Archive for February, 2010

The Virtues of Radiant Cut Engagement Rings

February 9th, 2010

Radiant cut engagement rings are probably among the latest additions to the engagement rings ‘cuts’ family; the radiant cut in question being one that came up two or so decades ago. Of course, while there are other engagement ring cuts that have come up much later in years after the radiant cut, the radiant cut engagement rings are rated as ‘relatively young’ members of the engagement rings family when you take into consideration the fact that they are being viewed alongside other ‘cuts’ that are centuries old.

As the name suggests, what sets radiant cut engagement rings apart (and what in effect defines them) is their brilliance: these being rings that are much more brilliant than even the standard emerald cut engagement rings that were for long considered the most brilliant members of the engagement rings cuts family.

While it is possible to make radiant cut engagement rings in quite a huge variety of shapes, the rectangular shape is by far the commonest of these. The defining feature of the radiant cut in an engagement ring, besides its brilliance, is typically the bowtie effect created by what can be termed as the ‘fine chiseling’ towards the center of the rock. Of course, while some people find the bowtie effect alluring, there are some who feel that it tends to be a distraction from the radiant cut’s core brilliance, which is a much more attractive feature in the ring, according to them.

So in the final analysis, we have different people finding two different features in radiant cut engagement rings alluring: namely the cut of the ring and brilliance of the cut which are characteristic of the radiant cut engagement rings.

People who are extremely modest, however, might not love the radiant cut engagement rings so much, because when all is said and done, radiant cut engagement rings ooze flamboyance through and through; and are therefore the very kind of rings that a person who tends towards extreme modesty can find off-putting. This is an important factor, by the way, because there have been cases of men purchasing radiant cut engagement rings for their fiancées (who happened to be highly modest people) only for the supposed recipients of the rings to exclaim that the wouldn’t be seen dead in such ‘conspicuous’ engagement rings: often sending the said suitors back to try and get a more ‘modest’ engagement ring.

Of course, at the other end of the spectrum in terms of preferences, if you know your fiancée to be a person who doesn’t mind ‘standing out’ from the crowd (or better still, if you know her to be a person who actually cherishes such standing out from the pack), then the radiant cut engagement ring might be the perfect ring to present her with.

Ultimately, radiant cut engagement rings are really the types of engagement rings that one cannot simply ignore; because they are so attention grabbing: and as long as your lady is comfortable with the flamboyance and extravagant aura they exude, you can be sure that presenting her with one such ring is sure to make you come across as a man with a highly refined taste in terms of rings style.

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Why a 4 Carat Diamond Ring Might Look Like a 2 Carat Diamond Ring

February 2nd, 2010

Shopping for jewelry, while a potentially enjoyable undertaking, can often be a confusing one too. Take the example of diamond, one of the most widely shopped for jewelry products, and which typically finds application on rings and watches. Now one thing people shopping for diamond rings often complain about is the fact that although the diamond rings are typically sold on the basis of their carat weight (so that a 4 carat diamond ring is expected to cost more than a 1 carat diamond ring, for instance), it is often very difficult to make sense of the carat measure and its implications on the size of the rock on the ring.

To sympathize with the sentiment that carat weight can add confusion (rather than clarity) to the jewelry shopping experience, it would help to appreciate that in many people’s estimation, the bigger the rock at the center of the ring, the more alluring and prestigious the said ring comes across to them. So as many people go shopping for jewelry (especially on online diamond shops where you cannot actually physically see the product being sold), their expectation when opting for something like a 4 carat diamond ring is that they will have a ring with a gigantic rock delivered to them. This often leads to bitter frustrations, when the said 4 carat diamond ring is ultimately delivered to them only for it to turn out to be a ring with more or less of an ordinary-sized rock at its center. This leads to a situation where the said people could be left feeling that they were sold a 2 carat ring in the name of a 4 carat ring – a situation that naturally lead to further bitterness because few things in life feel as bad as ‘being taken advantage of.’

So how does it come about that a 4 carat diamond ring can seem to be more or less equal to a 2 carat ring size-wise? Well, the answer to this question lies in appreciating the fact that carat measures a diamonds weight (the carat itself being about 200 milligrams – that is a fifth of a gram); and further appreciating the fact that the weight of anything does not always give us a full picture as to what the size of the said thing is.

So it follows that if what you are looking for is a ring with a huge rock at its center, then you need to look at more than carat weight in shopping for it if you are to avoid the situation where, for instance, you are left feeling that you have been sold a 2 carat ring in the name (and at the price) of a 4 carat diamond ring. Beyond the carat weight of the diamond, you need to also look at the diamond’s size in millimeters (which most vendors will tell you, if you ask them explicitly) and the diamond’s cut grade, both of which are the other factors that when looked in conjunction with the diamond’s carat weight, can give you insight as to what the size of the rock is.

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