Best Tips for Saving Money on Diamond Shopping

Q: Is it safe to shop for diamonds online?

Absolutely! In fact, shopping for your diamond jewelry online can help you lower the cost of your jewelry. Since online jewelers aren't burdened with the expense of maintaining a physical store, they can make a profit at a lower price per item and ideally pass those savings on to you, the customer.

By: WC Editorial Team Read Time: 3 mins Buying Guides

September 11, 2023

Best Tips for Saving Money on Diamond Shopping

Jewelry shopping can always be stressful. Shopping for diamond jewelry can be especially daunting since diamonds are often purchased to celebrate significant life events. Always a popular choice for engagement rings, anniversary gifts, or simply to express your adoration, diamonds are both classic and increasingly popular. Despite generational changes in the popularity of many items, diamonds continue to be one of the most sought-after luxuries for all generations.

As with all precious gemstones, diamond jewelry can be a pricey investment. The cost and importance of this purchase can increase your stress levels. However, those in the know can buy diamond jewelry without breaking the bank.

Tips for Buying Diamond Jewelry within a Budget Important Considerations for Diamond Rings & Jewelry

Tips for Buying Diamond Jewelry within a Budget

Knowing what impacts the cost of a diamond gemstone can help you cut costs. Paying attention to the aspects of a diamond jewelry purchase you are most interested in can help you get a unique gemstone that provides everything you want. For example, both size (carat weight) and color can have a significant impact on the value of any particular diamond. You may be more interested in the size of the diamond you place in an engagement ring than in ensuring the gemstone is perfectly white in color. If so, you can save money by focusing on the size of gemstone you want and choosing a stone that, though spectacularly beautiful, isn't perfectly white.

Diamond Size

Educating yourself on how size impacts the cost of diamond gemstones can help you control the cost of a diamond purchase. When shopping for smaller diamond gemstones, you will notice a significant increase in the cost of the stone at .25 carats, .5 carats, and one-carat weight. When shopping for larger diamond gemstones, you will notice a significant jump in price every quarter of a carat. So, if you are able to find diamond gemstones slightly shy of these transition points, you can expect to save a reasonable amount on diamond gemstones despite little detectable difference in size.

Diamond Clarity

The clarity of your diamond gemstone greatly impacts how much it cost. If you are buying a diamond just for its value, this may mean you want a gemstone as close to perfect as you can afford. However, if your diamond purchase is more personal in nature, small imperfections may allow you to purchase the size of gemstone you are looking for while controlling cost. Buying a gemstone with small inclusions that are invisible to the naked eye can help you to stay within budget.

Diamond Shape

Consider the shape of the diamond gemstone you're buying. Some people insist on a round-cut diamond for their engagement ring. Because of this, you will find that round-cut diamonds are more expensive than oval-cut diamond gemstones with a similar weight, color, and clarity. By simply choosing an oval-cut diamond, you can reduce the cost of your diamond jewelry. An added bonus is that an oval-cut diamond will often appear larger than a round-cut diamond of similar carat weight. Choosing an oval-cut diamond allows you to get a more impressively sized diamond while remaining within budget.

Important Considerations for Diamond Rings & Jewelry

Shop Online

You may find diamond jewelry at a better price by shopping online. Brick-and-mortar jewelry stores have more overhead to cover than online jewelers. This allows online retailers to reduce the cost of their jewelry. Although you will want to make sure you are dealing with an online retailer you are comfortable with, there are often financial advantages to making your jewelry selection online.

Remember there may be seasonal sales and events that will allow you to control the cost of your jewelry purchase.

Learn First, Buy Later

Educate yourself about the “4cs” of diamond jewelry shopping. The cut, clarity, carat weight, and color of a diamond can all have a significant impact on its cost. Knowing how these characteristics impact the value of a diamond will give you the ability to make the best diamond purchase for you. For example, you may be surprised to find that even the slightest hint of color in a diamond gemstone can make a dramatic difference in its cost.

Choose a Lab Diamond

Consider choosing a lab-created diamond. If you are serious about buying stunning diamond jewelry without compromising your budget, consider buying a lab-created diamond. As you may know, many people are making this choice due to ethical concerns related to mined gemstones. However, whether or not this is part of your consideration, you can buy lab-created diamond jewelry for significantly less than mined diamond jewelry. This allows you to stay within budget without compromising the visual impact, durability, or dramatic beauty of your diamond jewelry choice.

Get Authentic Certification

Be sure the diamonds you select are certified by a renowned institute like The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or The International Gemological Institute (IGI).

Make sure you buy from a reputable company that offers easy returns. This is essential in case you find yourself unsatisfied with your jewelry selection.

Shop Diamond Jewelry

FAQs

At what carat weight does the price of the diamond rise?

The price of a diamond gemstone increases with the weight of the diamond. However, this isn’t done consistently. Diamonds will experience a jump in price at .5, .7, .9, and one carat. After a carat is reached the price of a diamond will increase significantly at every quarter carat. By avoiding these specific weights and buying a diamond slightly shy of the next carat increment, you can save greatly on your diamond’s cost.

Does the color affect the diamond price?

Yes, perfectly colorless diamonds are rare and therefore very costly. Although most diamonds will have a bit of color to them, you can actually control some of the costs of your diamond jewelry by purchasing diamonds that aren’t perfectly colorless.

Is it safe to shop for diamonds online?

Absolutely! In fact shopping for your diamond jewelry online can help you lower the cost of your jewelry. Since online jewelers aren't burdened with the expense of maintaining a physical store, they can make a profit at a lower price per item and ideally pass those savings on to you the customer.

What is more expensive round or oval diamonds?

Round diamonds do tend to be slightly more costly than oval and other shapes of diamonds due to their popularity. However, when choosing between a round and oval diamond, you should also consider that oval-cut diamonds tend to appear larger than round-cut diamonds and tend to exhibit more of the color of the stone.