Here’s some timely advice about buying diamond engagement rings and checking your budget, brought to you by affordable diamond solitaire rings.

According to reported average, an engagement ring costs anywhere from $100-500, but you can still buy one for a few hundred dollars …

… or a few million dollars depending on your budget.

Think of your  engagement ring  as a sublime symbol of the life-long marriage that you are equally committed to building. It may be a budgeting catastrophe, or it can be a well thought out one.

As a starting point, Jewelers would like you to take the average  cost of an engagement ring , which is two months of a man’s salary, and move up from there. Most young couples probably should put their money into their shared finances instead of investing in a ring, wedding or a party.

That being said, an engagement ring, when thoughtfully planned for and accounted for, may actually turn out to be a good investment, if you give the decision careful thought as you would give any large investment.

If you plan to invest $100 to $500 in a single piece of jewelry, you’ll want to make sure that what you’re getting is going to withstand normal wear and tear without losing its value. Make sure you insure your diamond as real property, since  diamonds  are lost everyday, whether they are stolen, accidentally buried in the garden, or lost down a sink or toilet. Well for that matter, swallowed by a little baby, cooked into a casserole, for a church gathering or anything else.

Protect your investment with insurance, if you want to spend a lot lot of money on a ring and it is an investment to you, treat it like one and insure it.

If you’re on a limited budget, opt for sterling silver instead of gold and semiprecious stones instead of diamonds. If it comes to choosing a ring that both parties love and feel the power and expresses the passion of their relationship, the costly route of diamonds, gold and platinum are unnecessary Ruminate on the fact that many options are open to you, each one having pros and cons, and each demanding to be considered with care by a new couple.

If you and your fiance choose to follow the spending guidelines, the 3,000 to 4,500 range allows you many options and varieties of rings.

By choosing a high-quality simulated diamond or any of the diamond substitute minerals, you can get as much shine and visual appeal, as well as strength and durability, as a real diamond but in a bigger stone and a richer and more elaborate setting in a stronger metal than gold.

Maybe the alternative to purchase could be a stone that is not a diamond. You can look into the likelihood of commissioning a specialized jewelry style to produce an entirely unique ring: an employment of an artist

Do not let yourself be constrained by the social "norms" or concepts of "typical" when you finally settle on marriage. Consider how precious your married life is to you when making these decisions. The foundation of a strong marriage begins early and will ensure that the relationship lasts longer than the shine of a  wedding ring .

For more please see cheaper emerald cut rings and affordable princess cut engagement rings.

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Organize a special gift for your loved one this christmas with a unique piece of jewelry, maybe a wedding ring if you are tying the knot at this time of year, engraved with a special and very personal message.

Today there are no bounds. Technology seems to be shifting and shaping anew every day. Today, if you can imagine it, you can design it and make it. Yet, technology isn’t just for science.It  can also be used in the name of art. New art can spring forth with the help of technology. And just the same, a jeweler can bring new detail to his or her creations. Jewelry engraving has become a new and interesting way to make jewelry more special. Any and every detail is shapeable with modern technology.

Today you can do things with jewelry you never could do before. Of course there was engraving of jewelry before lasers, though older methods by hand were more difficult.

 And of course, depending on the size of script, detail was lost due to the limits of the human eye. Though there is beautiful jewelry made in any age, today’s pieces have moved to new levels. Laser engraving a message or name is easy today. There was the risk of mistakes in engraved jewelry by hand. It would be a shame to have a spelling error engraved forever on your favorite necklace. Or worse, the hand engraving was not efficient or deep enough and the message fades after only a few short years.

With laser technology, these faults are avoidable. By using computers to choose the strength of the laser, and directing the laser to carve the exact message in the exact script desired, your jewellery will always be reliably perfect. That is what makes engravings performed by laser preferred over other methods of personalizing jewelry, because it is reliable, efficient, and allows for detail.

In this day and age, there are many ways to personalize a gift. And yet, when on the topic of jewellery, laser technology is the best idea for special  personalized gifts For jewelry stores and jewelry buyers alike, laser technology is a more sought choice because of its reliability and constant advancements. It s a golden opportunity for technology of the future.

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There are a few things that you want to think about when you are trying to find an engagement band, and which will be discussed here in more detail to help ensure that you find that most perfect engagement band for you.

How to Choose An Engagement  Band

So you want to choose an engagement band, well there are a few details in particular that you are going to want to really take seriously and consider here. For one, you are going to need to think about the setting for the engagement band. If it is a band for a woman it is usually more detailed whereas if it is for a man, it will typically just be a plain band because most men do not want diamonds or any other embellishment on a ring that they are going to be wearing around.

You are going to have to make one major decision which is what metal you want to have the band made out of. It depends on the person what he prefers? There is also platinum which looks like silver but a bit whiter and which is considered to be of a better quality. It is completely up to you what you want the engagement band to look like, and keep in mind that a lot of people prefer to have their engagement band go with their wedding band, so that they can wear them together.

One of the most common mistakes that people make when they are trying to choose an engagement band is they assume that the man and woman’s bands have to go together when this is not always the case. An individual can present his wife a silver band and select gold band for himself.

This is one of the most important decisions that you are ever going to have to make and so you really want to take your time and make sure that you are making the right decision here. One will wear this through out the life.

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Although some wedding rings are sold as matching sets, the vast majority of grooms will wear a ring that compliments but does not completely match the wedding band for the bride. There are many different styles of wedding rings for men that are stylish yet definitely masculine as well as a perfect match for the bridal set.

One of the options for men’s wedding bands that are decisively masculine but also a great match for the woman’s wedding rings is to look for a simple and elegant design. A band that is plain works with any design of wedding rings, however adding scrolls, patterns or accents can also work very well.

Tungsten rings for men are very popular because the metal itself is virtually indestructible and simply will not scratch, tarnish or become damaged under almost any type of condition. These wedding rings are typically a silver color, however they are so reflective and flawless they almost appear to have a mirrored finish.

Not all tungsten wedding rings are silver however; there are ionization processes that allow tungsten to be permanently molecularly altered to become a dark, deep black color. This color of band is very popular for many couples and provides a striking looking wedding ring.

Tungsten carbide, because of its unique metal properties, can also be combined with other metals to make inlay patterns. Often yellow gold is used for a very unique option in wedding rings; however silver can also be used. Since silver doesn’t reflect light the same as tungsten, a pattern or inlayed design is produced.

For more elaborate and ornate patterns that are still very masculine you may wish to consider the Greek keys pattern, which is very traditional. Celtic designs that show eternity and endlessness are wonderful additions to wedding rings.

Even without a pattern you can still add a unique look to men’s or women’s wedding rings through the type of finish on the metal of the band. Most rings, including those made of tungsten, will come in the traditional polished look but also in a satin or brushed finished for a more subtle finish.

Finishes themselves can be used to create a subtle pattern. This happens because different finishes reflect light differently, creating a design. Gold and silver rings will eventually wear, reducing the visibility to the pattern over time, but tungsten rings will not.

Taking the time to look through the selection of wedding rings for men that will match with the bridal set is important. Although you may be tempted to buy the first wedding rings you see, it is really a great idea to look at all that is available before making a final decision.

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In North America the oldest and most famous diamond mine is the Crater of Diamonds. It is located in Murfreesboro, Arkansas. In 1906, John Wesley Huddleston bought the land for farming purposes and noticed two small stones in the bottom of a bucket of feed. He sent the stones to a Little Rock Jeweler who then sent them to Tiffany’s in New York. They were certified as gem quality. John then sold the property to some people in Little Rock for $36,000.

De Beers Consolidated Mines are located in several African countries. The company was founded in 1888 and today it is comprised of rough diamond exploration, mining and trading companies. The De Beers companies make up about 40% of the world’s diamond production.

The Kimberley Diamond Mines are known worldwide and are located in the town of Kimberley, South Africa. In 1866 Erasmus Jacobs discovered a small stone by the Orange River. It turned out that is stone was a 21.25 carat diamond. In 1871 a 83.5 carat diamond was found on the slopes of Colesberg Kopje and this led to the first diamond rush in the area.

The Williamson Diamond Mine, which is also known as the Mwadui Mine is located in Tanzania. It became the first significant mine that was located outside of South Africa. The mine was established in in 1940 by Canadian geologist, Dr. John Williamson. It is an operating pit mine and mainly produces diamond carats.

The Premier Diamond Mine located in Transvaal, South Africa is one of the most famous mines and is known throughout the world. This mine was found to be a huge volcanic chimney of diamondiferous earth. It is shaped like a pear and covers about 80 acres. It is situated on a level plateau at an elevation of about two hundred feet.

The Ekati Diamond Mine is Canada’s first diamond mine. It is located near Lac de Gras and is about 200km south of the Arctic Circle. It is a joint venture between BHP Billiton Diamonds and the two geologists who discovered the kimberlite pipes in that area. It is only accessible by air except for 10 weeks each year when it can be reached by icy roads.

The Kollur Diamond Mine is located in Guntur District Golkonda, India. It is one of the most productive mines in India and was the first major diamond center. It was operated between the sixteenth and mid nineteenth centuries. The Indian mines were eventually depleted and the diamond center shifted to Brazil where new diamond pipes were discovered.

These are just a few of the more famous diamond mines known today. Diamonds have a very interesting history and also a very bright future.

Article from DanforthDiamond.com, a leading authority on loose diamonds, diamond engagement rings and fine jewelry. Danforth Diamond provides wisdom and advice to help you choose the right ring at the right price. Visit DanforthDiamond.com or call 877.404.RING

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For any guy out there who is shopping for a gold ring as an engagement ring, you should realize that you are not a bad guy if you put some time and effort into finding a yellow or white gold ring for the best price.

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This does not mean that you are cheap, it just means that you are being smart and that you are really making the right move by saving money on a ring if you can.

As long as you get a quality ring and make sure that you choose a style and setting that she is going to love then there is no need to worry. There are some tips that will make sure you get your gold ring for the best price.

Gold Ring: Learn What is Out There

If you want to get your gold ring for the best price, then learning what is out there and available to you is going to be your first step. If you want to get a gold ring for a great price, find out not only about the different jewelry stores that are around in your area, but also the online stores.

Shopping online may just be the best thing that you do in fact, because there is such a vast selection of stores to choose from, and often you are able to get great savings when you shop online as opposed to in person because many of these stores are only online stores and so they don t have to pay overhead costs.

The savings which they get is passed on to the customer by giving discounts on the jewelry prices.

Gold Ring: Do Some Comparison Shopping

Remember, you are never going to be able to get your gold ring for the best price if you do not take the time to do some comparison shopping. This is crucial and is a step that most people actually skip over, whether they realize that they are doing so or not. To do this, you just have to figure out at least a basic type of ring that you are interested in getting, and then compare the prices on this type of ring from one jewelry store to the next.

This way you get to see what each has to offer and are always going to make sure that you are getting the very best price on your jewelry pieces because there is no point in paying more if you don’t have to.

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One of the most difficult parts of the whole engagement is to get the perfect engagement ring

Men are not used to picking out rings, and when they have to pick out this ring, the most important that the woman will ever get, of course that is a lot put on their shoulders.

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Anyone can purchase the right engagement ring by following these tips.

How to Choose Engagement Ring

There are a few things that you want to take into consideration when you go to choose an engagement ring. A person must have the knowledge of ring size of his beloved. This is important because you are really not going to be able to decide on any engagement ring until you know the size of her finger.

You can find this out easily enough and without letting her know that anything is going on, by taking a look at the rings that she has now one day while she is not in the house. This way you are not only going to get to figure out what ring size she has, but as well you can see what style of rings she likes to help you with the decision in your case.

Also for choosing an engagement ring you are going to need to figure out what setting or mountings the diamond should be in. There are a few different settings that you can choose from, the prong being one of the most popular. The prong is a great choice for one because it holds the diamond or other gemstone in place securely. However there is a downside to this setting which is that the prongs often get caught on clothing and other items and this can be annoying.

Then there is also the princess cut engagement ring setting which is another of the most popular, and this setting is really the best one to show off the ring and have the diamond look as large and brilliant as possible.

These are all important things that any guy going to buy a ring to propose to his girlfriend is going to want to think about seriously. This is the most important day of your life, and of course you want to have everything go just right so you need to take your time and put effort in here to make sure that you do this.

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While some people find inspiration in religious scripture, others have more secular messages that motivate and comfort them.

Adding an inspirational message to a gift of jewelry is a wonderful way to let someone know that you care about them by providing a constant message of hope and affirmation. Everyone has his or her own unique inspiration, adding yours to jewelry will personalize and customize your next jewelry gift.

With a touch of creativity, inspirational jewelry can include rings, and necklaces that carry your special message. The Bible is a common source of meaninful phrases. Personalized necklace pendants, rings, bracelets and charms can be mementos that are treasured and passed down through the years. While any metal can be used for these pieces, silver and gold are the most common and popular. Typically the choice of metal will depend on what type of jewelry the person wears on a regular basis. Some people have a specific preference for silver or gold, but many others wear both metals and sometimes wear them together.

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Choosing the message you want to include in a piece of inspirational personalized jewelry is a very personal decision. You’re obviously not limited to a spiritual message. You can use any phrase or words, even those that only have meaning to you. Some positive and affirming messages such as “I love you” or “You are a friend” can also be inspiring and very meaningful as additions to personalized rings, necklaces, pendants and bracelets. Other common themes include symbols of love, peace, courage, and hope. Crosses and hearts have long been seen as both inspiration and spiritual symbols used on a variety of types of jewelry from wedding bands to graduation rings and pendants.

Designing a unique inspirational piece of jewelry can start by browsing through online websites or even just looking through jewelry stores in your area. With the wide variety of online shopping options you may be able to find just want you want without having to design it yourself. You can also use these sites for inspiration yourself, choosing the features of different types of jewelry to develop just what you are hoping to achieve with your own design.

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Often just a small twist on an old classic can take engagement rings in a completely new direction, making them unique and original without straying too far from the traditional. Brides that want a slightly different look for engagement rings that match their personal taste and style have lots of options to consider, even to buld your own.

The traditional diamond with a modern twist

Diamond engagement rings offer a wide range of customization options. Most high quality jewelry stores and diamond merchants now offer the possibility of matching particular diamonds with settings, rather than buying the diamond already set in the band.

There are different types of diamonds on the market today. Although people typically think of diamonds as dazzlingly brilliant clear stones, there are also colored diamonds as well. Pink, brown, yellow and even blue or green diamonds are possible. Many of the colored or fancy diamonds are enhanced through laboratory processes while the true deep colored diamonds are very rare and very expensive .

The color of the diamond can also be enhanced by the particular cut that is used. Cuts that have several different facets or sides are more likely to reflect light into the center of the diamond, creating the movement of light through the stones on engagement rings. This naturally draws the eye as well as adds depth to the gem .

Since the color of the diamond in engagement rings can be enhanced by the reflection of light by the cut, selecting the right cut is important. One of the newer favorites in diamond cuts is the emerald cut. This is a more rectangular shape with squared off corners and longer stepped type facets that reflect a lot of light into the center of the stone .

Emerald cut diamond

Emerald cut diamond engagement rings are both traditional as well as very modern. Since the stone has the unique stepped faceting it tends to reflect light deep within the center, really bringing attention to the ring itself. A simple band often enhances the beauty of this cut.

Engagement rings aren’t all about the size of the diamond, the overall design is just as important. Bands that curve, interlock or fit into each other are perfect as engagement rings and later as matching wedding rings. Some rings allow for bands over and under the engagement rings, adding a whole new dimension to the wedding set.

Thinking modern for engagement rings may also include looking back over ring designs of the past. Many of the art deco or estate types of engagement rings make terrific examples of how an old classic can become a modern fashion trend in wedding jewelry.

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Choosing custom wedding rings is to a large degree, admittedly, a subjective affair. You either like the look or you don’t

But when adding in factors of cost, durability and the like, it’s helpful to be aware of some objective criteria used by the pros. You’ll want your personalized ring choice to be a good one. Fine personalized jewelry is not something you want to buy uninformed.

WEIGHT

Custom wedding rings are often made of gold which is measured in karats (not carats). This is an indication of the purity, rather than a measure of the weight or the size. Rings made of 14k gold actually consist of 14/24 pure gold which makes it about 58% pure. Platinum’s purity hase a measurement scale between 900 and 950 out of 1000. That means a 950Pt band is 95% platinum.

Note that the remainder is often comprised of chemically similar though equally valuable metals. Lower numbers are possible, too, but won’t usually be found in quality wedding bands.

A diamond, by contrast, is measured in carats (ct), ranging from near zero and up. 1 carat = 200 mg, a measure of mass. Anything less than about 1/8th of a carat (sometimes 1/4 ct, by some experts) is considered a ‘chip’. Partly, the reason is the difficulty of faceting and polishing such a small stone in order to bring out a diamond’s effects.

Note that technically, a ‘chip’ is any diamond which isn’t fully faceted or properly shaped. They can result from accidents or the crystal structure that makes cutting and polishing nearly impossible. This becomes more difficult the smaller the stone. So, most chips are in the range stated.

The largest single gem-quality diamond ever found is the Cullinan, which tipped the scales at about 3,106 carats. It was cut down into the egg-shaped stone that sits in the scepter of England, itself about 525 carats.

But there are many other factors that influence the cost and look of a fine diamond intended to sit in an engagement ring or wedding band.

CLARITY

A diamond is judged by professionals on how ‘clear’ it is, and the stone is then placed into a category.

FL, IF Flawless, or Internally Flawless represents the highest grade in this area. Such stones are extremely rare and hence invariably very expensive.

VVS1, VVS2 These ratings represent a diamond which is only ‘very very slightly included’. ‘Included’ means, essentially, occluded or cloudy. Inclusions of non-diamond material or structure are responsible for lack of perfect clarity. These stones are acutally of very high quality despite this rather foreboding word. The flaws can only barely be seen under 10x magnification.

VS1, VS2 Very Slightly Included ratings represent high quality stones. No flaw is visible to the naked eye.

SI1, SI2 Slightly Included gems contains flaws that are visible under 10x magnification and may just barely be seen by those with very sharp eyes. Beyond having good eyesight, though, one needs to know what to look for. Generally, non-experts won’t notice much of anything.

I1, I2, I3 These are mediocre quality stones that may still look very nice. But they have visible flaws when one looks closely that will reduce the brilliance of the stone’s appearance.

COLOR

Beyond the degree of clarity, diamonds – though usually thought of as clear or ‘white’ – can come in any of hundreds of colors. Fashions change and in one era what might be considered a flaw will be highly valued by the next generation. The color is produced by small ‘impurities’ mixed into the carbon structure that makes up diamond.

A 200-carat blue diamond in the Smithsonian (the Hope Diamond), for example, is valued not only for its unusually large size. Its rare and pure color is also a significant factor.

Blue, pink and yellow are among the most common colors found in ring stones.

D stones are completely colorless and correspondingly rare.

E diamonds are also considered colorless. Any impurities are in trace amounts detectable only by experts with special tools. Still very rare.

F are also graded colorless, but a slight color may be seen by an expert.

G-H are near colorless. Non-experts can detect some shading if they look closely, but these can still be high quality diamonds.

I-J Near colorless diamonds in which the color is slightly detectable. Still a very good value.

K-M are stones in which the color is highly noticeable. Observe, though, that these ratings are for diamonds that are ranked according to how little color they have. As a result, many will find a yellow diamong quite beautiful.

What’s important is to have the color be uniform. Small spots of color are still considered a flaw by most everyone. Of course, that too is simply a matter of taste and some future trendsetter may decide such diamonds are worth even more.

CUT

It is challenging to give a ranking to the quality or price of a diamond based on the cut of the gem. That’s because, to a very large extent, which cut is better is a matter of taste. The different cuts – round, oval, square, princess – are all equally beautiful and choice simply depends on personal preference. Other common shapes are the Marquise (a type of elongated stone), the Pear, Emerald cut, Trilliant (a wedge shape), Radiant, Cushion and Heart shaped.

Naturally, experts will have more specific criteria – involving the angles and number of facets. The Radiant, for example, has 70 facets while the Trilliant has 25 on the crown and 19 on the pavilion. But these details need not concern wedding ring buyers.

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