Diamonds 101

Engagement ring shopping isn't always easy and sometimes the sizes qualities and details become a blur. Today we are going to compare two round brilliant cut diamonds that are seemingly similar and break down what makes them different.   Read below and you can listen & watch this useful video about diamond quality as well. The two diamonds we will look at are a 2 carat J color SI1 clarity against a 2 carat G color VS2 clarity. Continue reading →

No matter what the budget, the oval cut can be incorporated into your very own custom design and here are a few ideas on how to maximize this look without breaking the bank! The oval cut is the one top trending shapes for this year and for good reason! It's elongated appearance looks flattering on many hand types and they have a big face up look to them making them a great value option. However, oval diamonds are also one of the more expensive diamond cuts available due to being rare- simply not as many of them exist as they have only been around since 1957! We've compiled a list of five ways to hop on the oval trending train without breaking the bank. The oval shape + a high quality setting are the most important parts of this equation. There are plenty of stones available in an oval shape other than diamond Continue reading →

When it comes to diamond shopping we all know one of the most important of the 4 C's is undoubtedly COLOR. A diamond is graded base on the absence of color. Color saturation gradually increases with each letter grade starting at D being colorless all the way down to Z. Rare diamonds are found in the colorless range of D, E, and F. A lot of value can be found by opting for a diamond in the Near Colorless range. Specifically we want to focus on I color diamonds since we find these offer amazing value when shopping!  There are ranges within each grade so some "I" colors will look much better than others. This is where we come into play! Providing you with real life visuals so you can make an educated decision.  Watch this close up video as a guide and read along below for a more in depth look on why we think I color diamonds make an amazing choice for you.  Continue reading →

After doing some initial research on diamond quality and size, many instantly think they want a large stone with the best quality possible.  However,  seeing the associated costs with purchasing a 3 carat 'D' color 'VS' clarity diamond for instance, will throw many into a price shock.  Since few will have the budget to follow through on this, and understandably so, their best option is to seek value and find the best trade-offs of color, clarity and cut to fit their price range.  This will help you achieve the largest, best looking diamond to your eye, without breaking the bank.  At Lauren B we pride ourselves on providing our clients with the best selection of loose diamonds to fit their budget and see each one either in person or through HD video.  Read this post and follow along with this video showing five gorgeous loose diamonds from our personal inventory, that can provide a potential client with great value. Continue reading →

When it comes to choose the perfect diamond the first thing that comes to a client's mind is the size, or carat weight which is the unit of measurement.   While many become overly concerned with the numbers themselves, we try to stress that you should always seek value.  In terms of diamond weight, we all know about those juicy round numbers like 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, 2.5 and so on, as being target goals for your purchase.  However, there are options in between these carat weights that we like to refer to as "off sizes" (also known as special sizes). In this post we are going to talk about 1.70 carat range diamonds with high color/clarity grades across several shapes, and give you some insight into why these are such hot items.  While you may hear people tell you to go after a 1.99 carat diamond to get better value, that is false because it will only be a tad less expensive than a 2 carat and not of any significant savings to your pocket.  Follow along with this detailed HD video showing each diamond from our current inventory alone and a side by side comparison Continue reading →

When it comes to diamond everyone knows about the 4 C's including cut, color, clarity and carat. There is one specific topic that combines the factors of Carat and Cut into one, and this what we refer to as the Spread on a diamond. Carat weight measures just the actual weight of the diamond. For example, 2 diamonds can weigh 1 carat total. Now what changes the spread on the diamond is the total depth combined with certain angles within the diamond.  Just because two diamonds weigh exactly the same does not mean that face up they will look similar.  We can liken this comparison to two people who are 150 pounds; one of those people are 5'5" tall and the other is 6' tall. Although their actual weigh is the same, the way it is distributed varies greatly causing them to looking nothing alike. The same thing applies to diamonds- we have to leave carat weight in a separate category from cut because it does not accurately indicate the face up look. In general to gauge the spread / how large a diamond actually appears we recommend looking at the measurements. In this post we will explore some "spready" diamonds from our inventory and how our selection differs from regular diamonds of the same weight.

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There are few things in the world that are better than a perfectly eye clean SI2 clarity diamond. SI2 clarity is typically the lowest clarity grade we will recommend to clients since in most circumstances entering into the included or "I" clarity range means that you WILL be able to easily detect imperfections with your eye without magnification. The SI clarity range still means you need to look closely to pick up on imperfections. However, we find that not all SI2 clarity diamonds are created equally. Majority of SI2 clarity diamonds have obvious imperfections and inclusions that can be seen without trying to see them. In this post we are going to go into detail on a few eye clean SI2 clarity diamonds and give you some insight on to what makes them eye clean.   Follow along with video and read the comments below Continue reading →

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Class is in session! When it comes to diamond engagement ring we have all heard about the 4 C’s. There is another important factor when it comes to fancy shape diamonds that sometimes is forgotten but is equally important. That is the length to width ratio that a diamond has. Surely we all remember proportions and ratio from the math we did in school. When it comes to shopping for diamond it is time to reintroduce this concept but obviously in a more fun way :) In this post we will go over the basics on diamond ratios for the most popular shapes and you can follow along with the video here

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At Lauren B, we work closely with countless engagement ring shoppers and one of the most asked question we get is "what do we think is more important in a diamond: the quality of the diamond or the size of the diamond?" I know this may seem very unhelpful but we are going to be the ones to let you know that there is simply no right or wrong answer here. It varies greatly on a case by case basis and most importantly on the people actually buying and wearing the ring! As with many objects in life, beauty is in the eye of the beholder but perhaps some of the tips below will help you come to a better final decision when purchasing a diamond for your custom engagement ring.  Remember there are always extremes to any comparison, so when opting for a trade-off of bigger size over quality, it is always prudent to toe the line carefully and not overstep the boundaries that would effect the beauty of the diamond to the observer. Continue reading →

What is An "Eye Clean" Diamond?

Buying a diamond is not the easiest task. At the end of the day the goal is a to have a diamond that sparkles beautifully and looks good to your eyes. Eye clean is a term you will hear often and a lot of people ask us what is the true meaning. The most basic definition that we can give is that to the naked and unaided human eye the diamond appears to be clear of imperfections. So when does "eye clean" become relevant?  Continue reading →