Is 4 prongs or 6 prongs ring safer?

Prong setting is the most popular kind of Engagement Ring amongst all ring or jewellery styles. As the diamond can be most revealed through prong setting, light can enter the diamond from all angles, thereby maximizing its optical effect, light reflection and colour scintillation. In particular, 4 prongs and 6 prongs ring settings are most popular. They do not only secure the diamond snuggly, but they also enhance the beauty of a diamond’ symmetry.

When you have to make a choice between 4 prongs or 6 prongs, what should be your decision? Would more prongs to a ring be better and more secure?

The first decision determinant should be, the size of a diamond, also known as the weight (or carats) of a diamond. If the weight of diamond is more than 2.50 carats, Bee’s Diamonds suggest to choose a 6 prongs ring mount that can securely hold up the center diamond. Diamonds that weigh more than 2.5 carats is comparatively larger than the size of a typical ring, which render a larger space in between the prongs. And so, the larger the diamond and the space in between the prongs, the chance of a diamond being stroke by sharp object at simultaneous angles is higher. In other words, having 6 prongs ring mount for a large diamond would diminish the space in between each prong, providing more security for knocking off.

For diamonds that weigh lesser, 4 prongs ring mount setting is simple and elegant. You can see the diamond very clearly from top down. Not only that, you can also see a diamond’s pavilion through the spaces in between the prongs. Of course, if you want the diamond to be securely mounted, 6 prongs ring mount is also absolutely applicable, keeping in mind that too many prongs would block  light rays, and sharpness of a diamond will decrease.

The second consideration will be the kind of metal to use on your ring. The metals commonly used for making rings and jewellery are 18 Karat Gold (marked as 750), and Platinum, also known asPT950. 18K Gold is an alloy of 75 percent pure gold and 25 percent precious metals, e.g. silver, nickel and palladium. With 18 K Gold, you can utilize either 4 prongs or 6 prongs ring mounts for your mount as 18 K gold is a strong and hard metal that can sustain many years of wear and tear. In contrast, platinum PT950, which is an alloy of 95% pure platinum and 5% precious metals, is a metal with higher ductility, which means the metal is “softer” and it can change shape easily. The diamonds may lose contact with the prongs after receiving small impact. In other words, the prongs to a ring can bent easily.  If you need to choose PT950, please choose a ring mount with more prongs, or request to have the prongs be made into thicker prongs, so to increase protection to the diamond.

Diamond is the world’s hardest substance. However, ring mounts are not as strong as diamonds. Regardless of 18K Gold or PT950, they age over time. The prongs will be weakened through regular usage, and the prongs can easily become loose. It is imperative to have regular checks on your diamonds ring with your jewellery shop.

Want to know which metal should be chosen for wedding band? 18K Gold or Platinum PT950? Stay tuned for other future blog posts. For more information, please visit our website at www.beesdiamonds.com

Is ring design more important or the diamond?

Very often when men customers come to Bee’s Diamonds for an engagement ring consultations, the very first question that we ask them is “What kind of ring do you envision for your other half?”. Interestingly, 9 out of 10 men would describe how the ring would look like, filigrees, simple crown, solitaire,classic. Only very few men would actually talk about the main character of the ring – the diamond. This is surprising as I thought most guys would not pay attention to small details such as how thick the shanks should be, how high should the diamond be lifted from the ring to maximize sparkles. Only a rare few men would start by saying that they want a F colour diamond with VS2 clarity, etc.. So the question of the day is – should you pay more attention to the diamond or the design of the ring? Should you buy a ring because of its design or because of the center stone?

There are two major parts that compose a ring – the center stone, be whatever it is,whether it is a diamond, sapphire, ruby, sapphire, and the design. Bee’s Diamonds highly advises you to focus your investment on the center diamond rather than the ring design for a number of valid reasons. First, the center stone is your new family’s first asset which will most likely be passed down from your generation to the next. Even if it is not, it may be taken by your wife for trading up(trading in for a bigger diamond in the future, and yes, this happens in later years of the marriage. In fact, very often does this happen, especially in recent years when women always look for bigger looking diamonds). Furthermore,the diamond is not just a symbol of engagement and marriage, it is the passing of wealth from one to another, from one family to another. As such, the diamond should form the largest portion of your investment in the ring.

The design is important too, but of lesser importance. Designs are temporary.Similar to fashion trends, what looks good now may not look good say 10 years from now. A lot of women bring in old jewellery from their grandparents’ era and ask for redesign and remounting at Bee’s Diamonds. They will never change or throw away the diamonds, but they will only create new designs that match the diamond. So, no matter how much you or your soon-to-be fiancé likes the design, one should not buy the ring simply because of the design. The diamond should be your choice of concern. Plus, the sum of designs and mounting is relatively low compared to the value of diamonds, so one should not focus too much time investigating on the designs but a majority of effort on understanding and learning about diamonds from certified gemologists, so to ensure an investment well worth the value.

What kind of ring design would be classic and can be worn in the many years to come?What are some of the recommended designs that would not waste much of your investment but will be long lasting and durable? Should you choose a ring mount with 4 prongs or 6 prongs? Stay tuned for more ring information in future blog posts.

For more information on how to choose a diamond or a ring design, please contact Bee’s Diamonds at info@beesdiamonds.com or at (852) 2180 7812.

Difference between 1.00 vs 1.01 cts diamond

Quite a number of customers often ask the question of what weight of diamond should I buy as an engagement diamond? Most men (and ladies) would agree that a one carat diamond is typically the ideal and most commonly purchased weight of diamonds for engagement purpose. Some women may choose to say that the value of an engagement diamond should be equivalent to three months’ salary of the gentleman, and that may mean a 0.50 carats (50 points) to 10 carats. So what’s the ideal, or what’s the standard for choosing a properly weighted engagement diamond without blowing your budget?

We would have to say that a one carat is the typical standard, taking into account the varying levels of income from all professional disciplines of gentlemen. When we say one carat, we actually mean 1.01 carats instead of 1.00 carats. Let me put it in easy terms for you. Carat is the unit used to calculate the weight of a diamond. One carat weighs about 0.02 grams (which can weigh lighter than a feather!). There are 100 points in one carat, so if a diamond is less than a carat, it would be put in the term of say, 70 points, being the equivalence of 0.70 carats.

Let’s not get carried away by the numbers and refocus on the topic of the day – should you choose a diamond that weighs 1.00 carats or 1.01 carats? If you are new to diamonds (or have never purchased a diamond before), you would think that going for a 1.00 carat diamond is sufficient enough for an engagement ring. However, gemologists think otherwise. We would never purchase in a round diamond that weighs 1.00 carats. This is because even though diamond is the toughest substance on earth, it also has a weakest link, which is its culet (the tiniest point in a diamond). The culet is easily prone to chipping or scratching when the diamond is scratched against another diamond or even other precious metals.  In the unfortunate or accidental situation where a 1.00 carat diamond is chipped due to improper handling by unexperienced craftsmen during setting, the weight of the diamond would fall to 0.99 carats which renders its value to significantly drop. Your investment and the value of your family’s first asset would go to waste instantly.

It is true that the value of 1.00 carats diamond is much lower than those of 1.01 carats as only those that weigh 1.01 carats are much more tradable within the diamond market and can within a much higher value appreciation overtime. Usually round diamonds with 1.00 carats have a small diameter (6.3 mm or less) and they look smaller, in comparison to those that weigh 1.01 carats (with diameter of 6.35 mm and above). 

Choosing a engagement diamond is not just about the money being put into the wedding, it is building your family’s first asset and extending your family’s wealth to the next generation. Choose a diamond that will last you and your family beyond lifetime is critical and since it will be one of the major investments of your lifetime; why not choose one that with higher quality that can guarantee you with highest rate of return in the long run?

Rendy Ng, A.J.P. (GIA), G.G. (GIA)

Gemologist & Director, Bee’s Diamonds

Is bigger the better? Should I choose a bigger diamond or better quality diamond for engagement ring? / Diamond Buying and Investment Advice

Is bigger always better? It’s definitely a yes if it comes to a bigger desk at work, a bigger car, a bigger fridge, or even, a bigger house. Would this apply to the world’s most concentrate form of wealth – diamonds? When choosing a diamond for engagement rings, one of the most usual problems that guys encounter is - whether to go for a bigger diamond with lower colour and clarity within budget, or a smaller diamonds with the highest clarity grade, colour, etc. Or if you are simply deciding on a diamond to invest for good short term or long term gain, should we aim for size of quality? Let me give you an expert’s diamond choosing advice – Neither.

Let me boldly ask you this question. Now that you have decided to propose to this one in a million woman whom you are madly in love with, was it because of one sole reason? Or was it a combination of reasons?  Admit it or not, you must have done a preliminary assessment of her and the quality of time you spent with her before deciding to commit to a serious relationship. You considered her looks, her body shape, her personality, her values, her philosophy as well as the fun you both had together, the ups and downs you had been through and finally, what future holds for you two. This is no difference when it comes to choosing a diamond. I advise you to choose a well-balanced diamond that possesses all the qualities of the woman you chose. Let me explain.

1. Do not choose a diamond just by its weight or just by its colour. Maintain a balance amongst all the grading factors - what is commonly known as the 4Cs and other important grading factors such as fluorescence, proportions, certification, colour tinge, etc..

2. Choose a diamond with colour that complements your girlfriend’s skin tone. We recommend D to F colour for fairer skin, G to H for medium tone, and I to J for tanned skin. Should you go for a K colour? From experience, many girls do not favour K colour, so choose with caution;

3. Value good clarity. Your diamond does not necessary have to be a VVS, but a nice VS1, VS2, clean SI1 and SI2 that looks like a VS2 would get your investment far and wide – for hints on how to identify a good SI1 and SI2, stay tuned for future posts or consult one of our gemologists at Bee’s Diamonds;

4. Discard diamonds with black inclusions. A majority of natural diamonds have natural inclusions, but more often black inclusions than the preferable white inclusions. This will not be written on the GIA certificate for you. Do look at each diamond option under magnification carefully. Ask your jeweller as any honest jeweller should disclose everything about a diamond for you to consider;

5. A diamond with very good cut and above. Triple excellence is not always necessary, but try to keep at least a double excellence by cut, polish and symmetry to ensure a substantial resell value in the future. Pay attention to the proportions and the figures in percentage. We will further explore this topic in future posts, but for now, keep these figures in mind: Table – preferably 56 to 60%, total depth: not >= 62.9% and crown angle: 32.5 to 36, preferably 34.5;

6. A diamond with preferably no fluorescence. Under the grading item of fluorescence in a diamond’s certificate report, discard those that indicate strong blue, medium blue, or faint fluorescence, choose only those that says “None”. Although diamonds that possess fluorescence effect due to its natural boron content will render the diamond cheaper and also looking a little whiter than its original colour, if the diamond you are choosing is for engagement purpose, I suggest that you choose one with nil fluorescence unless your girlfriend is well informed of the fluorescence. Most girls, from our experience, do not wish for their diamond to have any form of impurity, including fluorescence. However, if you are choosing a fancy  yellow coloured diamond, fluorescence is also preferred as it will make the yellow saturation looks even more intense. 

7. Consider all the grading characteristics written on its GIA certificate and those that are not written on the certificate, and this include colour tinge, which may indicate whether the source of diamond is legitimate or not.

In sum, do not go for a super large diamond and compromise on its quality, but do not choose a really small diamond with supreme quality so to fit into the budget. If you really want a strict recommendation without wasting much time understanding and learning about diamonds, here will be our fast recommendation if you are a 20-something years old guy looking to buy a decent engagement ring for your girlfriend:

-         An adequate, well balanced diamond with preferably:

o   Carat:      At least 1 carat

o   Colour:    E to H colour

o   Clarity:   VVS2 to nice SI2

o   Cut:         At least double excellence

o   Note:       No fluorescence, no colour tinge, GIA certificate

o   Budget:   2 to 6 months of your monthly salary

Having said that, we still recommend you to visit your jeweller and learn about the different options. Choosing a diamond is not only an art, but also an investment for your new family. After all, it is your first family asset. It should be one with quality and taste, so that your children and grandchildren would have something nice to keep as the family’s treasure in years to come. You would not want your grandchild to bring your engagement ring for appraisal and only found out that the diamond is solely “big-looking” and lacks all the quality that an eternal diamond should possess.