Wildflower Diamond Guide

At TW McClelland, we emphasize beauty and artistry over everything. That being said, the economics and other details related to purchasing a diamond are important. There are many ways for an individual to purchase a natural diamond, and there is also the more recent influence of laboratory diamonds on the market. It can be complicated. With over forty years of experience, sourcing, cutting, and working with diamonds, we are experts and can be helpful.

Years ago there were more general categories of diamond grades; colorless, near colorless, eye-clean, etc. As diamonds became more commoditized, dealers created amore detailed system. Now, there are the Four Cs of Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight. This scale of diamond grades and qualities is used to determine value and cost, though visually there is sometimes very little difference between two similar stones. While these details are important, they are not as important to most as the true beauty and budget of a stone. The following are all ways of purchasing a stone for your setting.

Reach out to info@twmcclelland.com for further questions.

  1. Purchase a natural diamond from us

All the diamonds we sell are perfect for Wildflower ring mountings. We encourage selecting the mounting first, and then finding the perfect diamond for that mounting. All of our mountings accommodate modern round diamonds, but we do use cushion, oval, archer, emerald, and old European cut diamonds as well. Extra care must be used with these special cuts to assure the balance of the finished ring. Our diamond expert will be happy to walk through this process with you.

2. Use a family or inherited diamond

Often, we are asked if we can mount an existing family diamond in a Wildflower mounting. Very often we can provided the diamond falls within our quality standards. A round diamond should be at least the minimum size for the desired mounting, should be well cut, and of at least I color and SI1 clarity. Often inherited diamonds are an older cut version of a modern brilliant-cut diamond known as Old European Cut diamonds. These can be very beautiful and often work well in Wildflower mountings. It is necessary to have a certificate and report describing any diamond — this will help determine the characteristics and value of the diamond, and whether it is right for a Wildflower ring. If you do not have a certificate, we can have your stone certified for you. Please reach out and we can help you understand the diamond you are hoping to use.

3. Purchase a Lab Grown Diamond from us

Lab-grown diamonds are increasingly popular and a fraction of the cost of a naturally occurring diamond. The question becomes then whether they are valuable. Being man made, they are far from scarce which is reflected in both price and resale value. For the purpose of creating a beautiful engagement ring, we would be happy to use a lab-grown diamond. We use the best verifiable and laboratory-graded stones and always source lab grown stones ourselves.

4. Purchase a diamond from another source

Some customers prefer to research and purchase their diamond elsewhere. If the diamond fits the parameters of quality we require, we will gladly set a diamond from another source. We require round diamonds to be of the correct minimum size, to be very well cut, and of minimum I color and SI1 quality. There are other factors that will determine whether the stone is appropriate, but that is a general guide. Always contact us in advance of making a diamond purchase for a Wildflower ring.