You can take two approaches toward buying a diamond jewelry piece. One is to purchase a piece of jewelry with a diamond already set in it. A different option is to buy a diamond and then have it set in your preferred piece. Both options have advantages and disadvantages, which is what makes the choice that much trickier for the customer.
A big factor that could determine which one you choose is time. For instance, if you are looking for a diamond engagement ring, you should consider the time between now and the day of engagement. If you do not have a lot of time to make the purchase, you would want to go for a readymade piece of jewelry. However, if you have much time for the same, you would wish to purchase a diamond and make your own ring with the help of a designer.
However, what if you are not looking to purchase an engagement ring? In this case, the time would not be an issue. This is where the following comparison post on loose diamonds and preset diamonds would come in handy.
The Downsides And Advantages Of Choosing Loose Diamonds
First, we will run through the potential cons because there are just a few of these.
The Disadvantages
Less Convenient
It takes much more effort to purchase loose diamonds; this process comes with lots of potential hassles. You might have to go from one shop to the next to find what you are looking for, depending on availability. After finding your desired diamond, you need to have a ring made with the stone set securely in place by a designer. Now, if you do not know many quality designers, you might have to wait for some time until finding one.
Pricier
The jeweler you choose for custom designing might charge you hefty service fees for their excellent work. After all, with quality work comes relatively more money in service charge. This is why a custom-designed ring tends to cost more money.
The Advantages
The pros of the choice far outweigh the disadvantages.
You Will Be Able To Better Evaluate A Diamond
You can view the whole stone before it is set. This lets you take a good look at the diamond for any visible flaws, and determine whether it is worth buying or not. You can also better determine the extent of its light performance, with no metal element to negatively affect the performance. It will be easier for you to see in what way the stone interacts with the sunlight or how well it shines. All these and more things, such as the diamond grading report, will allow you to choose the best possible product.
It Offers You Extra Options
When you choose to buy a diamond and then set it in a ring, you will have more options than you otherwise would. When shopping for a preset ring, there will only be a limited number of options for you to pick from. The only real limitation will be related to the creativity of the designer. By taking this approach, you can pick a setting or two that best compliments your diamond.
| Criteria | Loose Diamond-Set Ring | Readymade Diamond Ring |
| Evaluation | Better | Not As Good |
| Convenience | Relatively Less | Relatively More |
| Price | Potentially More | Lesser |
| Choice | Comparatively More | Lesser Choices |
The Possible Benefits And Downsides Of Buying A Preset Diamond Ring
The Advantages
More Convenient
You will not to have to take as much effort to purchase a readymade ring as with a made-to-order piece. By buying a preset diamond ring, you would not have to through the hassle of picking a diamond, setting it, and the like.
Depending on whether it is readily available or not, you might have to shop around a little bit to find your preferred piece. In other words, not all jewelry stores will have pieces to satisfy everyone’s tastes and preferences. In this case, you will need to visit at least a few shops for the best possible selection. Even so, this will save more of your time than the approach of choosing an unmounted rock and having it custom set in a ring.
More Affordable
Generally, a readymade jewelry piece will not cost you as much money as a custom-designed one. This depends on the level of craft involved in making the ring, and several other factors.
The Disadvantages
Cannot Properly Evaluate The Diamond
To better understand this particular point, you should have a rough idea about the diamond designing or setting process. When a diamond is set in ring, the jewelry piece’s metal elements will almost surely hide some of its flaws. The amount of imperfection that will be hidden from your eyes, depends on the form of setting used. If the diamond is set with metal claws, more of the stone’s flaws will be concealed than should the metal prongs were not there.
Besides, a ring’s metal elements tend to make properly assessing a diamond’s color and clarity difficult. For example, yellow gold makes the stone’s yellow hues less pronounced, and white gold makes it appear whiter, more brilliant than it is.
Less Choice
Physical stores can only keep a limited number of pieces on-site. This explains why you might need to shop around. RockHer makes it easy to find the perfect diamond in the comfort of your own home. It allows you to customize your own jewelry to your liking with the assistance of experienced professionals.