How to Buy a Diamond
For the first-time buyer, purchasing a diamond can be overwhelming and confusing. The largest diamond is not necessarily the best. How do you know which diamond is the best quality?
Diamonds are graded for quality based on four factors known as the "Four Cs": clarity, color, carat, and cut. Let's look at each of each factors.
Clarity refers to the diamond's purity, i.e. how flawless it is. Even a diamond that looks flawless to the naked eye may have some slight internal characteristics, called "inclusions", which may look like dark spots, clouds, or feathers. Inclusions decrease a diamond's value. A diamond with fewer or smaller inclusions will look more brilliant than a diamond of the same cut and color with more or larger inclusions.
Standards of diamond clarity are based on viewing the diamond at a magnification of 10. These standards were set by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
The highest grade of clarity is "F", for "Flawless." This means that under 10x magnification, the stone appears completely clear, with no flaws or inclusions at all. The next grade is "IF", for "Internally Flawless". Fewer than 1% of all diamonds ever mined are F or IF.
The next grades going down the list are VVS1 ("Very Very Slight Inclusions", which means tiny inclusions that are extremely difficult to find even under 10x magnification), VVS2 (tiny inclusions that are very difficult to find – yes, the grading difference is as subtle as "extremely difficult" vs. "very difficult"!), VS1 and VS2 ("Very Slight Inclusions", meaning minor ones that are "difficult" or "somewhat difficult" to find under 10x magnification), S1 and S2 (slight inclusions which are easy to see at 10X magnification but cannot be seen with the naked eye – these diamonds are called "eye clean" for that reason), down to I1, I2, and I3 (inclusions and blemishes which CAN be seen with the naked eye).
So, when buying a diamond, turn it on its side and look through it. If you see blemishes, it is obviously a lower-quality diamond. However, just because it looks clear to your eye doesn't mean it is a high-quality diamond. As we have seen, many inclusions cannot be seen with the naked eye. Ask the jeweler for the diamond's clarity rating and then use the guide above to see how clear the stone really is.
Color simply refers to the diamond's color. Most diamonds appear clear or white at first glance, but if you compare diamonds side by side, you will see that they often have very slight shadings of yellow or brown. A truly colorless diamond, without even the slightest tinge of color, is very rare and very valuable. As with clarity, a diamond's value is diminished the more color it has. Diamond color is graded by the GSIA (Gemological Institute of America) scale, which is as follows:
D, E, and F are the highest grades. A diamond with this grade is described as "Colorless". The diamond looks totally clear, without even the slightest hint of color to the eye. These are the rarest and most valuable diamonds.
The next grades are G, H, I, and J, which are described as "Near Colorless." With this diamond, some color tint is visible during grading, but once the diamond is mounted in jewelry, the color is not visible and the diamond appears colorless to the eye. This is considered a nice diamond for fine jewelry.
Next down the color scale are grades K, L, and M, which are "Faint Yellow." This means a yellow or gray tint is obvious during grading, and even when the stone is mounted in a setting, a faint tinge of color can still be seen.
The next grades are N through Z, called "Light Yellow," which means that there is an obvious yellow or grayish color even when mounted.
Last is a very interesting grade, Z+, which is called "Fancy." This refers to diamonds that have a very bright, remarkable color such as bright pink, blue, or yellow. Although these diamonds are obviously far from colorless, some people like them because they are so unusual and colorful.
Carat refers to the weight of the diamond. Most people notice the size of a diamond first and may automatically think a larger diamond is more valuable than a smaller one. But as stated earlier, the value depends largely on the color, clarity, and cut. Still, if two diamonds are of equal quality in terms of color, clarity and cut, the larger one WILL be more valuable. The average diamond weighs from .03 carats (which translates to a diamond of approximately 2 millimeters in diameter) to 1.25 carats (about 7 millimeters). Of course, we've all seen photos of famous celebrities waving around ostentatious diamond "bling" weighing several carats! Diamonds that weigh less than one carat may also be described in "points." Each carat contains 100 points.
Cut refers to how the diamond is cut. Most people don't think about this, but gem cutting is a very important craft. When diamonds are first mined from the earth, they look like beach glass. To turn them into beautiful gems for jewelry, they are cut with precise facets (the flat little sides). A round (or "brilliant") shaped diamond has 58 facets. A well-cut diamond has very specific proportions that reflect the light back from the many facets in such a way as to give the diamond superb brilliance and fire. This gives the diamond its "sparkle." If a diamond is cut too shallowly, the light will hit the diamond and simply come out the other side, without reflecting back. But if it is cut too deeply, the light will get lost in the pavilion (the middle part of the diamond) and likewise not reflect back to the top. So as you can see, the cut of a diamond is very important!
The cut of a diamond also refers to its shape. There are several popular shapes of diamonds than you can choose for your jewelry.
Cut is the hardest category to judge, because there are different standards. The strictest grading standard is that of the AGA (Accredited Gem Appraisers). Other diamond cut grading systems include the HCA (Holloway Cut Advisor), the AGS (American Gem Society), and the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). Talk to your jewelry retailer about which grading system they use.
Now that you know all about diamonds, go pick out the perfect beautiful, sparkling gem for yourself!
Thanks Christina Sanchez
Vist my blog
For the first-time buyer, purchasing a diamond can be overwhelming and confusing. The largest diamond is not necessarily the best. How do you know which diamond is the best quality?
Diamonds are graded for quality based on four factors known as the "Four Cs": clarity, color, carat, and cut. Let's look at each of each factors.
Clarity refers to the diamond's purity, i.e. how flawless it is. Even a diamond that looks flawless to the naked eye may have some slight internal characteristics, called "inclusions", which may look like dark spots, clouds, or feathers. Inclusions decrease a diamond's value. A diamond with fewer or smaller inclusions will look more brilliant than a diamond of the same cut and color with more or larger inclusions.
Standards of diamond clarity are based on viewing the diamond at a magnification of 10. These standards were set by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission.
The highest grade of clarity is "F", for "Flawless." This means that under 10x magnification, the stone appears completely clear, with no flaws or inclusions at all. The next grade is "IF", for "Internally Flawless". Fewer than 1% of all diamonds ever mined are F or IF.
The next grades going down the list are VVS1 ("Very Very Slight Inclusions", which means tiny inclusions that are extremely difficult to find even under 10x magnification), VVS2 (tiny inclusions that are very difficult to find – yes, the grading difference is as subtle as "extremely difficult" vs. "very difficult"!), VS1 and VS2 ("Very Slight Inclusions", meaning minor ones that are "difficult" or "somewhat difficult" to find under 10x magnification), S1 and S2 (slight inclusions which are easy to see at 10X magnification but cannot be seen with the naked eye – these diamonds are called "eye clean" for that reason), down to I1, I2, and I3 (inclusions and blemishes which CAN be seen with the naked eye).
So, when buying a diamond, turn it on its side and look through it. If you see blemishes, it is obviously a lower-quality diamond. However, just because it looks clear to your eye doesn't mean it is a high-quality diamond. As we have seen, many inclusions cannot be seen with the naked eye. Ask the jeweler for the diamond's clarity rating and then use the guide above to see how clear the stone really is.
Color simply refers to the diamond's color. Most diamonds appear clear or white at first glance, but if you compare diamonds side by side, you will see that they often have very slight shadings of yellow or brown. A truly colorless diamond, without even the slightest tinge of color, is very rare and very valuable. As with clarity, a diamond's value is diminished the more color it has. Diamond color is graded by the GSIA (Gemological Institute of America) scale, which is as follows:
D, E, and F are the highest grades. A diamond with this grade is described as "Colorless". The diamond looks totally clear, without even the slightest hint of color to the eye. These are the rarest and most valuable diamonds.
The next grades are G, H, I, and J, which are described as "Near Colorless." With this diamond, some color tint is visible during grading, but once the diamond is mounted in jewelry, the color is not visible and the diamond appears colorless to the eye. This is considered a nice diamond for fine jewelry.
Next down the color scale are grades K, L, and M, which are "Faint Yellow." This means a yellow or gray tint is obvious during grading, and even when the stone is mounted in a setting, a faint tinge of color can still be seen.
The next grades are N through Z, called "Light Yellow," which means that there is an obvious yellow or grayish color even when mounted.
Last is a very interesting grade, Z+, which is called "Fancy." This refers to diamonds that have a very bright, remarkable color such as bright pink, blue, or yellow. Although these diamonds are obviously far from colorless, some people like them because they are so unusual and colorful.
Carat refers to the weight of the diamond. Most people notice the size of a diamond first and may automatically think a larger diamond is more valuable than a smaller one. But as stated earlier, the value depends largely on the color, clarity, and cut. Still, if two diamonds are of equal quality in terms of color, clarity and cut, the larger one WILL be more valuable. The average diamond weighs from .03 carats (which translates to a diamond of approximately 2 millimeters in diameter) to 1.25 carats (about 7 millimeters). Of course, we've all seen photos of famous celebrities waving around ostentatious diamond "bling" weighing several carats! Diamonds that weigh less than one carat may also be described in "points." Each carat contains 100 points.
Cut refers to how the diamond is cut. Most people don't think about this, but gem cutting is a very important craft. When diamonds are first mined from the earth, they look like beach glass. To turn them into beautiful gems for jewelry, they are cut with precise facets (the flat little sides). A round (or "brilliant") shaped diamond has 58 facets. A well-cut diamond has very specific proportions that reflect the light back from the many facets in such a way as to give the diamond superb brilliance and fire. This gives the diamond its "sparkle." If a diamond is cut too shallowly, the light will hit the diamond and simply come out the other side, without reflecting back. But if it is cut too deeply, the light will get lost in the pavilion (the middle part of the diamond) and likewise not reflect back to the top. So as you can see, the cut of a diamond is very important!
The cut of a diamond also refers to its shape. There are several popular shapes of diamonds than you can choose for your jewelry.
Cut is the hardest category to judge, because there are different standards. The strictest grading standard is that of the AGA (Accredited Gem Appraisers). Other diamond cut grading systems include the HCA (Holloway Cut Advisor), the AGS (American Gem Society), and the GIA (Gemological Institute of America). Talk to your jewelry retailer about which grading system they use.
Now that you know all about diamonds, go pick out the perfect beautiful, sparkling gem for yourself!
Thanks Christina Sanchez
Vist my blog
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