Eternity Rings – Selecting Quality
Eternity rings are the pinnacle in touching sentiment. By symbolizing the endless nature of love as well as the eternal circle of life, eternity rings have become popular gifts for nearly any occasion. Because of their increased popularity, the number of eternity rings on the market may be overwhelming when trying to select the perfect ring to give your loved one. If you are opting for diamond eternity rings, knowing the meanings behind the various diamond rating categories and scales can be vital to ensuring that you are not only getting the prettiest eternity rings for your money, but also the highest quality eternity rings for your investment.
First of Four C’s
The first of the Four Cs of diamond rating to consider with eternity rings is carat weight. The carat weight of the stone is determined by taking the overall gram weight of the stone and dividing it by .2. The resulting number is the total carat weight of the diamond. Because of the design itself of eternity rings, carat weight isn’t as important a factor as it would be in a solitaire diamond ring. Carat weight will come into play with eternity rings when selecting between full eternity rings, those with stones set around the entire band, or half eternity rings, having stones set only in the top side of the ring. Even is the size of the stones is identical between the two rings, the overall carat weight of the full ring will be nearly double that of the half ring. Carat weight in eternity rings will also affect the width of the ring since larger individual diamonds will increase the wideness of the band in which they are set. Higher carat weight eternity rings may also contain a larger number of diamonds set closely together instead of a smaller number spaced apart in the band.
Next Factor…
The next factor to consider in eternity rings is the cut of the diamonds. The higher quality of the cut of the diamonds, the more eternity rings will sparkle and shine in the light. Better quality cut eternity rings will be able to refract and reflect light better creating the ‘brilliant’ effect as it is commonly referred to. Lower quality cut diamond eternity rings may appear dull in comparison. Colour is also an important factor when it comes to buying diamond eternity rings. The more colourless a diamond is, the higher its value. While eternity rings set in yellow gold can actually handle lightly coloured diamonds that are lower in value, creating an overall appearance of warmth that some consumers prefer, platinum and white gold settings are best suited for diamonds closer to the true colourless rating.
Final Factor
The final factor to take into account when shopping for eternity rings is the clarity of the diamonds within the ring. A diamond rated higher on the clarity scale will contain less flaws or imperfections within the stone. Even diamonds further down on the rating scale may only have flaws or inclusions that are only visible under magnification, a quality that may not be an issue for some consumers that can also significantly reduce the price of the diamonds used in eternity rings.
Most Important
The most important thing to look for when shopping for eternity rings set with diamonds however, is not related to the Four C’s at all. Since eternity rings contain a much larger number of stones than most diamond rings, the most important feature to look for is consistency between the stones within eternity rings. Ideally, eternity rings will be set with diamonds close enough in all four categories of diamond ratings that they will all appear as close to identical as possible. This will be the most important component that will provide eternity rings with their streamlined and elegant appearance that has made them so popular over the years.