With Valentine's Day just around the corner, it's a busy season for jewelers. There are a lot of options out there and it can be overwhelming to some people who haven't spent much time in a jewelry store before.
"Rings have energy, they will attract you," said gemologist Moris Adato, president of CashCo. "You will know when you find that ring or diamond that you want to propose with."
Adato says there are some specific things you should know, especially with the prevalence of synthetic diamonds.
The first thing you need to look for is the certifications. Those are broken down into several categories.
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"It tells you the color, the clarity, the cut, the karat weight," said Adato. "You know how many points the diamond is, how beautiful the color is, how well cut it is, and how clean it is."
Here's where you make the decisions.
Is the reflection of the light more important than the size? What about imperfections that don't interfere with the color? And do you look for a natural diamond or a synthetic one?
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"They have exactly the same chemical composition and optical structure," said Adato. "It's the same stone, just one is made in the earth and the other one is made by man."
One big difference is the price tag. Natural diamonds are more expensive than their lab-made counterparts.
Adato showed NBC 7 several comparisons of the same type of jewelry where one was made with natural diamonds, the other with synthetic. The two-karat lab-grown diamond cost $5,745 while the 1.5-karat natural diamond was around $10,000 and had a lower clarity.
With the lower price tag, comes the chance that the lab-grown diamond's value may also decrease. That's because there's always the chance people can find cheaper ways to make lab-grown diamonds.
"Investment-wise, in my personal opinion, a natural will always keep its value," said Adato. "It may even increase."