Buying a Pre-Owned Diamond Bracelet – What You Should Know First
If you’re looking for the perfect piece of jewellery for a loved one, choosing the right pre-owned diamond bracelet will depend on how well you can interpret the different types and their characteristics.
So, what factors should you consider when buying a pre-owned bracelet? We have put together some expert diamond bracelet buying advice if you are considering buying your first one – it will assist you in finding the right jewellery while considering factors such as choosing the right size, style, metals and measurements.
How To Choose The Right Pre-Owned Diamond Bracelet
Choosing the right size and style
Picking out the perfect diamond bracelet for a loved one might seem difficult because there are so many different styles to choose from. Understanding their fashion sense is a must – perhaps look at their existing jewellery to get an idea of what they enjoy; look at the design, colour and weight. Taking great care to understand what they might like, instead of blindly selecting something at random, will
definitely be more appreciated.
Selecting the ideal metal
Gold and white gold are the most popular choices for metal preferences when it comes to choosing a pre-owned jewellery piece. There's plenty of variety, such as platinum pieces that have an unbeatable beauty about them. Platinum is the ultimate in luxury with its beautiful white sheen and unrivalled durability.
Thanks to the range of colours, Gold is always a safe choice. Due to them tarnishing over time, you should avoid buying plated or hollow metals – look out for the carat grading of the precious metal.
Gold can be bought in several purity levels – in the UK, the most common are 18ct, 14ct and 9ct. 9ct is the most affordable in that range – pure gold is actually rated at 24ct but is rarely found in jewellery due to its softness. Lower grades of carat are less pure than higher grades and will sometimes look a different colour due to other metals being mixed with it. However, an advantage that lower grades have is that the metal will be harder and more durable than higher grades (as well as less expensive to buy)!
How to find the right size bracelet
To measure a wrist, carefully look just below the bone. You must use an accurate method like a tape measure, but if that’s inconvenient, a piece of paper and a pencil will suffice to mark out measurements.
What sizes of bracelets are there?
There are two main types of standard bracelet sizes – line bracelets, which are the most common type, and bangle bracelets. While line diamond bracelets are more common in the UK, bangles are preferred in other parts of the world, such as in India, for example.
It should be noted that some jewellers use the two terms interchangeably – the difference between them is that a bangle is a solid piece of metal, often containing a clasp that enables the wearer to put on or remove the piece. A bracelet comprises of links that can each move, providing a more flexible fitting around the wrist.
Wrist measurement sizes for a link or chain bracelet is around 18cm in circumference, whereas medium-sized bangles are around 20cm.
Understanding the diamonds in a bracelet
While most pre-owned diamond bracelets do not use large diamonds in the design (instead, bracelets often contain many small diamonds), it’s still important to understand the ‘4 Cs of diamonds’ to ensure that you’re purchasing something special and of good value.
The Cs’ are Clarity, Carat, Colour and Cut, which can be defined thus:
- Clarity. A diamond’s clarity is also known as a ‘diamond’s purity’. After being examined under magnification for inclusion (both inside the diamond and on the surface diamond), it will be graded on its clarity.
- Carat. When a carat of a diamond is measured, it relates to the stone’s weight (although this isn’t the sole issue that defines its value or brilliance). One carat of a diamond weighs 200 milligrams of 1/5th of a gram.
- Colour. The colour of a colourless diamond is ranked on a scale from D to Z. This occurs in many hues ranging from colourless to light yellow or light brown. However, it is important to remember that not all diamonds are colourless. Some diamonds can be blue, red, pink, green, brown, or numerous other colours.
- Cut. There are many different types of diamond cuts. One example is the round brilliant cut, which has a high level of fire and brilliance. Fire refers to the sparkle you see when light is broken down by the diamond, producing a ‘rainbow’ of colours, and brilliance refers to the colourless light that reflects out from the diamond. The numerous other cuts that you could choose from include; Princess cut, Asscher cut, Cushion cut, Emerald cut, Marquise cut, and many more.
That was our guide on how to select the right pre-owned diamond bracelet for your loved one. If you would like to see a wide range of high-quality bracelets at fantastic prices, why not browse our pre-owned selection here at Mallard?
Browse Our Selection of High-Quality Diamond Jewellery
Here at Mallard,
we have been operating as an independent family jeweller and pawnbroking service for the best part of 90 years. Specialising in the sales of pre-owned diamond and gold jewellery, we also have a dazzling range of new diamond pieces; including rings, pendants, bracelets and many other items in wonderful styles that are uncommon in today’s markets. So, if you’re interested in buying new or pre-owned genuine diamond bracelets that have been enjoyed for many years, then do take a look around our wide and varied selection.
If you have any questions about any of our pre-owned diamond bracelets, please feel free to give us a call on 01268 534 343. Alternatively, you can send an e-mail via
our contact page.
