You are ready to pop the question. Or maybe a big anniversary is coming up. Maybe even you simply want to surprise the special someone in your wife with a new diamond ring. Perhaps you were unable to purchase her an engagement ring when you first got engaged and you now want to make it up to her. Whatever your reasons, designing a piece of custom diamond jewelry is a great idea to surprise your special lady. However, there are some things that you absolutely need to consider when you decide to design your own custom diamond jewelry.

Consider Your Price Range

This is the first and most important consideration—your price range. Custom diamond jewelry can run from the hundreds into the hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars. If you are on a tight budget, you may not be able to create your own custom diamond jewelry. Typically, you will pay for the stone, the set, and the construction of the diamond ring. Sometimes this can equal less than what you would pay for a similar ring in stores, but if you were not going to purchase a fancy ring to begin with, you may be better off purchasing a pre made ring. When you chose a handmade jewelry like a custom made ring, it can be easy to continue to add more to it than your price range will allow. However, if you have the money and would like to design a piece of custom diamond jewelry, by all means make your own. When you custom design your own piece of jewelry, you can know that there will be none other like it in the world.

Consider The Stone

The stone is the single most important aspect of any ring, be it an engagement ring, an anniversary ring, or simply a beautiful ring. When choosing a stone for an engagement ring, it is best to know what your girlfriend (soon to be fiancé!) likes. You would not want to choose a circle or oval diamond only to later find out that she loves square diamonds. Take her to a jewelry store or have her browse through the jewelry counter at a mall. It can still be a surprise—just walk up to it and say something like “oh I like that diamond!” and see how she responds. Through her responses you should be able to determine what type of stone to put in the custom diamond jewelry that you are making for her.

If you can create the ring and keep it in your budget as well as choose the correct stone for the custom diamond jewelry, you will make your special someone the happiest woman alive when she receives her custom diamond jewelry!

If you love jewelry and you love antiquing, have you ever thought about combining your two passions? While much of the jewelry that you find in antique stores is cheap costume jewelry, it is possible to find some real treasures in an antique store. Antique diamond jewelry has often times made its way into a low priced antique store, as has custom diamond jewelry. If you know where to look and what to look for, you can find some exquisite pieces and wow your friends and family with them.

Finding The Diamond In The Rough

The first step in finding antique diamond jewelry is to know what you are looking for. Many community colleges offer lessons in looking at gems and diamonds. Other available classes can teach you how to spot a diamond and how to appraise a piece of jewelry. Taking these classes can help you to learn everything you need to know about jewelry in order to spot the truly antique diamond jewelry in any antique store. Depending on tuition, you may spend several hundred to a few thousand dollars educating yourself on jewelry, but think of it this way. If you find just one piece of antique diamond jewelry that is worth several thousand dollars and you purchase it for much less than its value, you already paid for your tuition and then some.

If you cannot afford to take classes, however, you still may be able to go antiquing for diamond jewelry. The internet is a valuable tool for many things, including research on diamonds. The key thing that you need to know is how to tell the difference between a cubic zirconium “diamond” and a true diamond. Once you know this, then you can confidently go antiquing to find that unique piece of diamond jewelry!

Why Buy Antique

Antique diamond jewelry is much more interesting than today’s diamond jewelry. Today a manufacturer can put out dozens of the same exact ring, necklace, or pair of earrings. It will not be unique and it certainly will not be custom, unless you pay the extra to have a custom piece made. If you want to have something that is truly unique that no one else has, antique diamond jewelry is the choice for you. Antiques generally are almost one of a kind because there are so few remaining. If you can find a unique piece of jewelry at an antique store, you will get many compliments on it and be happy with it for many years to come!