What You Need To Know About Diamonds When Choosing Your Wedding Ring

You may have heard of the term 4C’s when it comes to diamonds. Colour, Clarity, Cut and Carat. There is a 5th C too, Cost which is the result of the choices of the other 4Cs.

Let's go through them one by one:

COLOUR

Diamonds are graded by colour. The whitest being D and going down through the alphabet to Z. Anything from D/E is bright and sharp white, F/G is still white and is most common in retail jewellery. H/I/J/K start to show tinges of yellow.

It's important that the diamonds in your wedding ring match or are very close in colour quality to your engagement ring diamond. By very close we mean 1 colour grade difference is fine but any more than that you really will see a difference. 

The last thing you want is to outshine your engagement ring with your wedding ring. Keep your partner’s ego intact, and make sure your rings complement each other.

CLARITY

Diamonds are also graded by clarity.  When diamonds form under intense heat and pressure in the earth, tiny minerals can be trapped in the process of the carbon crystals bonding together. These are called inclusions, and are completely natural. The clarity grade is based on how many and what kind of inclusions are present in the diamond. They are often pin prick in size or are like tiny white or black freckles on a very minuscule scale and can only be seen when looking through a 10 x magnification eye glass/loupe. Clarity does effect how sharply a stone sparkles as inclusions can affect the way the light passes through a stone, blocking some of the light.

The Clarity grades are deemed as follows:

IF = Internally Flawless speaks for itself.

VVS1, VVS2  = which stands for very very slightly included 1 and 2. 

VS1, VS2  = you guessed it very slightly included 1 and 2. 

Si1, Si2 = slightly included 1 and 2.

I1, I2, I3 = Included 1 and 2 and 3. 

IF, VVS1 and VVS2 stones are very rare so are not seen often, except in high-end luxury retail. 

VS1 and VS2 are clarity grades where the inclusion cannot be seen with the naked eye and are generally a pin prick size under 10x magnification. This grade is ideal for a bright sparkling wedding ring.

Si1 can be seen with the naked eye if you are a professional grader and depending on the type of inclusion and the size of the stone. Si 1 may be spotted by the customer with a jeweller's loupe/eye glass. These are fine for small size stones too. 

We don’t recommend using Si2 or Included 1, 2 or 3 stones in wedding ring diamonds as the stones generally look dull plus the saving is not worth the compromise when the diamonds are less than 0.15 carat. 

When it comes to your wedding ring, Si1 is the lowest clarity grade we recommend, if your engagement ring is higher than Si1 you should match to the clarity of your engagement ring.  If you want to go for large size diamonds in your wedding band but don’t have the budget to match Vs1 or VS2, we recommend Si1 graded stones and we can help you pick out the best ones within the grade.

One thing to note with step cut shapes such as baguettes, carré cuts, emerald cuts, trapeze step cuts, tapered baguettes is a minimum clarity grade of VS2. Step cuts are unforgiving when it comes to inclusions, so if you want a clean bright ring , best to spend a little bit extra to get eye clean stones.

CUT

Cut refers to a grading scale of symmetry, ratio and polish.

All these factors effect the geometry and most importantly how much the stone sparkles because the different angles and measurements affect how the light passes through the stone and reflects back out – making it sparkle.

A triple excellent cut means excellent symmetry, excellent ratio and excellent polish. 

The cut grades are Excellent, Very good, Good and Poor.

Anywhere between Excellent and Very Good is fine for small wedding ring stones. Cut becomes more important the larger the stone size. For example 0.50 carats and above. However we don’t recommend going below Very Good in cut grade for any stone large or small. After all you want your stones to sparkle to their full potential!

Many people think that cut relates to the shape of the diamond; Round Brilliant cut, Princess cut, Pear cut etc. 

There are many different shapes to choose from when considering your wedding ring design. 

This is where you can get creative based on your style. Just because you may have a Round Brilliant cut solitaire diamond doesn’t mean you need to match the wedding ring with round brilliant diamonds. 

A combination of different stone shapes can make a ring floral, art deco, geometric or classic in style.

This is where it gets creative, fun and allows your personality and style to shine.

Fitted Double Sided Art Deco Jacket

Fitted Crown Ring Eight Three Stone Pear Shape Center

CARAT

Carat is a weight terminology that reflects the size of the diamond by weight relative to the cut grade.

In design we usually refer to millimeter sizes, especially with stones below 0.15 carats.

However, when you are pricing diamonds they are priced per carat, so often the total carat weight of a diamond wedding ring is quoted.

COST

Cost is determined by a matrix of $ per carat based on the colour, clarity, cut grade and carat weight.

Stone size is the biggest factor that affects price. The bigger the diamond the more expensive, increasing exponentially. I always recommend to stick to a colour grade G and above. And, if you are sticking to a budget, think of how many stones you want in your band. In my view it's better to have higher quality stones and only set them a third or half of the way. Ring size will also affect how many stones reach across the ring

Full eternity bands are beautiful, but do bear in mind you can not resize an eternity ring without remaking the ring. Getting the ring size correct is important. What many of us do not realise is that our ring size can fluctuate in size from summer to winter and over years of wear.

If you have your heart set on an eternity band, opt for a quarter to a half size bigger if you buy one in winter so it still fits you in summer.  Otherwise, one thing we offer at Kate McCoy Bridal is to have a small resizing gap at the base of an eternity ring allowing for a resize of two – three sizes.

If you have diamonds in the band of your engagement ring, we can also set the start and finish point of the diamonds on your wedding band to match.

Another factor of the cost is the shape and size. For example emerald, baguette and princess cut stones are slightly heavier than round brilliants for the spread of the stone so will cost a little more. However, a combination of different shapes can be what really make your wedding ring stand out and be the unique factor that you love.

When it comes to spending on a wedding ring, we think it's worth it. Whilst your dress is a show-stopper, you get to wear your wedding rings every day for this rest of your life. Rings can be passed down through the family and are an investment for the long term. A high quality custom made wedding ring will stand the test of time, sparkle even when you haven’t cleaned it for months and will always mark that very special commitment of love.

Elin Bandmann Photography

Four Reasons To Have Your Wedding Ring Custom Made

Whether it’s a simple classic straight band or something fitted, buying a ring off the shelf is rarely the right choice when it comes to rings that are paired together and worn for a lifetime.

Below are four of the reasons why a custom made wedding ring is the best choice.

1. AVOID DAMAGING YOUR ENGAGEMENT RING LONG TERM

When two rings are worn side by side, it's important that they don’t damage each other in the way they rub together. 

Some setting styles of engagement rings can have the center stone set low where a straight wedding ring won’t sit flush against it.

As we use our hands throughout the day, the straight band will clink and rub slowly cutting away at the engagement ring setting and compromising the safety of the center stone. Last thing you want is to have the added expense of having to repair and remake your engagement ring 5 years down the track.

Or worse still; look down one day and see your center stone has fallen out! 

Here is an example of wedding ring damage to an engagement ring. Over time this is what can happen:

Your engagement ring may have clearance for a straight band, but not all straight bands bought off the shelf are going to be the right height and width to match your engagement ring. And not all retailers are going to have the same ring in your size, with diamonds that match your engagement ring in colour and clarity. 

2. DON’T COMPROMISE. GET EXACTLY WHAT YOU WANT

Often we hunt around on Pinterest getting inspiration for all things wedding related. We get ideas and are excited to visualise the big day. When it comes to rings, I find there are so many options and they are all beautiful but rarely is there the perfect ring ready made for sale for you. A custom ring experience allows you to create exactly what you want, pulling ideas and styles together to build your own unique ring. The design experience is fun and informative and seeing your beautiful creation come to life in a 3D model to try on makes the leap from sketch to finished product smooth and without ambiguity. 

Here are some examples of our process:

Stage One: Sketch

Stage Three: Resin Model

Stage Two: 3D Draft

Stage Four: Voilà, Finished Pair

3. CUSTOM IS NOT MORE EXPENSIVE THAN RETAIL

At Kate McCoy Bridal, a custom made ring is no more expensive than a ring bought at retail. The upside is you get exactly what you are looking for, you get to be a part of the process in choosing your stones. (if it excites you) With our diamond grading and gemology expertise we can colour and quality match your wedding ring stones, be they diamonds or coloured gems. 

We can customise the gold colour and tone to match your engagement ring or create something unique for you. For example, we’ve found with some antique yellow gold rings there is more of a rosy hue to the yellow gold than retail yellow gold today. 

4. ADD TO THE STORY OF YOUR RINGS

Get exactly what you are looking for and be a part of the process as a couple.

Getting married is teamwork! There is a lot to organise and at Kate McCoy Bridal we like to make this an enjoyable process for couples.

Come in and try on sample rings together. Book a consult and discover your styles.

Photograph by Elin Bandmann

Jewels: Modern Wedding Exclusive Fine Jewellery Supplement

We love Modern Wedding Bridal Magazine. 

We are especially proud to be featured on the front page of their Fine Jewellery Magazine - Jewels. Currently Jewels is the only exclusive Jewellery Magazine on the shelf for Brides.