A heart-shaped diamond can be seen as a variant of the pear-shaped cut, with only a crack added to its rounded ends. Finding a cheap heart diamond ring comes down to choosing cheap diamonds and cheap rings. Let’s take a look at some tips on how to do this.
Look for Cheap Heart-Shaped Diamonds
The price of a heart-shaped diamond is primarily determined by the four most important criteria – clarity, color, carat, and cut.
Therefore, to find cheap stones, you should have relatively lenient requirements for one or more of these price factors.
Choose a Diamond Clarity at an Affordable Price
Heart-shaped diamonds are graded in the same way as other diamond cuts, based on the number of visible blemishes (inclusions) in the stone.
Among the grades used by GIA (Gemological Institute of America), the highest grade is FL (flawless) and the lowest grade is I (inclusive).
When it comes to choosing a heart-shaped diamond ring, you don’t need to go for the highest clarity because lower clarity grades, while cheaper, look just as clean to the naked eye.
However, it is recommended that you do not fall below the SI (Slightly Included) clarity range, which is above the I clarity scale.
In general, heart-shaped diamonds with SI1 clarity are fairly clean. SI2 clarity is a critical grade – some diamonds have noticeable blemishes, but you may be able to save more money on clarity if the inclusions are in places where the ring setting might be hidden.
You can move up a grading range to look for diamonds graded VS1 or VS2 (VS stands for Very Slightly Inclusion) in case you can’t find a SI1 clarity gemstone that looks clean enough.
Choose a Cheaper Diamond Color
In the GIA grade, diamond color is graded using letters, ranging from D (highest color quality) to Z (lowest quality).
G heart-cut diamond
Heart-shaped diamonds are less brilliant than round diamonds, which is why heart-shaped diamonds have a more pronounced yellow hue. This means that if your ring is made of platinum, white gold, or silver, the color should not be lower than G or H.
J-color heart-cut diamond
For yellow gold rings, your heart-shaped diamond should not be graded lower than I or J, otherwise the diamond may look noticeably yellowish.
Choose a Lower Carat
When choosing a heart-shaped diamond, keep in mind that the larger the diamond, the more expensive it will be per carat.
Additionally, if you choose a larger gemstone, you should pay more attention to its clarity and color grade, as the imperfections of these characteristics become more noticeable as the size increases.
So, if you want to find a cheap heart-shaped diamond, choose a smaller carat diamond. Don’t buy diamonds that are too small, though, as these have less pronounced shapes and look more like a round or oval shape than a heart.
Choose a Cut for Your Heart-Shaped Diamond
Cut is an important feature of a diamond because the proportions of the gemstone determine the brilliance of the diamond. That’s why we don’t recommend buying poor-cut diamonds to save money – they tend to have little sparkle, look drab, and have more visible blemishes.
There is no universally accepted standard for the ideal cut ratio for a heart-shaped diamond. However, there are some rough guidelines that can help you make sure the gemstone is cut well enough.
Ideally, a heart-shaped diamond should have an aspect ratio close to 1. For this well-cut shaped gemstone, the recommended acceptable range is 0.85 to 1.10.
The girdle (outer edge) of a heart-shaped diamond should not be too thin or too thick. If there is a culet (a flat facet at the base of the gemstone, rather than a sharp end), it should be small, and if it is too large, it can be seen through the top of the diamond.
The table width (the flat top of the diamond) for a heart-shaped diamond should ideally be 52% to 65% of the total width of the stone.
The depth of a diamond, as measured by the vertical distance between its top facet and its base, should be between 53% and 70% of the diamond’s width.
Choose a Cheap Setting
The setting is another factor that affects the price of a heart-shaped diamond ring. To find a cheap diamond ring, look for a setting made of cheap metal.
For example, white gold is cheaper than platinum, and the same goes for gold, and the lower the carat count of a yellow gold ring, the lower the price. Another cheap metal is silver.
You should also consider the size of your ring band, as wider and thicker rings contain more metal and are more expensive. To minimize the cost of your ring, you should choose a relatively thin and narrow band. But keep in mind that such rings are more prone to bending.
Another factor that affects the price is the design of the ring – the more intricate the decoration on the ring and the more complex the craftsmanship of the craft, the higher the price. If you want to save money, you can opt for a regular ring.
Choose the Setting for Your Heart-Shaped Diamond Ring
When buying a heart-shaped diamond, make sure that its setting protects the tip of the diamond. This end is prone to chipping, so it’s best not to get an accidental hit.
If you’re buying a prong ring, you should protect the tip with prongs, preferably a V-shaped prong.