How to find the diamond she deserves

Buying diamonds with confidence: A diamond she'll adore - and at the right price.

It's that special, magical moment, the moment you present the woman you love with a diamond. Her eyes widen, her lips part as she gasps with pure delight. You adore her...you always will, so what could be more fitting than a diamond, which is, as everyone knows, forever.

But how can you be sure the diamond you've selected matches the value of your love?

Quality, craftsmanship and value are important in any major purchase - and particularly one as meaningful as this. She deserves the best - and you want to be sure you're giving her just that. So, to buy the most beautiful diamond at the best value for money, you need to learn a few things about buying diamonds.

Buying diamonds: What makes a diamond beautiful?

A diamond's beauty is the result of its inherent attributes – the quality of the rough stone – as well as the expertise applied in the cutting and polishing process. To a degree a diamond's beauty can be evaluated with the naked eye. What you are looking for when buying diamonds is fire, sparkle and brilliance -- that dazzling flash of light when a woman wearing a diamond ring moves her hand. But you're also looking for colour and clarity, which are harder to determine with the naked eye, yet are critical contributors to a diamond's beauty.

A master diamond artisan will fashion a stone to maximize its brilliance, making it reflect light superbly as it draws light in from different angles, returning it back to your eye through the top of the stone. This is called Return of Light. If the artisan begins with high quality rough – a stone with good colour and clarity – the potential for maximizing brilliance is even greater. However, a poorly cut diamond will have no life to it, no matter how large or fine the original stone might have been. A diamond's beauty and brilliance, then, depend both on Mother Nature and the skill of the diamond artisan.

The Leo Diamond®, handcrafted by the master artisans at Leo Schachter, is an example of a patented diamond cut designed to maximize brilliance. It is the first diamond ever to be independently measured and certified for superior fire, sparkle and brilliance – Tests which showed it superior to every other diamond of comparable quality. But that's not all. Every Leo Diamond must also meet a specific quality standard in terms of colour and clarity.

See for yourself. Find an authorized Leo Diamond Jeweler.

Buying diamonds: How do you measure the value of diamonds?

Cut, colour, clarity and carat weight are the diamond attributes, or characteristics, known as the 4Cs, and anyone interested in buying diamonds should learn all about the 4Cs. Diamonds sold by a reputable jeweler are usually accompanied by a diamond certificate that evaluates each of the 4Cs for that specific stone.

Diamond certificates – may be issued by one or more of the major independent gemological laboratories. Certification serves as written proof of a diamond's attributes and a basis for comparing diamonds and measuring the value of diamonds with similar attributes. Certification gives you the power to purchase a diamond with the characteristics you want at a fair market price.

Buying diamonds: How to buy the diamond she really wants.

Presuming you've done your homework, you now know how to buy the right diamond at the best price. But of the millions of brilliant diamonds out there, which one will make her face light up with genuine joy and excitement?

Which of the diamond shapes will appeal to her? Round, oval, emerald cut, princess, pear or marquise? Which diamond setting will best suit her particular style? Find out more about selecting the right diamond for the woman you love - Making your proposal a romantic and truly memorable one.

Ready to start shopping for the perfect diamond? Find an authorized Leo Diamond jeweler near you.