How to Buy an Engagement Ring, Lesson 1: Start Here

Go to the Index of all the lessons in How to Buy an Engagement Ring.

Shopping for a diamond engagement ring can seem overwhelming. Buying a diamond involves a series of big decisions.

Finding a beautiful diamond is not hard. But finding one that’s right for you and your partner, and that fits your budget can be tough.

At least, it’s tough unless you know the steps I’ll teach you in this step-by-step series of easy lessons covering everything you need to know about shopping for a diamond engagement ring.

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Here’s what you will learn

Here’s what you will learn about shopping for a diamond, by the time you finish this full-access, easy, online course:

How to buy the diamond engagement ring you want …
… which fits you and your partner perfectly
… at a price you budgeted for

Plus, you will learn:

what to look for in a diamond and the ring itself
what to look for in retailers (and I’ll recommend some directly)
how to cut the cost way down without sacrificing what you really want in a diamond
how and where to get the best deals when shopping for a diamond

Rule #1 When shopping for a diamond …

Never consider buying a diamond which doesn’t have a grading report (also called a certificate) from the GIA, AGS, or IGI. These are 3rd-party grading organizations whose representatives are widely respected as independent judges of diamond quality.

First corollary of Rule #1: Don’t buy a diamond without a certification.

Second corollary of Rule #1: Don’t buy diamonds certified only by the store selling them. There is a built-in conflict of interest.

Lesson Objective: To get you to remember, and fully buy into, Rule #1.

Fortunately, we live in a time when you can depend on three highly reputable 3rd-party professional grading organizations:

GIA (Gemological Institute of America)
AGS (American Gem Society)
IGI (International Gemological Institute)

They provide diamond grading reports, also called diamond certificates.

These three laboratories represent the most trusted organizations for objectively grading any diamond.

Why you should follow Rule #1 religiously

You shouldn’t even look at any diamond which doesn’t have a grading report from the GIA, AGS, or IGI. Here’s why:

Without a diamond grading report, a.k.a. a diamond certificate, you just don’t know what you’re getting. Even if you’re buying from a trusted department store or trusted mass diamond seller like Kay Jewelers.
That leaves you vulnerable to being sold a diamond for a price which is higher than its true retail value.
These diamond grading reports / certificates are universally available from the most highly reputable diamond stores. They’re not unusual. They are the rule, not the exception.

The information in a GIA, AGS, or IGI diamond grading report / certificate allows you to …

comparison shop at other retailers for diamonds with similar characteristics
comparison shop at the same retailer for diamonds with similar characteristics
shop for diamonds with only one difference, in order to decrease the price (for example, keeping the same qualities of Cut, Clarity and Carat weight, but dialing down the Color grade)