Buying Diamonds – A How To Guide

The four C’s of diamond, color, clarity, cut and carat weight should be given attention when you purchase any kind of jewelry like diamond earrings or diamond rings. The measure of a diamond’s quality is these four features.

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Whenever a diamond’s four features have high scores, it will cost higher and will be more beautiful. Want more information on how to buy diamonds and what is the best value for your money, then please visit Easydiamondguide.com For our full in-depth look at buying diamonds. Diamond color The finest diamonds are almost clear since typically, it is graded on lack of color. Actually, the grade in “white” diamond jewelry is pale shades of yellow, gray and brown. To express the color, an alphabetical scale from D to Z is used.

To get an idea of the distinctions in diamond color grades, picture two glasses of water – one clear, another containing some drops of lemonade. Color diffusion in diamonds is approximately represented in the subsequent color chart: D-F: Without color G-I: Almost without color J-K: Soft color L-R: Recognizable color S-Z: Obvious color When the stone has a completely different shade than gray, yellow and brown, or its color vividness goes beyond Z, it becomes a fancy colored diamonds.

The grounds for grading fancy colors are the intensity of the coloring and how much it is. In every color of the rainbow, there exists that diamond color, including purple, black, blue, yellow and pink. For diamonds, fancy is generally rarer than white. Diamond clarity chart The diamond is graded depending on its inclusions and scars; the grade is called clarity. The diamond is more valuable if it has fewer lesions and inclusions.

Brilliance can be powerfully affected by the clarity of the stone. When there are blemishes in the diamond, it can obstruct the light from reflecting within the stone, which is the attribute that gives brilliant beauty to the diamond.

This is a list of diamond clarity grades from best to least, which is based on the observation of a qualified gemologist: FL (flawless): Inside and outside the stone, there aren’t any visible blemishes or inclusions of any kind, under 10-power magnification. IF (internally flawless): Under 10-power magnification, some external or surface imperfections like tiny scuff are found on the diamond but it has no internal inclusions. VVS-1 & 2 (very, very slightly included): An experienced gemologist has significant difficulty seeing the very tiny inclusions in this diamond under 10-power magnification. VS-1 & 2 (very slightly included): Under 10-power magnification, this stone has minimal blemishes which are rather hard to discover. SI-1 & 2 (slightly included): This stone has blemishes that are really difficult for a gemologist to see without magnification, but are somewhat easily seen with 10-power magnification. SI-3 (slightly included): The border where these stones fall is between SI-2 and I-1. I-1, 2 & 3 (included): Even without magnification, the diamond has obvious blemishes. Diamond clarity enhancement You will find in the product description that some diamonds are treated to further improve the clarity. Clarity-enhanced diamonds are identified by the diamond store in the item description of an individual piece of jewelry.

This is how the process goes: Placed into surface-reaching feathers is a very small amount of high-refractive-index glass material to decrease their visibility. On really thin crevices and fissures, this treatment is most effective. This process does not affect the diamond’s natural color and is therefore still regarded as natural. Since only microscopic quantities of filler are used, this method does not put weight to the diamond. A “flash effect” identifies a clarity-enhanced diamond when watching it almost parallel to the plane of the filled fracture. Normally, the flash effect appears orange or yellow against a dim background and blue against a brilliant background. It is normally only the two colors and does not consist of a complete array of color. Under a focused beam of intense light, this optical effect is best seen with ten times magnification. It has been established by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), after comprehensive research, that the filler substance may be damaged by high heat or chemicals but is steady under normal wear situations. Get rid of clarity-enhanced diamond jewelry prior to restoration work and this damage can be quickly avoided. Diamond cut chart Shape, proportion, polish and symmetry – these are the divisions of diamond cut. Great significance is given to a stone’s shape and proportion when cutting the stone to its finest appearance. How a diamond “scintillates” or shines is affected by its shape and proportion because brightness is mirrored and refracted inside the stone, which in turn causes the diamond’s sparkle.

The face-up appearance of the diamond significantly differs depending on the depth or shallowness of the stone’s cut. The entry and exit of brightness in the sides of the stone verifies its polish. The diamond symmetry is a description of both its depth percentages and length to width ratio. For diamonds, “ideal cut” is the best. Diamond carat weight Carat is the word used to describe the weight description of diamonds. When referring to a single stone, the abbreviation “ct” or “CT” is used. When the diamond jewelry is arranged with multiple stones, the letters “TDW” is added, meaning “total diamond weight”. To explain further – “1ct” may be used to identify a solitaire diamond engagement ring and “1ct TDW” for a 3-stone diamond anniversary ring. (Note: The measure of gold’s purity is not carat, but is spelled “karat” with “k” as abbreviation. So, a diamond might be in a 22 setting and is 1ct.) For most people, it’s not easy to associate carat weight with an exact size. A brief guide for comparing carat weight to millimeters is provided here. In the instance here, princess cut and round stones are used. Important versions from these sample dimensions will be determined by the differences in the diamond shape, depth and cut of a specific stone. The myth regarding the “Hope Diamond” to be sank into the ocean with Titanic is not correct. A careful study shows how the wearer with the Hope Diamond, Eva Lyn Walsh McLean had cancelled her trip at the last moment. We strongly recommend you check out Online Diamond Store Reviews For our complete guide to buying diamonds online or you can go and visit Engagement Ring Financing Options To read all about how to financing your engagement ring.

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