What Are Preset Engagement Rings?

Preset Engagement Rings are engagement rings that come with a diamond already chosen for you. This of course is the complete opposite of the popular ‘design-your-own-ring’ option that many other websites offer. Why would anyone be interested in purchasing a preset engagement ring? Well, they do tend to make the whole engagement ring process a lot easier, but there are some very important things to keep in mind before you purchase your diamond engagement ring from just anywhere…

Preset engagement rings are easy to shop for and takes the pressure off of loose diamond pricing and comparison shopping. For these reasons, many diamond vendors and websites have a section for diamond rings that are ready to go with no fuss over what color or clarity settings to choose. However, there are some tips you need to know before buying a preset diamond engagement ring from just anywhere.

4 Important Things To Know About Preset Engagement Rings

Preset engagement rings are often mid-low quality stones that do not have adequate diamond certification. Not all preset rings fall in this category, but many still do. Keep in mind that popular mall stores and other online diamond retailers offer preset rings with no diamond certificate. You may think that a diamond certificate isn’t that important since you aren’t going to spend tens of thousands of dollars on your engagement ring. However, a diamond grading report is indeed necessary and here’s why:

1. – Diamond rings without a diamond grading report or certificate are often sold within a carat weight “range”. This means that the diamond merchant may tell you that you are buying a 1.00ct diamond, but it may in fact be as small as 0.95ct or as large as 1.17ct. (an example from Kay Jewelers). A diamond’s carat weight is the most important factor when determining a diamond’s price and therefore it isn’t reasonable to charge the same price for a 0.95ct or a 1.17ct diamond. Remember, a diamond just under 1.00ct can often be found much cheaper because if falls just under the price jump for the popular 1.00ct diamond size (see insider’s knowledge on diamond carat weight for more info)

2. – – Preset engagement rings without a diamond grading report are often listed as a color and clarity range, for example a: H/I color or SI2/I1 clarity. This color and clarity “range” doesn’t give an accurate representation of what diamond color and diamond clarity it actually is. The devil is in the details with diamonds, and it is very important to know the difference as this directly effects a diamond’s quality AND price.

3. – – Without a diamond grading report, you cannot assess the most critical and important factor to a diamond’s beauty and value; a diamond’s cut. This is probably the biggest reason that you should never purchase a diamond without a credible lab report from either GIA or AGS. It is so important to know that your diamond has been cut well, because if it hasn’t it simply won’t sparkle that much. If you are confused about this, read up more on diamond cut here.

4. – – Keep in mind that some jewelers or jewelry stores offer their own “certificates” with their preset diamond rings. Unfortunately, without a third-party unbiased assessment of the true quality and value of the diamond, their personal grading is practically worthless. Unless they agree to have the stone taken out of the ring and sent to either GIA vs AGS for an accurate grading, it is better to pass on these.

If you are interested in buying a preset engagement ring to make the buying process easier on yourself, then I would highly recommend Brian Gavin Diamonds ‘preselected rings option‘. As you may already know, Brian is a 5th generation diamond cutter and hand selects all of his in-house diamonds. These gorgeous stones are all guaranteed eye-clean and represent the top 1% of all cut diamonds in the world. You really cannot go wrong with this option. Simply plug in your budget and which metal you prefer and a list of various options will pop up for you. Super easy.

Preset engagement rings are a great option for those of you that cannot be bothered with looking through hundreds or thousands of different loose diamonds online. It does make the buying process much easier, especially when you buy from a trusted diamond vendor that provides quality stones with reliable lab grading reports like GIA or AGS.