HERE’S the best advice for girls and ladies: Enjoy all that life has to offer, but be ready to receive diamonds. Since love is that condition in which the happiness of another is essential to your own, you should expect the very best from the man who loves you. So think rocks.
Diamonds are the definitive way of saying I love you; take note, men, on how to make love obvious. Fortunately, the best in quality diamonds has arrived in the form of Tiffany & Co. jewelry, with the engagement marque newly available at Rustan’s. Thanks to Tiffany, it’s no longer right for ladies to receive plain old dull diamonds from their boyfriends—for it’s always better to be a happy recipient of quality diamonds obtained at great price. These are investment grade.
Now, price isn’t what you pay for; it’s more of the quality. Women will agree: A plain, old, dull diamond of dubious quality won’t matter much in the long and short runs. If it’s cheaply acquired, there must be various reasons for its inferiority.
How much do you, as the better half, deserve? The diamond that your suitor gives you must be free from blemishes and must be perfect—in all terms of the word, to include high marks in the categories known as the four Cs: carat, color, clarity and cut. And then, of course, there’s the “Fifth C”: Certificate.
CATEGORIES OF QUALITY
CUT is probably the most important, and most challenging, to understand. The brilliance of a diamond depends heavily on its cut, which is the way that the rock is hewn and sculpted to capture and reflect light. If cut the wrong way or with nonaligned angles, your diamond won’t have luster. It won’t sparkle like a star in the night.
A lack of clarity may also be the culprit. Most diamonds contain inner flaws, called carbon inclusions, which occur during the formation process of a million hot, stressful years below the Earth’s crust. The visibility, number and size of these inclusions determine what is called the clarity of a diamond. Diamonds that are clear create more brilliance, and thus are more highly prized.
Meanwhile, for many ladies, colorless diamonds are the most desirable, since they allow the most refraction of light. Off-white diamonds absorb light, inhibiting brilliance. But if you want the rarest of them all, go for the red variety that Tiffany’s offers—albeit in another location: New York. (We hope Rustan’s will carry Tiffany red diamonds soon.)
Carat is the unit of weight by which a diamond is measured. Because large diamonds are found less commonly than small diamonds, the price of a diamond rises in direct proportion to its size. The larger the carat, the larger also the appearance of your diamond.
Last, the diamond certificate, which is sometimes called a grading report, is a complete evaluation of your diamond that has been performed by a qualified gemological professional with the help of special instruments. Each title bears its respective stone characteristics. These definitions are recorded as a list.
TIFFANY & CO. DIAMOND ENGAGEMENT RINGS
IN 2014 couples with demographics belonging to the uppermost tier of the market spent an average of more than $1 million on an engagement ring. Also in 2014, the average size of the center stone for this price range was 5.1 carats.
But buying a diamond engagement ring is part of a much larger decision that goes far beyond jewelry, tradition, class or money.
Our No. 1 recommendation is to follow your heart. What does she deserve? The “average” amount spent or size purchased does not equal the “ideal”. In fact, the “ideal” engagement ring is a very individual and personal matter, since love cannot be measured by how much money you spend on an engagement ring, but only the generosity and the size of your wallet. Are you generous and wealthy for your loved one? Of course, you should get Tiffany diamonds and nothing less.
THE GUY SHOULD BUY FOR HER
SCORING high on all standards, Tiffany diamonds are among the rarest and most valuable. They are essential signs of high esteem.
Women are in unanimous agreement that they want to be surprised with gifts. They want, of course, to be surprised for the thrill of it. However, a deeper, more important reason lies behind this desire—and that is freedom from guilt, since her practical nature would arise when asked if she should be party to the actual purchase of diamonds. Practical ladies will say no, although in their heart of hearts they’ve said yes.
To overcome this dilemma, we suggest a two-step gift process: First, the man learns that Tiffany diamonds are the best; then, he makes the purchase decision to surprise the woman, who remains in a sort of semipassive role. Well, she can also think of ways to please the guy later.
But when she is surprised to have received Tiffany diamonds, even if her surprise is feigned, she plays the same role of accommodating such dissonance and grins and bears it. This permits the woman to pretend that she has not actively participated in the buying decision. She thus retains both her innocence—and the diamond.
To induce men to buy diamonds for women, we should focus on the emotional impact of the surprise. In the final analysis, a man who gives diamonds enhances his standing in the eyes of his woman. It is a sign of his success. Never before has love become a win-win situation carved in stone.