Throughout the world, people use diamonds to express romance and purity. The beauty and value of a precious stone make it a fitting symbol for love. This is strengthened by the fact that every gem is unique, much like every relationship. If you’re considering purchasing one, you likely have questions about how to select the best stone. The following information should simplify your endeavor.

4 Answers to Help You Choose a Diamond

What Creates the Shine?

A diamond’s shine, technically called brilliance, refers to how well it reflects light to create an alluring appearance. Several factors affect this, but one of the most important is the way in which it’s been cut. To maximize beauty, the cut shouldn’t be too deep or shallow; there’s an ideal range which produces the largest amount of light possible.

How Do I Choose a Cut?

As previously mentioned, cut affects brilliance, but that doesn’t mean there’s just one shape for every stone. Indeed, there are many, with some of the most popular being round, square, emerald, oval, cushion, pear, and heart-shaped. A major consideration when making this choice is the number of facets you want—different cuts produce more or fewer facets on the stone, which directly impacts scintillation (how much the stone sparkles), fire (flashes of color), and general brilliance.

What Are Inclusions?

To pick a high-quality stone, it’s important to know about potential flaws. That’s what an inclusion is: a natural flaw which detracts from the gem’s ability to reflect light. Although these are typically quite small, they still affect the overall appearance. Generally, the more inclusions there are, the cheaper the stone will be.

Where Should I Purchase My Diamond?

To ensure you pay a fair amount, find an experienced designer with a reputation for honesty. Certifications and awards can help you determine this. You can also use websites like Yelp to check whether previous customers have felt satisfied with their experiences.

To purchase top-quality diamonds in Rockland County, NY, turn to the experts at Somos Designer Jewelry Gallery. The owner, Marie Somos, comes from a family that’s been working in jewelry repair and design since 1917. This means her company has an extensive amount of experience producing beautiful custom jewelry, evidenced by the many awards they’ve received, including the Platinum Millennium Award and the 4 DeBeers Diamonds Award. Visit them online to view their offerings, and call (845)348-0800 to discuss your needs today.