Diamond Wedding Engagement Ring Buyer's Guide

The average diamond engagement ring costs as much as several notebook computers, or possibly a small car, yet many men know next to nothing about how to make sure they don't get ripped off when it comes time to tie the knot. Luckily, although there is much to know about diamonds there are only a few things you need to remember, and I'm about to tell you what they are.

First, make sure you know the shape of the diamond you want. The most common are "Princess" (which looks square from the top) and "Round" which is also called "Brilliant" or "American" cut. Your jeweler can show you other popular cuts, but some of the ones worth mentioning are "Pear", "Emerald", "Oval" and "Heart", all of which look pretty much like what you would expect.

After deciding on a shape it's time to get your hands dirty with the technical stuff. I recommend looking at only GIA certified diamonds so you can be sure of the quality and compare different diamonds (and different prices) more easily.

We'll start with the most difficult factor: Cut. And I'll start by telling you to ignore it for the most part. Basically, if the diamond is too shallow or too deep it will affect how it "sparkles". Just make sure the diamond looks fairly normal and you'll be fine.

Diamonds, believe it or not usually have imperfections inside of them. These are called "inclusions" and are measured on a scale of "very, very slight" to full-blown "inclusion". All you need to know: SI1 or SI2 represent the best value. The "slight inclusion" rating means the imperfections are obvious under magnification, but still impossible to see with the naked eye.

Color is measured in letters which begin with D, which stands for "Colorless" (don't ask). E and F are slightly less colorless to electronic color measuring equipment, but not human eyes. G, H, and I are considered "near colorless" and it goes on from there into the yellows (and pinks, and more!). G is where the best value is because it is technically colored but appears colorless to anyone who isn't a color scanning machine built for rating diamonds.

You will notice I did not discuss "Carat". This is a measurement of weight and has absolutely no bearing on the quality of the stone. That being said, it has a LOT of bearing to most girls hoping to wear one someday. If you are one of the many men who feel the need to push your ring budget in the direction of rock-size then keep in mind what you've read above. No matter the size of the stone your best value will always be a GIA certified SI1 G stone. Just make sure the cut isn't obviously too shallow or deep.

Oh, and price around. There are three classes of diamond dealers, the most expensive of which is represented by department stores like Fortunoff, which carry a lot of uncertified (read: low-quality) diamonds at prices near or at what a good quality rock costs.