The title above reflects a common thing we are noticing when meeting with our clients. Clients who are looking to purchase their very first diamond are meeting with us and at times feel almost overwhelmed with all of the information available when it comes to buying an engagement ring. As the pattern became more persistent, we became more curious about why this was happening. So, we decided to start the search ourselves as if we were buying our very first diamond ring. It didn’t take long before I saw exactly what our clients were seeing and why they were feeling this way.
What was it like for us?
What stood out to us was the great degree of variation when it came to what to buy. People would ask a question on a forum and get several responses, and the most common theme was “don’t do that, do this!” Sometimes these innocent questions turned into heated debates among enthusiasts about what people should be valuing when it comes to buying a ring. We were taken aback by the diversity of opinions that were being suggested. It was something we were fascinated by, and took some time to think about why this was the case. One thing that did become clear to us was that we can see why so many opinions of varying nature can make a person feel like they are even more lost, or what they had in mind “isn’t good enough.”
Our thoughts
So what was the conclusion to all the varying opinions? Well, the answer is simple: Diamonds are incredible. As we considered the varying viewpoints, something became very apparent. All diamonds are beautiful and their many different styles, characteristics, and features make each of them precious and special. None of the opinions were misguided per se, it just spoke to what people themselves truly appreciate in a diamond and what makes their heart sing when they’re gazing into a diamond. People are allowed to like and appreciate different things, and that is perhaps one of the greatest things we get to experience in this world. This also sounds a lot like us as people too. We can all appear to be similar, but we all know that each person is truly unique. So while De Beers famously is credited to making diamonds mainstream and the number one stone for engagement rings, I think it is the uniqueness of this precious stone that has given it the ability to stay relevant through so many generations past and present. Because if diamonds were not capable of matching the uniqueness of the human being, we truly believe that they would have eventually lost interest and people would have moved on to another gem stone. Now this isn’t to devalue people who do love and cherish other stones, not at all. Our point is that the diamond has been able to remain relevant and fashionable because it is capable of being as adaptable and unique as people through trends and time. It’s this malleability of the diamond that is giving us so many different expressions of what people love that creates a volume that can be tricky to sift through for the first time buyer.
Our Recommendations
Truthfully we are going to avoid putting together a comprehensive list of what we think you should buy when it comes to a diamond. The reason being is that there are many different things to consider in this process of selecting a diamond. Shape, setting, and client desires. All of these things will vary based on what the client wants. The 4C’s (Carat weight, Colour, Clarity, and Cut) are an excellent place to start. From what we saw online there is an insistence for people to have only the top grade, and while there is nothing wrong with that whatsoever, it comes across a lot like demanding your first car be the latest and greatest sports car from your favourite manufacturer. While this will work for some people, it isn’t the best approach for everyone to take. One thing we will say is this, if you’re looking at a diamond and it looks like everything you want it to be, that truly is the most important part. We love diamonds for the way they sparkle and shine. When you’re looking at a diamond and you know that when you show it to the one you love that they will be left speechless at the sight of it, you know that the rest of the details don’t really matter anyways.