The final 25-point checklist
Updated November 2026
The whole system on one page. Print it, tick it, buy with receipts. Every line links back to its full check if you need the detail.
The stone (check 1 · 2 · 4)
- GIA or IGI report in hand — not a store "certificate"
- Report number verified on the lab's own website
- Girdle inscription matches the report number
- Cut grade: Excellent / Ideal
- Eye-clean at arm's length, confirmed on video or in person
- Color works with the metal (G–H white metals; I–J fine in yellow/rose)
- Fancy shape? Checked for bow-tie on 360° video
- Lab-vs-natural decided on purpose, not at the counter
The price (check 3)
- Quote itemized: stone and setting as separate lines
- Stone comped against identical certified specs online
- Within ~15% of benchmark — or negotiated with the comp
- Priced by center-stone weight, not "total carat weight"
- Considered buying shy of the magic weight (0.90 vs 1.00)
- Tax, insurance and resize budgeted (~8–12% on top)
The ring (check 5 · 6 · 7)
- Setting matches her actual daily life, not the display tray
- Metal color matches what she already wears
- White gold chosen? Replating bill known and accepted
- Size within half a size, erring large
- Style is resizable (nothing tension-set or full eternity on a guess)
The seller & the paperwork (check 8 · 9 · 10)
- 30-day return policy in writing — no "custom = final" trapdoor
- Resize policy in writing, ideally first one free
- Red-flag sweep run: zero flags, or you left
- No deferred-interest financing — or payoff date treated like a court date
- Itemized receipt with the report number on it
- Insurance quoted and ready to bind the week it's on her hand
25 boxes ticked? Then the ring is checked — which means the only thing left to worry about is the question. Can't help you there. Good luck.