Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend

Thank goodness it is finally Friday! I am so ready for a relaxing and productive weekend at home, and hope you all have some fun things planned! I got invited to go play with beautiful diamonds and jewels earlier this week with Diamonds Direct! It was so much fun, and I can’t believe I got to do that as part of my blogging job! I am still pinching myself! There were so many gorgeous pieces that I wanted to share with you all, especially since right now it is their Summer Showcase where you can get 20% off from July 23rd to August 2nd!! Diamonds really are a girl’s best friend!

It is the perfect time to go treat yourself or your significant other to some bling! If you are someone who recently got engaged, the local Kansas City store is also partnering with local wedding vendors and will have a wedding planning station, so you can get assistance with anything you need for your wedding! Diamonds are perfect for any occasion though as well: anniversary, birthday, just for a special surprise, etc…!

Matt and I went in on Wednesday evening and browsed the store here, located over in Leawood, and were so impressed with the selection for both women AND men! He actually lost his wedding band several months ago somewhere in our home, and was browsing the men’s section and stated how many choices there are! Also, we felt completely safe, as everyone had masks(they even provide disposable ones if you forget yours), had a sanitation station, and everyone was social distancing.

The Diamond Direct Difference

A couple things set Diamonds Direct apart from your typical jewelry store. One major thing is that they actually started with just loose diamonds and eventually started carrying more pieces and opening brick and mortar stores across the country. With all that being said, they have a HUGE selection of loose stones, so you are able to find your perfect diamond that fits within your specific budget! They really do have something for everyone! They also have lots of special occasion and more fashion and trendy pieces too. I found several bands and earrings that were more of a fashion statement, but still classic enough that you would wear them for years!

The diamonds are also all ethically sourced, and they are involved in the entire diamond process, from handpicking them, polishing and cutting them and finally the end result that we all see in store. You can make appointments to shop with someone in store that will help to educate you and make sure you find exactly what you are looking for!

A few other amazing differences that I had not seen before are that they guarantee the lowest prices, so if you find a diamond within 100 days of your purchase that is matched with the same certification results, but a lower price, Diamonds Direct will match the price for you. My favorite though is the 110% lifetime upgrade! You can upgrade your engagement diamond, solitaire diamond pendant, or diamond studs for a different quality or shape up to 110% of your original purchase and you only pay the difference over that! You can also trade in any time you want!

Diamond Education

Now for a little diamond education for y’all! I am sure that most people have heard of the “Five C’s” when it comes to diamonds, and they are super important! These determine quality and price of a diamond, so you want to be educated on these when you are shopping to make sure you are getting the quality you want.

My husband grew up with his Step-Mom who actually is a jewelry designer and made my wedding ring and bands that my husband designed himself, so HE educated ME on the Five C’s when we started looking at engagement rings years ago! He knows his stuff and is somewhat of a “jewelry snob”, so when it comes to fine jewelry, he only gets me the best!

The Five C’s

Cut

Cut is the most important of these when it comes to the actual brilliance, or sparkle and shine of the diamond. Don’t mistake this for the shape of the diamond, but it is the proportions and finish of the diamond. The cut has a scale that the diamond is graded on from excellent to poor and takes into account the diamond’s brightness, weight ratio, polish, and symmetry. If you want your diamond to sparkle like no other, you want to make sure you have an excellent cut! This also factors into the actual price of the diamond, as the better cut it is, the higher the price.

Carat Weight

Carat weight is what so many people are familiar with without even really knowing it, since this determines the actual size of the diamond, and refers to how much the diamond weighs. This is also a huge factor in price, as a .5 carat diamond will cost much less than a 6 carat diamond. The stone shape will also make a difference, as a round will typically look smaller than a cushion cut diamond of the same exact carat weight.

Color

Color is how white a diamond actually appears and the scale ranges from colorless(the most expensive) to light yellow(the least expensive). It starts at D on the scale and goes all the way to Z. D, E, and F color diamonds are your colorless or highest quality diamonds. G, H, I, and J are near colorless, with each getting a little darker or yellow toned as they go up in the alphabet. K, L, and M are faint color. N, O, P, Q, and R are very light colored, while S through Z are light. When you see the stones next to each other of the different colors, you can tell right away which are more white or colorless. My husband said when he was picking out my diamond, he had two that the jeweler brought out and one was larger but higher in color on the alphabet scale. The one he chose was a bit smaller than the other, but the color was so white and colorless that it just sparkled and outshone the other bigger diamond by far!

Clarity

Clarity refers to the purity of the diamond. The majority of diamonds have very small, natural marks that are called inclusions. The number of inclusions, their size, nature, and location affect the diamond’s clarity grade. The scale ranges from flawless to included. The more inclusions in the diamond, the less it will be able to return light and sparkle, but it will be less expensive than a diamond with no inclusions or hardly any. After flawless, you have “Very Very Slightly Included”, which are a scale of VVS1 or VVS2. The next is “Very Slightly Included” which are a scale of VS1 and VS2. Then comes “Slightly Included”, which are a scale of SI1, SI2, and SI3. Last, is “Included”, which is a scale of I1, I2, and I3. You can often hide very very slight or very slight inclusions with prongs on the band setting, so you may be able to find a diamond for a little less expensive, but still great quality with a trick like that.

Certification

You definitely want to make sure that your diamond is certified. This is done by an independent laboratory which gives a completely objective grading of the above “C’s” so you have your exact diamond measurements, proportions, cut, clarity, color, and carat weight. This is important for insurance purposes should anything happen to your diamond! Diamonds Direct does a complimentary appraisal on any diamond purchase so you have it for your records and insurance purposes as well to make sure you are covered for the value of the diamond.

I hope you loved learning about diamonds and looking at some of the beautiful pieces I tried as much as I did writing this! Did you learn anything new? Let me know in the comments! Also, you can check to see if you have a Diamonds Direct location near you by clicking here and you can also shop online!