Color and Clarity: The diamond is in Oval shape, and price much less than soliataire. As it release less brilliance than Soliataire, it is much safer to get a better color and clarity.  The major inclusion is at the side of stone, so it is not noticable with naked eye.
Shape: Due to the elongated shape, oval shape looks longer and larger than it is.  A 1.90 carat of soliataire diamond definitely cost more than $15k. It is a good buy if you are not particular to any shape.

Price: $13,860

Certificate: GIA (Click here to look at its GIA certificate)
Depth: 58.5%, Table: 58.0%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Excellent
Measurement: 9.45*7.37*4.31

Cost of 18K white gold ring: $330 – $725

Source: James Allen. Get additional 10% off for your engagement ring setting by using our coupon code offered by James Allen!

• For budget below $9K, you can get a 1.58 carat soliataire ring with Ideal cut and Excellent polish and symmetry.
• Although it is SI1, the inclusion is not visible even it is 40x magnified. 
• The faint fluorescene effect enhances 1- 2 grade of I color. It looks G color although the real color is I. 
• According to rating table, depth and table percentage is rated as excellent ratio, which promise great balance of the brilliance and size.

Price: $8,970

Certificate: GIA (Click here for GIA certificate)
Depth: 62.3%, Table: 56.0%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Measurement: 7.44*7.51*4.66

Cost of 18K white gold ring: $330 – $725

Source: James Allen. To get 10% off for your engagement ring setting by using our coupon code offered by James Allen!

Color: Again, faint fluorescence does upgrade color H to 2 grades whiter. It is value buy for you especially if you put size and brillance diamond than color in priority.Price: $6,850

Certificate: GIA (Click here for GIA certificate)
Depth: 60.6%, Table: 58.0%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Excellent
Measurement: 6.98*7.01*4.24

Cost of 18K white gold ring: $330 – $725

Source: James Allen. To get 10% off for your engagement ring setting by using our coupon code offered by James Allen!

Analysis:
Clarity: Although the clarity is SI1, since the inclusion is scattered around the diamond, it is not noticable with naked eye. View the 10x magnification here. 
Color and fluorescence: In addition, although the diamond is I-graded, it will appear as F-G, whiter than it actually does, thanks to the FAINT fluorescence. 
Depth and table percentage : The depth and table percentage is fall on VERY GOOD category based on diamond proportion.  This is acceptable.

Certificate: GIA (Click here to look at its GIA certificate)
Depth: 62.1%, Table: 58.0%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Measurement: 5.74*5.76*3.57

Cost of 18K white gold ring: $330 – $725

Source: James Allen. Get additional 10% off for your engagement ring setting by using our coupon code offered by James Allen!

Basically, the price you paid for a diamond depends greatly on the grading printed on its certificate. We all know that GIA and AGS are two of the most recognized diamond grading associations and because of this, diamonds with their certificates are able to fetch a higher price compared to a similar grade diamond with certificates from other associations. Frankly speaking, the premium doesn’t really come only from its branding but rather the consistency and strict standards that GIA and AGS deliver and maintain. Let’s discuss about this in a little bit more detail.  

 Consistency of result
The act of grading a diamond is always subjective as there is no universal definition of the grades given for the 4Cs. In many cases, if you were to send a diamond to both GIA and EGL (not that you would), you will probably receive different evaluations as a result. For example, a diamond with Color G to EGL may seem like color I to GIA. This variation of grading outcome is acceptable; after all, you are talking about two different grading bodies looking at the same diamond! However, if there is varying grades within the same association itself for similar diamonds, it is something undesirable and annoying. Such organizations have the tendency to change their grading standards periodically and even make grading mistakes within their labs. Consistent quality is what made both GIA and AGS so widely accepted.    

  Strict Standards of Certificate     

 The main difference between GIA and EGL is that the former is a non-profit organization while EGL is a commercial institution. Therefore, understandingly, GIA tends to be more objective than EGL when grading diamonds as the latter is more customer-focused (in this situation, their customers are the diamond merchants). This results in a disparity so well-known in the industry that it is no longer secret.  If that is the case, why would EGL gain so much popularity and edge in the market? This is partly due to the poor service, high cost of service, the long time taken to grade a diamond and the unavailability of the pre-cert option which both GIA and AGS deliver. EGL came in a fill in the gaps and provided pre-cert options that allow diamond merchants to look at the determined grading before deciding whether to get the actual certificate printed out.    

 Again, due to the difference in their organization focus, EGL tends to give higher grades than GIA and AGS when similar diamonds are inspected. It is also an open secret that EGL gives an average of 2-3 higher grades than AGS and GIA. What does this mean for the consumer like you and me?      

 In reality, for example, looking at diamond A which is graded by EGL with a certain rating and diamond B with a similar rating by GIA, the diamond which is certified by EGL might seem to sell at a significant discount. However, in actual case, diamond A would probably be graded by GIA with a lower grading and hence be of lower price.                                

0.9c - H - VS1 - Ideal- EGL - $3,381.84- Abazias

0.9c - I - VS2 - Very Good - GIA - $3,089.77 - Abazias

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             Therefore,

Our advice to you guys out there is avoid buying any diamonds being graded by EGL! Would you prefer to buy the same diamond being graded by EGL with an excellent cut or graded very good cut by GIA? Of course you would buy the diamond graded by GIA because it is  cheaper! It IS the same stone after all.   

 For diamond wholesaler’s point of view, EGL and random certificate is in favor to them, as they are much faster and efficient, more loose in grading so can get better grading results and earn higher, cheaper (lower overall cost). Diamond wholesaler may choose to display EGL and discard GIA.
  
 

0.9c - G - SI1 - Very Good - GIA - $3,745.44 - Abazias

0.91c - G - SI1 - Verg Good - EGL -$3,521.55- Abazias

From consumer’s view, for color G and clarity SI1 for EGL and GIA, which one will you choose? If you choose GIA/ AGS, in return you get a consistent and higher standard of grading with higher price. While if you choose EGL, you will get a lower quality diamond with lower price.

1. Sleeping = under your control: This is the most recommended way as all are under your control when she is sleeping! While she is sleeping tightly in the middles of the night, wrap the strap of paper around her finger and put a mark on the overlapped part. Measure the length from the paper. You can bring the measurement to the jewelry shop or online store and they will know the size. This method works the best if she is deep sleeper or when she is deadly tired on the day. Anyway, it is not suprising that the actual ring size is much smaller than the paper measurement, as paper cannot be as accurate as the real try. It is advisable that after getting your ring, you re-test again while she asleep.

2. Measure from her existing ring: Most of the girls keep accessories and hopefully she keeps ring too. She may once a while take off the ring, and then it is a good time for you to measure the ring size. You may also peep into her jewelry box and measure it. Make sure that the existing ring fit well into her lady’s finger on left hand.

3. Ask her close friends or mother: Ask her closest friends or mother about her ring size, as they might have given her ring as present in the past. If they don’t, ask her closest friend to bring her to a shopping mall and try on ring at any booth just for fun. You may also, have her mother to show her antique/ new ring and ask her to try on. They are the best person to measure the ring size without her knowing of the real intention!

4. Testing ring for my mother: If you have no common friend with her, you may want to do this way. Telling her that you want to buy ring for your mother, or sister and you need her opinion. Visit a jewelry shop and try on for fun! From there you can know her ring size while she is trying on the ring. Do practice your acting skill prior to that as woman is the most sensitive creature in the earth!

30 days ring resizing period: If you buy diamond ring through online store, there is always a 10 – 30 days period limit for the ring resizing, and your proposal plan may be longer than that. If you want to confirm the ring size before your proposed, there is a way!

You may try to put on the ring on her finger secretly when she is sleeping soundly in the middle of the night. After all, send back for resizing until the size is correct. Put on slowly and gently, so that your girlfriend is not wakening up by the pre-proposal testing!

 Tips:

1. The ring is resizable. Gold, white gold, single color is easy to be resized.
2. Test on the fourth finger on her left hand. Most of the time, the size of Left and right finger and knuckles may not be the same.
3. Paper sizer is better than Thread. Thread or any elastic measurer can easily be stretched and off by sizes.
4. If you are stuck between two size measurements, go for the larger size as it is easier to reduce the ring size than enlarge it.

**Download the Ring Sizer from Bluenile.**

For budget below $4 K, you can get a 0.90 carat soliataire ring with Ideal cut and Very Good polish and symmetry.

Clarity: Although it is SI1, since the inclusion is scattered around the diamond, it is not noticable with naked eye!
Color and fluorescence: The G color appears whiter with faint fluorescence.

Certificate: GIA (Click here to look at its GIA certificate)
Depth: 60.8%, Table: 56.0%
Polish: Very Good
Symmetry: Very Good
Measurement: 6.26*6.34*3.83

Cost of 18K white gold ring: $330 – $725

Source: James Allen. Get additional 10% off for your engagement ring setting by using our coupon code offered by James Allen!

The official Xinhua news agency said yesterday that the year-on-year rise, when much of the rest of the world was mired in deep recession, was due to China’s boisterous economic growth in 2009, which reached 8.7 per cent.

‘As the economy continued to develop in a stable manner, consumer demand for jewellery continued to grow, especially for diamonds for the wedding market,’ Xinhua said on its website.

‘In this year, China overtook Japan to become the world’s second largest diamond market for consumers behind the United States,’ it added.

China’s increasingly affluent middle class and vast pool of customers are seen as key factors for the rise in diamond sales in the world’s most populous country.

Demand for diamonds only really started to develop in the 1990s when De Beers brought its global advertising campaign to China, tapping into the Chinese desire for conspicuous consumption and pursuit of Western lifestyle trends.

De Beers is 45 per cent-owned by mining group Anglo American. — Reuters

Certificate: GIA (Click here for GIA certificate)
Depth: 67.8%, Table: 56.0%
Polish: Excellent
Symmetry: Excellent
Measurement: 5.94 *5.93 * 4.02

18K white gold ring Setting: $330 - $735

Source: James Allen. To get 10% off for your engagement ring setting by using our coupon code: RING10 offered by James Allen!