Can You Buy Setting And Diamond Separately?

In the past, diamonds were mainly sold individually, as they were far more valuable as raw gems than jewelry assets. But, as time passed, people started to embed them in various jewelry pieces.

Because of that, a transition has been manifested, where most diamonds were only seen on said jewelry pieces.

All of that gave birth to several conspiracies in the diamond world, one of which being: “Can you buy setting and diamond separately?”

Diamonds and settings can be, without question, found and bought individually. As it turns out, buying diamonds and settings separately is far more favorable.

What are the main advantages and disadvantages of purchasing diamonds and settings separately?
Are there any diamond settings that are more popular than the others?
When is the correct time to purchase diamonds and settings individually?

We highly recommend you stick around until the end of this article, all of your questions regarding the topic at hand will be answered.

Stay tuned!

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Buying Preset Diamond Jewelry – Pros and Cons

Deciding to buy diamonds, whether preset or not, is generally opted when a special occasion is in question. Of course, the most popular one is an imminent proposal, but there are certain instances when diamonds are bought as a gift for someone else.

Irrespective of your choices – before you decide to buy a diamond, it’s crucial that you think about whether to purchase a loose diamond or a preset diamond. Both types have their ups and downs – without further ado, let’s dissect them:

If you want a short answer – it all comes down to the difference between versatility and accessibility.

Preset diamond jewelry can be found in almost all jewelry shops, regardless of location. In this case, the simplicity of buying them needs to be dissected – as soon as you decide to buy a piece of preset diamond jewelry, you’ll just need to pick up your keys and drive to the nearest jewelry shop.

Once you arrive, you can examine every piece of jewelry embedded with diamonds until you find the desired piece. As soon as you notice the perfect one for you – you’ll need to inform the jeweler that you wish to buy that piece of jewelry.

Depending on the paying method – as long as you have enough money, you’ll undoubtedly exit that jewelry shop with your desired piece.

Voila! You have yourself a brand new piece of preset diamond jewelry. This type of purchasing is vastly present in people who know what they want or if a particular individual is in a hurry to obtain a preset diamond ring.

Despite the accessibility, most of the time – buying preset diamond jewelry isn’t an optimal choice.

Preset diamond jewelry is usually much more expensive than buying it separately. Preset diamond rings are usually the more pricey ones, as jewelers tend to embed diamonds with more carats than they should to sell them more easily.

Most of the time, people try to find a single-carat preset diamond ring. Still, they will usually come short, as jewelry shops generally offer preset diamond rings that are in most cases 1.4 carats.

Because of that, customers that are interested in purchasing preset diamond rings end up paying much more than what they have initially thought to pay.

Furthermore, deciding to buy preset diamond jewelry doesn’t offer you much versatility – it’s difficult to alter that piece of jewelry in any shape or form.

Not to mention that making further arrangements for those jewelry pieces is quite expensive.

So, if you are interested in buying preset diamond jewelry, especially preset diamond rings, remember that they are usually more expensive and will leave you with slim to no chances of making any alterations.

The last thing that you need to remember is that most brick-and-mortar jewelry stores only offer a handful of choices when preset diamond rings are considered. They are usually labeled as limited selections, featuring only a couple of pieces.

With all that out of the way, we believe you need to hear a word about the most popular diamond settings.

Popular Diamond Settings

Most people aren’t as knowledgeable about diamonds as others that professionally work with them within the diamond-making industry. So, let’s briefly examine several popular diamond settings:

The Pavé Setting

To achieve the effect of continuous sparkle, smaller diamonds are placed close to one another so that the central diamond can manifest the highest sparkling levels.

This type of diamond setting is excellent for all people that wish to buy a preset diamond ring featuring a smaller central diamond. In short, this is an outstanding choice for purchasing a low-end preset diamond ring.

Learn More: Pavé Diamonds: Learn More About Pave Settings For Diamonds

The Bezel Setting

Almost all people worry about the safety of their diamonds, especially when they wish to wear them daily. To ensure that their central diamonds stay intact, the Bezel setting was created.

Whether you wish for a full-case setting or a half-case setting – the Bezel setting surrounds the diamond with a reliable thin metal rim.

The Tension Setting

The Tension setting also fully protects and secures the central diamond, as it’s held in place by the tension of the ring band.

An important thing to remember is that these diamond rings tend to have a slightly larger price tag due to the complexity of executing this type of setting.

If you are interested in learning more about the most popular diamond settings – we’ve got you covered: by clicking on the link here, you’ll learn everything about the most popular diamond settings!

Let’s take a short break from dissecting diamond settings individually and focus on the pros and cons of loose diamonds and settings.

Loose Diamonds & Setting – Pros and Cons

As we previously discussed, independently buying loose diamonds and settings will require you to dedicate more time and patience, particularly if you decide to find something exotic.

First and foremost, if you decide to purchase them individually, you’ll be left with a more flexible approach, especially when the central diamond is brought to the table.

Depending on the type of setting, you’ll need to balance the importance of the stone’s quality and the overall sense of security that the setting provides.

When we discuss the stone’s quality in the diamond-making industry, we generally refer to the 4C’s of diamonds.

4C’s Of Diamonds

Regardless of their origin, all diamonds need to be examined through the 4C’s before they are placed on the free market. These 4C’s are defined through the following:

Carat – Plenty of precious stones, diamonds included, are exclusively measured in carats. A single carat is equal to 0.2 grams; thus, carats indicate a diamond’s size.
Color – All diamonds can be classified as either colorless or colored. A wide misconception has spread in the past that colorless diamonds are white. Contrary to their beliefs, there are no white diamonds.
Cut – For diamonds to have the ability to capture light successfully, they need to undergo a cutting process, which professional diamond cutters can only perform.
Clarity – By examining its potential flaws, diamonds are inspected externally and internally.

But, for now, we’ll slowly shift back to the main topic by explaining when is the right time to buy preset diamond jewelry.

Main Differences Between Preset Diamonds And Loose Diamonds

As we previously established, preset diamond jewelry is, in most cases, far more expensive compared to loose diamonds paired with a setting.

The previous statement shouldn’t come as a surprise – professional diamond jewelers need to dedicate their time and effort to crafting a piece of jewelry that’s embedded with diamonds. That takes enormous skill, which comes at a hefty price.

It’s quite difficult to answer the question; “How expensive can preset diamond rings be?”. But, if we follow a common trend present in today’s market, then we can put it this way:

Flawless or D color 1-carat preset diamond rings can cost well above $10.000. On the other hand, good quality single-carat preset diamond rings are found anywhere between $6.500 and $7.500.

Unfortunately, inflation, which is ever-so-present in the diamond-making industry, further complicates the result, as those pieces of jewelry tend to bear prices that skyrocket as soon as they arrive at your local jewelry shop.

So, when is the right time to buy preset diamond jewelry?

For starters, if feasible, you’ll need to extensively search for all possible options within your neighborhood or town. An excellent way to narrow that search is to be closely related to people working in jewelry shops.

By simply asking them, they will provide you with much-needed help.

But, the best moment for buying preset diamond jewelry is to order them directly from a professional diamond cutter before he sends them to a jewelry shop.

If you manage to skip the part where you purchase those types of jewelry directly from the jewelry shops, you’ll cut your expected payment significantly, as there won’t be as much inflation as usual.

What about buying loose diamonds and settings?

When Should You Buy Diamonds & Setting Separately

On the other hand, deciding to purchase loose diamonds and settings separately will prove more efficient and more profitable.

Depending on the central diamond and the arrangement of the setting – if you buy them individually, you can save up to 30%, sometimes even more.

Although buying preset diamond jewelry has its benefits – purchasing loose diamonds and settings is a far better choice in nearly all aspects.

First, searching for loose diamonds and settings individually will give you much more freedom of choice. Most of the time, preset diamond jewelry will have certain flaws that meet the eye immediately after you look at them, not to mention the price tag.

But, if you start searching for a loose diamond, you can thoroughly examine your potential central stone, around which the setting will manifest its magic.

The setting must be compatible with the central stone, not the other way around.

Never find yourself in a situation where you try to match your setting with the central stone – your primary diamond needs to carry the value and worth of the jewel.

Some central diamond shapes aren’t compatible with most settings, so you’ll also need to have an extensive conversation with your trusted jeweler on that matter.

But, if you are in a rush, buying preset diamond jewelry isn’t as terrifying as most people think.

Furthermore, if you buy them separately, you’ll always have the ability to make alterations down the line, contrary to most preset diamond jewelry labeled as antique.

Summarization

With that in mind, we have concluded today’s article “Can you buy setting and diamond separately?”. For further convenience, we’ll briefly cover the key elements of this topic:

In most cases, diamonds and settings are bought separately. It’s far cheaper and more flexible to acquire them this way. By buying them separately, you’ll be able to thoroughly examine the 4C’s of the central diamond, which plays a pivotal role in most diamond-embedded rings.

Before you decide to purchase a setting – the central stone needs to be found so that you can find a good match. Buying preset diamond jewelry needs to be treated as a last resort when you don’t have enough time to find a suitable loose diamond and a setting.

Sum of sums – it’s always a correct decision to buy loose diamonds and settings individually. We hope that you have enjoyed today’s topic, and we’ll see you soon!