How to Buy Diamond Jewelry for Your Special Someone

Diamonds are a classic gift that many couples give each other, and a diamond stone is the default for most engagement rings. Even with the stone's prevalence, however, diamonds can be immensely personal. Here's how to select diamond jewelry that your special someone will love.

First, determine what kind of jewelry your special someone would like. Although a very basic question, you can't afford to overlook it. Even the most beautiful piece won't be worn much if it's the wrong kind of jewelry for the person you want to buy it for.

If you're unsure what type of jewelry your recipient likes, just look at what they wear. If they're constantly wearing earrings and necklaces, these are safe pieces to purchase for them. If they don't have bracelets on often, avoid that type. Even though they might like the bracelet you get them, they may not want anything dangling from their wrist.

Second, select what color you want the piece's metal to be. There are a few basic options that you can choose from.

Gold has a widely recognized yellow hue that's elegant and classic. It's been a favorite precious metal of many people throughout history, and it continues to be cherished today.

For a more neutral color, look at silver, platinum, palladium, and similar metals. White gold, which is gold plated with nickel, also falls into this category. White gold will look like silver when a piece is brand new, but it'll slowly yellow as the silver wears away. It can be recoated in the future if your recipient wants to retain the silver color.

Many other metals offer less common - but no less striking - color options. Depending on your special someone's preferences, you might look at onyx, copper, or other metals.

At this point, don't worry about your budget because each color metal is available in several different price ranges. Gold, silver, and other, less-common materials all have different qualities and price ranges you can look at.

The carat of a diamond refers to the size of the diamond, and it's one of the most important factors about the diamond itself. While other gradients should be considered, the size of your recipient's stone is what people will notice first. Fine points in clarity or color are hard to notice from even a few feet away, but size is noticeable from quite a distance.

With regards to carat, more carats isn't always better. Consider how noticeable your recipient's current gemstone jewelry pieces are, and pick a diamond that's in line with the sizes of those stones. Your recipient might want a big diamond, or they may prefer jewelry with smaller stones.

After size, the other major determination about the diamond proper is what shape and cut it should be. You have numerous different shape options, and you should get whichever your special someone prefers. They may like something round, square, oval, or emerald shaped.

If you don't know what shape your recipient wants, ask a close friend of theirs what would be appropriate. If they don't already know, the friend can find out without giving away the surprise.

As for cut, make sure you get something that has the right facets, angles, and symmetry so that it looks brilliant. Talk to a jeweler if you need help deciding on a diamond with the right cut.

For an extra personal touch, consider adding color. This can be done with a colored diamond or supplemental colored gemstones. Diamonds can be naturally and artificially colored to look blue, yellow, orange, red, and most other colors. Once again, take your special someone's personal preferences into account when you consider a colored diamond.

At this point, you've made enough decisions to find a piece of jewelry that your special someone will love.