Diamond ring jewelry

Dollars and sense, a diamonds ring could also be a good investment

And be creative. For example, downsizing from a full-carat stone to a slightly smaller .94-carat can save money, Hisle said.

"If it has good cut and clarity, the human eye won't be able to tell the difference," Hisle said. If you buy loose diamonds, look at several side by side, Liska said. "The goal is to pay for what you can see the difference in and compromise where you can't." 

Get the Diamond ring insured

"In the event that anything happens to it, such as loss, theft or damage, you want to make sure it's covered," said Tiffany Gratton, an All State insurance agent in Milwaukee. "Think of it the same way you would a new car."

Don't give it away

Keep as much of a surprise element to the presentation of the diamond ring jewelry as possible, said Adam Mueller, 24. The Milwaukee resident proposed to his bride-to-be Anne Neuberger last year with a one- carat emerald cut stone in a white gold band. "I wanted it to be a surprise, so I didn't want her to just go in and pick something on her own," Mueller said.

The Four C's: What does it all mean?

-- CARAT: Unit of measurement used to weigh a diamond ring jewelry. One carat equals 0.2 grams.

Why it'll cost you? Small stones are the most commonly produced. Larger diamonds are not, thus making them rare with a higher value per carat.

-- COLOR: A diamond ring jewelry ring's hue, such as colorless (or white), yellow, pink or even black.

What's the difference? Colorless diamonds allow more light to pass through for greater dazzle. Stones with a hazy yellow or brown tint are not good. An exception to this rule: fancy color diamond ring, such as blue, green or bright yellow, which have a higher value because they are rare.

-- CLARITY: Visual appearance of a diamond. Flaws, such as air bubbles, cracks and scratches, obstruct a stone's clarity.

How clear should the precious stone in the diamond rings be? Flaws lower a diamond's value but may not affect its unmagnified appearance.

-- CUT: Natural lines in a diamond that reflect light. With well- cut diamonds, light enters through the top, travels to the base and reflects back out of the top.

Why it matters? In a word, this is the bling.

AND ANOTHER C . . .

-- CERTIFICATE: A "blueprint" that details a diamond's size, color, clarity, cut and is proof of its identity and value. Certification from the Gemological Institute of America, or GIA, and the American Gem Society, or AGS, are recommended, as these are two of the most widely recognized labs.

-- EXPERTS SAY . . .

"Ask a lady what's important and she would probably say carat, because she wants the biggest rock on her finger," said Larry Hisle Jr., owner of HiStyle Design. "But cut is really the most important, because this will give you the greatest brilliance." Next in line is color, Hisle said. "Color that's brown or yellow will be the most noticeable to the untrained eye. A diamond that looks dirty will look bad." Source: www.thediamondbuyingguide.com, HiStyle Design

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The mystery is, how did it get there?

New York jeweler Harry Winston, who sold the ring to Affleck, said it has been "reacquired" and is for sale. He won't say how much the ring is going for -- that's only for "serious buyers," Winston says. Affleck, 32, purchased the ring in 2002.

When the Hollywood super couple called it quits in January 2004, it was never reported who got the ring. Did J. Lo give it back? Should she have?

Most people say that whether the ring goes back to the giver depends on who's to blame for the split.

"I always believed that an engagement ring is the symbol of a promise between two people, a promise of marriage. The man gives the woman the gift of a ring on the condition that she will marry him," said Helen Johnson, 22, of Evanston, who is getting married in June. "The man gives and the woman receives the ring as a promise of marriage. When that marriage is called off, it is the person who breaks the agreement who is the one who loses the ring."

But it turns out etiquette dictates differently.

Yes, there are rules for breaking up.

The expert on taste and grace, Miss Manners, told one of her readers that the ring should be given back -- always.

"The laws of etiquette absolutely require you to return an engagement ring when the engagement is broken, for whatever reason, and by however nasty a fiance," Miss Manners said.

Of course, it really doesn't matter what etiquette or society says. In the United States, it's all about the law. And when the courts have had a say on who gets the ring, it's almost always the person that bought the ring who gets to keep it. Here's what the New York Supreme Court said about an engagement that ended badly:

"The court finds that the subject ring was a gift made in contemplation of marriage. With the engagement for the marriage having been broken... the condition of the gift becomes impossible to fulfill. Therefore, the ring must be returned to the donor in order that the parties may return to the position they were in prior to becoming engaged."