Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Wednesday Wedding Inspiration: Rings

Diamonds are a girl's best friend

My new feature got started with a couple fun items in wedding planning, but really, we should start at the beginning! And where do you start the wedding planning process... with the engagement, of course! And you aren't engaged until you have that shiny little diamond on your left hand!

Most girls know about the "Four C's" when it comes to diamonds, and thanks to Gendiat's website, I've got all four to share with you... feel free to direct the boyfriend this way if he needs a little assistance!

CUT
The diamond's cut is the only part of the diamond that we can truly control. It also controls the amount of light the diamond is reflecting, and thus how much it sparkles! To the left is a diagram of the facets of a diamond... brilliant cut, which is round. Shown in the photo above is the square shaped princess cut, which is popular, and one of my favorites!

There are also multiple shape options, which all reflect the light differently. A lot of option when choosing what the sweetie likes best. check them out to the right!

COLOR
Not all diamonds are created equal. Premium pretties have no color and are completely clear, but those will cost you a pretty penny! The chart that helps to show the best of diamonds and the varying degrees of color that they may come in is to the left. Remember, the less yellow the diamond, the more expensive it is likely to be!

CLARITY
The clarity of the diamond describes the amount of "stuff" that can be seen when you look into the stone itself. The flawless diamonds are at the top, with additional inclusions further down the list. Most of the levels of inclusions aren't even visible without close inspection. Check out the chart.

CARAT
The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. A carat is divided by 100 points, so a diamond of 70 points would be a 0.7 carat diamond. Even though a diamond may have the same carat as another, you have to mix all four C's together and you get to determine how perfect (and expensive) that diamond is!

Now, you get to choose the setting and... PRESTO! The perfect gift for the special lady in your life! Above, This tacori ring is beautiful, but there are SO many options out there. Between different cuts and shapes, to different colored gold bands, and now a lot of people are even doing colored stones instead of the usual white diamond... it's exciting to see all the styles out there!

In my personal opinion, as long as he chose your ring with love in mind, that's all that REALLY matters. Although a girl can dream...
My photo
Capturing moments, creating memories.