Diamonds 101

160 items total

April 7, 2017
DIAMOND FACE OFF PART 2: OVAL VS CUSHION

Next up on our series is going to be a diamond face off on Oval vs. Cushion. Oval and cushion cut diamonds are easily the most popular fancy cut diamonds shapes right now. Cushions have been hot for almost a decade now and ovals have shot up the charts in the past three years. Their rounded appearances and brilliant sparkle make them an amazing option for someone wanting a bright and modern appearance. Both cushion and oval cut diamonds work very well in hundreds of custom ring design options. If you have been following us on Instagram or staying up to date with our website you will notice these are the most used center-stone shapes. In this post we will break down the shapes and then compare. You can watch the full length HD quality video comparing oval and cushion cut diamonds, to go along with this post by clicking here
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged cushion clarity, oval halo, moissanite halo, oval rings, cushion oval diamond, cushion cut diamond, cushion cut diamnds, choosing an oval diamond, OVAL QUALITY on April 7, 2017 by admin.
April 3, 2017
DIAMOND FACE OFF PART I: EMERALD VS. RADIANT CUT A DETAILED LOOK

In today’s blog and the next few posts in our series we are going to compare similar diamond cuts and try to help establish the major differences between the two; both in loose diamonds and set within our custom engagement ring designs. For this post we are going to zone in on emerald cuts and elongated radiant cuts in particular. Click here to check out the full length YouTube video and read along with our post below to gain some more insight.
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged radiant cut engagement ring, emerald cut engagement ring, emerald vs radiant cut comparison, loose diamond comparison on April 3, 2017 by admin.
March 17, 2017
Top Diamond and Engagement Ring Misconceptions

When it comes to diamonds and engagement ring there is so much information out there that sometimes it can be hard to navigate. We have put together a list of the top misconceptions or misunderstanding that may transpire when shopping for a diamond engagement ring. There is almost too much information on the internet for a human brain to process. It may seem as the more you research the less you think you know because there are varying opinions, and some outright myths, that are being spread by websites, jewelers and even your friend who claims to be a diamond expert after one day of researching for his engagement ring. Read below to help educate yourself and help you avoid the common pitfalls that many first (and last) time shoppers unknowingly encounter on their mission for the perfect ring. Also you we created a video on our Youtube page here where we give some visual evidence to go along with some of the ones mentioned below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PpIjono4Q5A&index=7&list=PLO4B4LSsDtXhdeMq4g7PZYmpqwmrC-yN0
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101, Trending Now and tagged what to expect when buying a diamond, engagement ring buying guide, engagement ring misconceptions, dispelling engagement ring myths, diamond myths on March 17, 2017 by admin.
February 1, 2017
Diamond of The Week: 1.91 Carat

The Lowdown: 1.91 carat oval brilliant cut diamond with D color and SI1 clarity grade. This oval cut diamond features Excellent polish and Very good symmetry grades and is considered an Excellent cut oval diamond. The measurements on this particular diamond are 9.89 mm in length by 7.20 mm in width. While these are all the characteristics easily discernible from the GIA report alone, we will go into depth on the characteristics of this diamond to show some more detail. Watch the video here of this oval cut diamond to get an idea of the bright white and fiery look this special oval cut has. A diamond with this quality and size combination is an amazing budget option for someone wanting a 2 carat diamond in the colorless range for a large, bright white look. Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged choosing an oval diamond, oval engagement rings, oval diamonds, OVAL CUT, engagement ring quality, ring shopping, choosing center diamond, diamond shapes, diamond color, diamond clarity, diamond advice, engagement ring on February 1, 2017 by admin.
January 26, 2017
Faceoff: Diamonds vs. Moissanite, a side by side comparison

The moissanite craze has officially taken it's place in the engagement ring scene. In the past year or so we have seen an insane amount of customers lining up to get their hands on one of our custom engagement ring designs featuring a moissanite center as opposed to a traditional diamond center. Moissanites make a great diamond alternative because they are white gems, have lots of sparkle, and come in a variety of sizes and shapes. We like that the option of moissanite gives our clients more freedom to choose intricate custom setting designs and larger than average looking center gems without breaking the bank. Here we will break down some of the main differences between moissanite and diamonds so you can make a more educated decision Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101, Trending Now and tagged halo cushion moissaninte, cushion moissanite micropave, cushion moissaniute, Oval moissanite, Forever one colorless, Forever brilliant, Forever one, moissanite engagement ring, moissanite, custom engagement ring on January 26, 2017 by admin.
January 25, 2017
Diamond of The Week: 1.50 Carat Cushion Cut

The Lowdown: 1.50 carat cushion cut diamond, graded as "G" color "VVS1" clarity with a GIA certificate. This diamond has also has grades of excellent polish/excellent symmetry and measurements of 7.34mm x 6.38mm making it an elongated cushion cut in ratio. Watch the video here of this diamond alone and compared to a similar carat weight stone so you can get a better feel for its beauty before reading the article. While these statistics are all considered high end in the world of loose diamonds, taking a deeper dive will unveil a simply gorgeous, one of a kind diamond. By nature cushion cut diamonds are arguably the most difficult diamond shape to pin down because there are so many variances in their outlines, ratios, and overall faceting appearance. As we always stress here at Lauren B, choosing the perfect diamond should never be done by the certificate alone and is important to get a real life visual and expert analysis which is something we provide with each stone we offer our clients. Let's break this diamond down further here: Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged loose cushion diamond, the perfect cushion cut, cushion brilliant cut diamond, elongated cushion on January 25, 2017 by admin.
January 17, 2017
Diamond of the Week: 2.07 carat Radiant Cut

The lowdown: 2.07 carat "cut cornered rectangular modified brilliant", more commonly referred to as a radiant cut. This diamond has a GIA certificate with grading of E color and SI1 clarity along with excellent polish and excellent symmetry. These are good stats to start with but finding the perfect loose radiant cut diamond for your custom engagement ring requires a deeper dive. There is a lot of information and details to consider many of which can not be extrapolated directly from a diamond grading report. Of course also consider the shape of the radiant cut diamond you would like; currently more clients are asking for the elongated look but do not rule out the square if that is your preference. Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged elongated radiant diamond, the perfect radiant cut, 2 carat radiant cut, radiant cut diamond on January 17, 2017 by admin.
December 16, 2016
Diamond Dictionary

When you enter the world of diamonds be prepared to be faced with an entirely new vocabulary. It isn't as simple as the 4 C's of carat, cut, color, and clarity! There is a lot more to detail and specific nuances to every single diamond than those 4 main characteristics. In this post we'll give you the rundown on words used in regards to diamonds that are not as commonly understood but will really help you sound liked a seasoned professional! Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged diamond bowtie, crushed ice diamond, diamond slang, diamond dictionary, diamond terms, spready diamond on December 16, 2016 by admin.
December 1, 2016
LIGHT YELLOW BEAUTIES

As of late we have been loving alternatives to the traditional classic colorless center diamond. Moissanites, semi-precious, and precious gems all make great alternatives to white diamonds. Traditionally, clients will come to us requesting white diamonds that are of J color and above. This way the diamond does not have any yellow undertone to it and looks white. However, there is another breed of technically white diamonds that often is overlooked. These are X Y Z colored diamonds and they make amazing options for a budget friendly center diamond Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged lauren b yellow diamond rings, yellow diamond rings, xyz yellow rings, xyz diamonds, light yellow diamond engagement rings on December 1, 2016 by admin.
November 25, 2016
All About Sapphires

Sapphires have once again become an increasingly popular center stone choice for engagement rings and even right hand rings. At Lauren B we love the look of these colorful stones which add a lot of character to an otherwise ordinary ring. To give you some context, sapphires are a precious gem stone along with rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. Sapphire which mineral make up is Corundum is a very hard, durable, and stable stone making it suitable for everyday wear; they have a hardness of nine on the Mohs scale whereas diamonds are a rated as 10. S Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Styles & Details, Diamonds 101 and tagged sapphire and diamond rings, sapphire engagement ring, sapphire color, sapphire quality on November 25, 2016 by admin.
November 7, 2016
Re-Introducing our Online Video Gallery

Selecting a diamond or style design for your engagement ring can be a daunting task to anyone. There is a lot of mixed information out there and trying to become a diamond expert in a matter of just a few short weeks, or months, is no simple project. As gemologists and diamond specialists, we go through hundreds of diamonds weekly and still find ourselves learning new things once in a while too ;) While it definitely helps to know the 4 C's, there are no hard rules and the main end goal is to end up picking a diamond you visually absolutely LOVE and a ring design that looks flattering on your hand. This means liking the shape, the cut, the color and real life appearance of the finished engagement ring. Researching online can definitely help you familiarize yourself with the different terminology and basic pricing/quality guidelines but having visuals is the only way to know for certain what you will be getting.
For this reason we have curated a special online video gallery comparing loose diamond sizes, shapes, weights, and qualities which can be accessed here Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101, Trending Now, Behind the Showcase and tagged loose diamond comparison videos, custom ring video gallery, loose diamond video gallery, lauren b video gallery on November 7, 2016 by admin.
September 16, 2016
QUALITY CONTROL PART II: Princess, Emerald, Asscher and Radiant

Today we are going to be discussing some more diamond quality recommendations broken down by diamond shape. The diamond cuts we will be diving into today are princess, emerald, asscher, and radiant cut. What these shapes all have in common is a square or rectangular shape giving them an edgy appeal and lots of shine! As with all fancy shape diamonds choosing the perfect one can be very challenging because there are so many variations on their cut and quality to consider, much of which cannot be concluded from reading the diamond certificate alone. Let's try to break things down for you here Continue reading →
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This entry was posted in Diamonds 101 and tagged length to width ratio fancy shape diamonds, color for emerald cut, emerald cut lauren b, proportion radiant cut, radiant cut diamond quality, emerald cut qualities, asscher cut quality, princess cut quality, choosing your diamond quality on September 16, 2016 by admin.