How to Buy a Diamond

Throughout history, the diamond has been an enduring symbol of the powerful bond of love. Its strength, brilliance and value are as unique as the individuals who wear them. A diamond's worth is evaluated on four levels. We call these criteria the 4 C's—cut, carat weight, color and clarity. But there are other considerations as well when buying a diamond, and Ross-Simons has put together this education section to help you understand the terminology and special considerations you need to make when selecting your perfect diamond.

Selecting Your Diamond

Depending on your preference and your budget, the combination of the elements of the 4 C's, (as well as certification) is up to you. Is clarity more important than carat? Is carat more important than color? Only you can decide what combination makes up the perfect choice for your diamond jewelry.

Lab-Grown Diamonds: A Modern Diamond Choice

Lab-grown diamonds are real diamonds—created through advanced technology rather than mined from the earth. They share the same chemical composition, crystal structure, and optical performance as natural diamonds, which means they sparkle, wear, and grade exactly the same. In fact, lab-grown diamonds are evaluated using the same 4Cs—cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. The only true difference lies in their origin: one forms over billions of years underground, while the other is grown in carefully controlled environments over weeks or months.

Today, many shoppers consider lab-grown diamonds for their flexibility in size, design, and sourcing transparency. They allow buyers to prioritize larger carat weights, higher clarity, or specific design goals—often at a more accessible price point. Reputable jewelers always disclose whether a diamond is lab-grown or mined, and grading reports clearly state a stone’s origin. Whether chosen for value, scale, or personal philosophy, lab-grown diamonds offer a modern option within the timeless tradition of diamond jewelry.

Our Best Selling Diamond Jewelry

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The color of a diamond can have a big impact on the price. Learn more about the color-grade rankings, fancies, and how to choose the best setting for your diamond jewelry.

Diamond Cuts—How a diamond is cut is extremely important. In fact, it might be the most significant factor of the 4 C's. The cut determines the diamond's reflective qualities and directly influences its value. A diamond's cut affects its brilliance. The better the cut, the brighter the diamond appears.

How light enters a diamond is demonstrated in the illustration (at right). When a diamond is well cut, light enters through the table, travels to the pavilion and reflects from side-to-side, then pours out so the eye can see its fiery brilliance. Poorly cut diamonds have less fire and brilliance, because light enters through the table, hits the facets and is ultimately lost out of the diamond's sides.

A diamond's cut is sometimes confused with its shape. Shape is the actual appearance of a diamond, like round, pear, princess, oval, emerald, etc.

Learn more about diamond cuts and shapes, the elements that make up the cut of a diamond, how to choose the best shape, and much more.

Selecting the Ring and Proposing

So you've decided to pop the question. Congratulations! Now you have many things to think about including buying the perfect ring for your soon-to-be fiance and deciding how to propose. These decisions will be talked about for a lifetime, so here are some helpful articles on selecting the engagement ring and designing your proposal.

Our Best Selling Engagement Rings

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The Ross-Simons Tradition of Exceptional Quality, Selection and Service

At Ross-Simons we want you to treasure your diamond purchase for a lifetime. As a family owned jeweler for 65 years, we are a name that is recognized and respected nationwide for integrity, exquisite selection and exceptional value. Learn more about us.

Diamond Jewelry Care & Handling

Many people think diamonds are indestructible, but they do require care. Diamonds are natural grease attractors, wash your diamond regularly with jewelry cleaner and dry it with a lint free cloth. For a diamond that is worn daily this should be done once per week.

Use brushes sparingly as they can damage the mounting. Chlorine can pit and dissolve gold alloys in your mounting. Do not wear your ring swimming in a pool or working with chlorine solutions. We recommend that you bring your diamond to your trusted jeweler for a periodic inspection and professional cleaning. This service is always free of charge if you purchase your diamond engagement ring at Ross-Simons.

Conflict Diamonds

As one of America's foremost fine jewelers, Ross-Simons shares the concern of all regarding conflict diamonds. Certainly, the hardships and military burdens faced by some of the poorest African countries require that we take the proper care when sourcing our diamonds. In that regard, we resolve that Ross-Simons will purchase diamonds only through legitimate dealers in open transactions. And in our continuing effort to provide customers with the highest quality diamonds, we will only source through legal and established diamond dealers.

Ross-Simons and its suppliers support the Kimberley Process. As part of the process, we buy diamonds from manufacturers who have documentation warranting that the merchandise was obtained through legitimate channels. Today, the US Customs Service is actively enforcing the Kimberley Process requirements as diamonds enter American ports.

Ross-Simons continues to support and promote the processes that uphold the legitimacy of our business in the diamond trade.