Sapphire & Diamond Ring

Estate Bangle Bracelet

Vintage Engagement Ring

Have Questions? Call us at (904) 346-0641.

Loose Diamond Buying Guide

Buying a diamond can be an intimidating process. If you search for information on diamonds online, listen to local radio advertisements, or get help from a friend or family member, you can quickly become overwhelmed. We promise you that will not be the case at Harby Jewelers of Jacksonville. Our process will be comfortable, informative, and low-pressure. Every engagement ring purchase starts with a conversation in our private office. If you walk in most jewelry stores looking for an engagement ring, you will inevitably end up standing across a jewelry display case looking at a salesperson. Our personal approach is the complete opposite of this idea. We want you to feel relaxed, informed, and empowered to make the perfect diamond choice for you.

We always tell our customers that it is our job to find the ideal diamond for YOU. No customer is quite the same. One customer might be sensitive to the subtle changes in diamond color or clarity. The next might not be able to tell any difference in these changes. We will educate you on all of these details and find the best diamond value on the market. Value doesn't mean the lowest price (although our pricing is extremely competitive). Value means paying for the things that are meaningful for your specific taste! We are experts in helping you determine what you value in a diamond and then matching you with the perfect stone. We will show you many diamonds that we have in stock, but if we don't have the perfect match, we will use our connections in the diamond industry to find the best diamond for you.

An engagement ring purchase is the beginning of a long-term relationship. Most customers remember who they bought their engagement ring from and will return for other occasions throughout their life. We treat this sale with the importance that it deserves. We will do absolutely everything to ensure this is an experience that you will never forget. Most customers have a hard time getting past our incredible view of downtown Jacksonville! For most, this is memorable enough. We want every customer who buys something from our family business to feel the significance that we place on this sale. When you leave our office, we want your confidence to be equally high in the engagement ring you purchased as it is in who you bought it from.

Cut

The term "cut" is often confused with "shape." While both are important factors, cut refers to the brilliance and fire that a diamond produces at the hands of a skilled cutter. As technology has progressed, we can measure the amount of light reflected due to proper cutting techniques. For round diamonds, we want a perfect balance of white light and dark areas. We also want the rainbow colors (fire) that a diamond produces to be seen when the diamond is moved around. Every variation from the ideal cutting parameters will cause the diamond to become less brilliant and have less fire. Round diamonds are graded on each measurement with some minor allowances. We then assign the diamond a cut grade ranging from Excellent to Poor. If you buy a diamond cut in the last decade, we recommend only buying one with an excellent cut grade.

Fancy shape diamonds are not assigned a grade for the way they are cut. This is due mainly to the differing opinions and tastes for these shapes. An example of these varying preferences would be an oval-cut diamond. One person may prefer a more elongated oval, and the next might select a shorter or more traditional shape. For this reason, a fancy shape diamond will never have a cut grade. It takes years of experience to recognize all of the various ways a fancy-shaped diamond can be cut. We are experts in identifying these differences and can help guide you toward the most optimally cut fancyshaped diamond for your preferences.

When you are picking out a diamond at Harby Jewelers of Jacksonville, you will hear us emphasize the importance of a diamond's cut repeatedly. We recommend that you not make sacrifices in this category. We pride ourselves in our ability to provide you with the best-cut diamonds on the market regardless of size, color, and clarity.

Clarity

Almost every diamond has natural inclusions. These inclusions are permanent and are similar to a fingerprint. Many diamonds have tiny inclusions that are only visible under magnification. Most customers prefer a diamond that doesn't have inclusions that are visible to the naked eye. The cut-off for seeing inclusions to the naked eye is typically SI2. Diamonds below this almost always have inclusions that you will see without magnification. SI2 clarity is borderline. Some will still have inclusions that can be seen, but many will not. This is a very popular range for the customer that doesn't care about the differences under the microscope but wants to maximize carat weight or even color. Diamonds about an SI2 typically only have inclusions that can be seen with high magnification. The next step up is an SI1 which stands for slightly included 1. Above this are VS2 and VS1. These diamonds usually have a few small inclusions that are seen under magnification but not significant. The next range is VVS2 and VVS1. These diamonds almost exclusively have inclusions that are the size and classification of a pinpoint. Imagine taking a needlepoint and making a small mark under the microscope. Most inclusions in this size range are so small that it is even difficult to see with magnification. The highest clarity grades are internally flawless and flawless. These diamonds are absent of any clarity characteristics and are extremely rare. We find that the majority of our customers end up purchasing diamonds in the VS1-SI2 clarity range. We do sell diamonds above this in clarity but with less frequency. Many customers choose to spend their budget on other categories that are more noticeable without the help of a microscope.

Color

Diamonds are graded on color on a scale the goes from D to Z. Most diamonds have a degree of natural color, and ones that don't are exceptionally rare. Diamonds in the D-E-F range are considered colorless and are absent of any yellowness. The next range is categorized as near colorless this range includes diamonds graded as G-H-I-J. Diamonds below this range will have an increasing yellowness and will be more obvious to the naked eye. This includes grades from K-Z in color. Most customers don't notice obvious yellowness on any diamonds that are graded a J or better in color. Our most popular range for an engagement ring is the near-colorless range. Every customer is different. Some can perceive the smallest changes in color, but some are not as sensitive to the subtle differences. We will show you many different color ranges and evaluate your ability to perceive these changes in person. It is our job to match your preferences in color to the perfect diamond for you.

Carat

Most customers are more familiar with carat weight than most of the other 4 C's. The larger a diamond is, the more rare and valuable it becomes. Pricing doesn't increase in a linear fashion as size increases. There are price jumps anytime a diamond passes the next whole carat size. Nearly all customers can perceive small size increases in carat weight. For most customers, a size difference of .10 carats is noticeable to the naked eye but not significant. We advise a size increase of around .20 carats for a difference that is more obvious without careful examination. Many of our customers want to maximize diamond size while maintaining a quality level that matches their preferences. We can help you navigate this balance and help you find a diamond that fits perfectly with your budget.

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