The best light to view a diamond under is natural light, on a sunny day, coming from the north. This is when the diamond will show its true beauty and a sparkle consistent with what your fiancée will see everyday once she is wearing it.
If viewing under natural light is not possible and you are in the jeweller’s store or office, make sure that you are viewing the diamonds under a lamp that has a “natural light” bulb. Don’t view a diamond under is a halogen bulb as it makes a diamond appear more sparkly than what it truly is under natural light.
The Entire Ring Labelled In Carat Total Weight (CTW)
If the engagement ring you are purchasing has more than one diamond, than the weight of all the diamonds in the ring is the CTW. The ring may be advertised by its CTW, but it is the weight of the major diamond that you are interested in, not the total weight.
An example to illustrate would be to compare a 1 carat solitaire diamond ring, with a 1 carat CTW diamond ring that has a main diamond of 0.4 carats and two smaller stones of 0.3 carats (with cut, clarity, colour and certification being the same). The 1 carat solitaire is worth £4,354 while the 3 diamond ring is worth significantly less at £1,555!
