At Brilliance, we like to think that we know a thing or two about getting engaged… After all we have helped thousands of couples choose an engagement ring for the past 22 years.
Our new infographic, “How to Pull off the Perfect Marriage Proposal” for the upcoming engagement and wedding season, takes into account our many years of experience on getting engaged and what happens next. To view a large size version of the infograph please go to the Perfect Marriage Proposal guide on Briliance.com, and don’t forget to share with your friends or significant other (“hint, hint”).
Understanding how a diamond is evaluated is the first step in making an informed loose diamond buying decision. With that in mind we created an infographic (visual guide) explaining the 4C’s of diamonds to provide a simple overview for first time (and experienced) buyers. Enjoy!
With Wedding Season approaching, more and more couples are looking for ways to have the wedding of their dreams while still keeping costs low. The price tag on the average American wedding has dropped by nearly a third from 2007, down from $29,000 to $20,000. The good news is, you don’t have to resort to a cash bar or homemade food to stay within your budget.
Collected from wedding experts and party planners, here are some tips to help you make your budget wedding:
Don’t say “Wedding”
When you call vendors for quotes, let them know you are planning an event or party, but don’t specify that it is a wedding. Florists, bakeries, reception venues, photographers, and other vendors often add a 25-30% mark-up to their prices when they know you’re inquiring for a wedding.
Reporters at a Boston television station called 11 venues to get quotes for a wedding reception. When those same venues were called for quotes for a retirement party on the same day, 8 of 11 had a wedding mark-up; one venue raised their quote from $65 to $90 per person.
Vendors will also offer only their most expensive options to those they know are planning a wedding. Ask the reception venue for all of their menu options, and explore cakes that aren’t specifically marketed for wedding events. If a florist notices your diamond engagement ring and starts suggesting that exotic flowers be imported, ask what local, lower cost options they offer.
Choose a restaurant for the reception
When you eat at a restaurant, there is no rental fee or surcharge for your table, chairs, napkins, glasses, silverware, and table décor. The price of the meal includes everything necessary for the dinner, and the same applies when purchasing a meal for 200 people. Plus, there are no transportation and setup fees, and parking is usually free, making your favorite restaurant the perfect place for your budget wedding. In fact, restaurants have focused lately on catering towards special events and making it affordable for the hosts.
Schedule it right
If you are flexible with your dates, avoid the traditional “Wedding Season” when scheduling the event. Vendors sometimes add a surcharge to provide services at weddings held during the months of May, June, and July. Additionally, venues will always charge more for an event held on a Saturday than an event held on a Sunday or a weekday.
Avoid stores that cater to bridal couples
It may not seem romantic to purchase your cake, wedding favors, or flowers at wholesale stores like Costco, but they provide the same services offered for a premium at specialty bridal stores. You can also avoid those premiums by choosing micro-vendors, like artisans and craftspeople, who sell things like bridal accessories and invitations directly to couples. To save on the wedding dress, brides have turned towards less traditional white garments and dresses that can be found at regular retailers and cost in the hundreds, instead of going to boutique bridal dress shops and paying in the thousands.
Shop online
Shopping online gives brides planning a budget wedding access to many more purchasing options than shopping locally. Almost anything needed for a wedding can be found online, from wedding invitations to wedding favors to a bridal dress, often at lower prices than at brick-and-mortar stores. Couples looking to save on the bride’s engagement ring and the couple’s wedding rings can turn to an online diamond retailer like Brilliance, which offer the same quality jewelry as traditional retailers at 30-50% lower prices.
Are you interested in reading Brilliance.com reviews about the service we have provided in the past? Do you have anything great to say about our skilled team of Expert Jewelers and Certified Gemologists? Would you like to share your fantastic experience shopping for custom jewelry and certified loose diamonds on Brilliance.com with your family and friends?
The Brilliance Team is pleased to announce the launch of our newest addition: iVouch Brilliance Reviews!
So what is iVouch?
iVouch is a website that allows you to share recommendations with your real-life friends, the people you know and trust the most. It doesn’t matter if you’re looking for a babysitter, restaurant, diamond jewelry retailer, or favorite park, iVouch features reviews within every industry and makes it easier for you and your friends to find and share your local favorites.
Okay, but what exactly is a “vouch”?
A Vouch is the utmost endorsement you can make for a business. It is a direct reflection on you, therefore only companies that are valued and trusted are vouched for, such as Brilliance.com.
Brilliance reviews listed on iVouch are easily accessible to our loyal fans and those that are interested in learning more about the unparalleled service and products Brilliance.com has provided in the past.
I want to share a review! How do I get started?
Registering for an iVouch account is simple, completely free, private, and safe – iVouch never sells or shares any contact information that you provide. You have the ability to invite your friends to link to your account to start reviewing and vouching for your favorite businesses across the World Wide Web.
We understand the process of buying a Certified Loose Diamond online can be speculative; therefore, Brilliance.com strives to provide you with as many resources as possible to answer your questions and ease your mind leading up to and during the certified loose diamond and custom engagement ring buying process. Get started today by leaving a review of your own or by reading what our fans have to say in their Brilliance reviews!
The loose diamond certification process is an easy way to boost buyers’ confidence during the shopping process. When diamond certification is conducted by a reputable organization, such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), buyers can rest assured that the diamond is a genuine, natural diamond, rather than grown in the lab as a synthetic diamond. It also reveals whether or not a loose diamond has been treated.
Since no two diamonds are alike, the certification process assigns value to each individual stone. For example, the GIA uses an internationally recognized grading system to compare common attributes. This system, known as the “four C’s”, determines each certified diamond’s value by grading its color, clarity, cut, and carat weight.
Diamond Color
To determine the color of a diamond, a gemologist compares the stone to a color classification chart ranging from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown). The loose diamond is compared to a set of master stones representing the colors on the chart.
Certified diamonds classified as “D” are colorless, while those graded “Z” are light yellow or brown. Since truly colorless diamonds are extremely rare, the majority of diamonds used in jewelry are designated as “H” or “I” and have a slightly yellow tint—described by gemologists as “nearly colorless”.
Diamond Clarity
Natural diamonds are formed under considerable heat and pressure, giving most of them internal or external inclusions that can impact diamond clarity. There are eleven grades of diamond clarity, ranging from flawless (no inclusions visible under a magnifying glass) to I3 (inclusions visible to the naked eye).
Much like the human fingerprint, inclusions are markings that distinguish one loose diamond from the next. During certification, gemologists plot a diamond’s inclusions on a diagram to indicate its distinctive features—those that no other diamond has—which then get added to the certification paper. This diagram helps match each diamond to the proper certification, so buyers can be sure the diamond they’re evaluating is the same one on the report.
Clarity tests also reveal authenticity, helping gemologists determine whether a diamond has been treated. Inclusions verify that a diamond is natural, rather than a synthetic look-alike. If it is determined that a diamond has been treated, that will be noted on the certification report.
Diamond Cut
While people often think of cut as indicating the shape of a diamond (i.e. square or round), the term is used during certification to describe the stone’s sparkle and brilliance on a range from “Excellent” to “Poor”. To assist with cut grading, gemologists place each loose diamond in a machine, rotating the stone 360 degrees and capturing every one of its facets to generate a sophisticated 3D model. Many factors are considered to determine the stone’s grade, including proportions, girdle thickness, culet size, polish, and symmetry.
Diamond Carat Weight
As counter-intuitive as it might seem, bigger isn’t always better when it comes to diamonds. Value is determined by all four of the “C’s”, not just its weight.
To determine carat size, certified diamonds are placed in high-tech, sealed-chamber electronic scales. The weights, which measure how close a diamond is to one carat (200 milligrams), round each stone to a second decimal place to arrive at a standard carat size measurement.
Upon completion of the rigorous certification process, a certified diamond is given a report indicating its grading for each of the four C’s, along with other pertinent information. Buyers can ask to see this report before purchasing a certified diamond; some grading agencies also allow them to check the information online.
Want to learn more about how to certify diamonds? Watch the video below, which chronicles one diamond’s certification journey at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Thirty nine round cut diamonds are pave set in this white gold diamond engagement ring setting, accenting your choice of center diamond. 3/8 carat total diamond weight.
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