Buy a ‘Plus’ diamond. A plus diamond is a diamond that is just under the threshold of the next tier of cost. Diamonds go up exponentially from 1 carat to 1.5 carats and from 1.5 carats to 2 carats and so on. But, if you have a budget that is say $15,000 – $20,000 and you have found the clarity you like and the color you want, but you want to go up in size and can’t afford it, if you buy a 2.49 carat diamond (which looks like a 2.59 carat diamond) or a 2.89 carat diamond (which looks like a 3 carat diamond), you have stayed in the lower tier as far as what you are paying while still getting a stone that looks larger.
Another way is to go with a warmer color diamond that has a bit more fluorescence in it. Remember, fluorescence is not a bad thing. Here is the thing, no one is going to be comparing that stone against a white background or under a diamond light, and when you want to save money, it’s more about the cut and polish of the stone, than the color of the stone.
Imperfections are in the eye of the beholder, or in this case can you see them with the naked eye. If you can’t see them with the naked eye, you are in good shape. You can go with a lower clarity, but here’s the trick to this, make sure the imperfections are well placed or in desirable places. In other words, if you can find a diamond that is an I1 and has a black mark in it, but it is along the side and can be covered up with the prong, although that stone will cost much less the imperfection is actually in a good place. I would stay away from any imperfections as to a possible cleavage however as this could outright break a stone if hit hard enough.
Excellent polish, symmetry and cut go a long way to make a diamond sparkle and you will pay for this, but diamonds aren’t free. So, spend your money looking for the Triple X diamond and then you can go bigger if you stay under the thresholds and hang out around the warmer colors and imperfections that are more desirable. If you don’t want to spend the money on a Triple X, go for a Triple Very Good or a Triple Good. What matters in these stones is ,the % of the depth of the diamond to the table of the diamond. So if your diamond has the Triple X, Triple VG or Triple G you or in good company.
