As the De Beers advertising campaign states, “A Diamond is forever”, that does not necessarily mean it is forever on your finger. The beautiful and well intentioned diamond you were given upon your engagement may have sentimental value but there is nothing wrong with upgrading to something larger, a different shape or adding side stones to your current diamond somewhere down the road.

My first piece of advice is to go shopping. Go to as many local jewelry stores as you can and try on a variety of rings. My experience, after being in the diamond business for four years, is that many women think they want a particular shape of diamond based on what they have seen in magazines and on television but in reality what looks good on their particular hand could be totally different. The biggest challenge in shopping is that most jewelry stores only carry rings in a certain size. There might be fifteen rings to look at but the majority of them are a finger size six. This is ok if you have a smaller finger size but can be very frustrating if you have a larger finger. It is so important that you are able to try the ring on and know that the ring will be comfortable to wear all the time.

Once you have determined the shape of the diamond you are interested in do some research into color and clarity. For a round shaped diamond starting with at least I color and SI1 clarity is perfectly fine. For a fancy shaped diamond I would suggest at least H color and VS2 clarity. Above all make sure that you are looking at certified diamonds. Most jewelry stores will tell you that the diamonds in their cases are certified but in fact they only have paper work from the store not from the GIA or AGS. Ask to see the certifications and if they say you can only have that information when you purchase the diamond run out of the store quickly. The diamonds could be any color, clarity and carat weight that they say and you would have no idea what you are actually buying.

A big question is what to do with your current diamond. Clients call us everyday wanting to sell their diamonds and there is really no good outlet for that kind of sale. I would encourage anyone to either incorporate their diamond into the new ring as a side stone or turn it into a new piece of jewelry in the form of a pendant or earring.

Jewelry is meant to be worn and enjoyed. Keeping a piece of jewelry in its current mounting, that you feel is outdated, so in turn you never wear it, is such a waste. Using the diamond in another way preserves the sentimental value and gives you a new piece to enjoy and cherish.

Kayce Turner is the Diamond Consultant at Diamond Source of Virginia, an online diamond retailer specializing in loose diamonds, diamond rings and diamond jewelry located in Richmond, Virginia and on the web at www.DiamondSourceVA.com You can also visit Kayce’s blog at www.Shopping-Adviser.typepad.com

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