Diamonds are incomparable stones, their beauty is just inimitable, and this means that if what you want are diamonds, nothing else really comes close. But diamond jewelry is expensive, right? Well, yes and no. There's an inevitable amount of expense that comes with jewelry, but you can certainly get diamond jewelry on a tighter budget. Here are some tips:

Set Your Budget First

You want to go into shopping knowing exactly how much you're willing to spend. Whether it's the money you've got set aside, or what kind of payments you want to make for how long, know before you start looking at what you can afford. This helps you and prevents you from spending more than you should, and allows you to prioritize what's important. This also will help your jeweler, who wants to help you find the right jewelry at the right price for you.

Look for "Good Enough" Diamonds

Diamonds are rated in several different categories. If you've been shopping for diamond jewelry, you may already be familiar with the four C's of diamonds. They are cut, color, clarity, and carat. These are not all of equal weight, however.

Of the four, the cut and the carat are going to be the most visible features of your diamond. The cut is what shapes the diamond and helps it sparkle, and the carat is, of course, the size. Color and clarity, at the lowest ends of the range, are obvious to even the casual observer. But there's a certain point where the difference requires magnification equipment to determine, and you can save a lot of money by buying a gem that has more inclusions or is only "near-colorless" but still looks amazing.

Lab Diamonds

With lab-created diamonds, you can often afford a better stone than you would have been able to get with mined diamonds. Lab diamonds are often cheaper, but they are chemically identical, and many are indistinguishable from mined diamonds. Many people also consider them more ethical, because lab diamonds are grown in a lab they were not mined and are guaranteed to be conflict-free. 

Lab diamonds are also an excellent option for those who love the color of fancy colored diamonds but don't have the money for them. Fancy colored lab diamonds are engineered to mimic the same colors and qualities of those that can be mined but at a much more attainable price.

For more information, contact jewelers who sell diamond jewelry.