K white gold than 18K gold. This is because there is more non-gold metal alloy in 14K white gold than 18K white gold.
So what are your choices if you are the 1 in 8 that has an allergic reaction to white gold? Yellow gold is one option. Yellow gold typically doesn’t include any nickel, so individuals with a nickel allergy won’t usually have a problem with yellow gold. But it you prefer the look of white gold, then platinum is the metal for you. Platinum is significantly more dense than gold, so it is more scratch resistant and will retain its shine for longer, although platinum is also more expensive than gold.
This guy probably used up all of his luck in one day. First he gets to “Come on Down!” Then he actually gets on stage. Then he spins the big wheel and proposes to his fiancee. During all this, the big wheel lands on $1.00 so he gets a thousand bucks. Then he wins the whole kit-and-kaboodle at the end. What a day! (Not quite sure what he was doing trying to balance the ring on his nose, but I’ll give the guy a pass on that one.)
Desert Brilliance takes the safety of your information very seriously. We
utlize the talents of the following companies and agencies to assist us with that task:
