QUALITY ENGAGEMENT RINGS

When you are searching for your dream engagement ring, it is key to pay attention to the diamonds that are set in it. To get the maximum beauty and brilliance, you want the quality of the side diamonds to match for clarity, color and cut, so you cannot visibly see a difference.

Often the side diamonds in other engagement rings have only limited brilliance and vary in size, color, and clarity which reduces the overall quality.

If the diamonds are set unevenly or with gaps, they may fall out or rub together and chip. When choosing a ring with channel-set diamonds, view it under a 10x powered gemscope to see the precision in the setting to make sure you are getting a quality engagement ring.

The channel settings from many jewelers are poor quality with uneven and sometimes very thin channel settings, making for diamonds that are set unevenly or with gaps. You want to make sure you are avoiding these types of products.

It is vital to have an engagement ring that does not have a porosity problem because that ring will break down over time and will not last a lifetime. Porosity refers to little surface holes that get worse as you go further into the metal. You do not want rough spots in the metal either. You want a smooth, lustrous, high polished finish to the metal.

Porosity makes an engagement ring brittle and is non-repairable. A ring showing rough casting spots and little bubbles in the metal is porous. It is usually the result of mass producing rings with little quality control. Poor casting, over "cooking", under "cooking" and improperly mixed metal alloys cause porosity. This type of ring will not last a lifetime.

When deciding on the perfect engagement ring for you, it is imperative to notice the thickness of the ring foundation. When less metal is used, the cost will be lower at first, but will cost more in the future because over time, the ring will either crack or fall apart because of the lack of quality.

Other engagement rings are often much lighter in weight and wear out quickly because the metal of the foundation is thin, to cut production costs. You don't want a foundation that is thin and hollowed out, you want a solid foundation so it will last a lifetime.

When selecting a piece of jewelry, it is important to see that it has both a quality mark and trademark. A quality mark is a stamp on the piece that identifies the type and content of the metal. A trademark is a symbol registered with the government, that indicates the jewelry manufacturer responsible for creating the piece. The Federal Trade Commission requires that all jewelry stamped with a quality mark also be stamped with a manufacturer's trademark.