Knowing what a diamonds quality is can change your whole view about different stones. When two stones can look the same with the naked eye, up close and by using the following guide, you can see that each stone can be very very different. This guide is for those new to the world of diamonds and as a reference.
A diamond has three basic parts which are the crown, the girdle and the pavilion. Each is faceted differently but in the end, they compliment the whole diamond and produce the best possible sparkle. You want the facets to be of excellent symmetry.
When buying a diamond, you need to know about the four C's which are cut, color, carat (weight) and clarity.
The cuts which make up the facets are what bring out the best in a diamond or the worst in some cases. The cuts cause the fire or brilliance of a stone to be brought out, which is all done by hand. When a stone that has a pavilion that is too deep or a crown that is too shallow, then the light will be reflected everywhere except the direction you want it to and make the stone look dim. You want an idea cut.
Stones come in many different cut varieties. There are many shapes other than round that can be cut. There are square, marquise, trilliants, oval, pear etc... The list goes on and these are all considered to be fancy cut stones. These are a little more unusual, for those that want something unique and not the traditional style stone.
The clarity of each diamond is measured by the amount of inclusions it has or has not. The difference between inclusions and blemishes is that an inclusion is an internal flaw and a blemish is external which is on the surface. The grades in clarity you should watch for are flawless (FL), internally flawless (IF), Very very slightly included one and two (VVS1 & VVS2), Very slightly included one & two (VS1 & VS2) and you can stretch to slightly included one, two and three (SI 1,2&3)and you shouldn't go below these.
Depending on where the inclusions are within a stone and depending on the types of inclusions there are, if they are blemishes or inside the stone, it can effect how the light is reflected within the stone and back out. Sometimes inclusions can be beneficial though, if you go to insure your stone, the inclusions can act like a finger print to which you can ID it.
The ideal color for a colorless stone is classed as a "D", which means there is no tints or hues and it is absolutely white, D, E & F are the most ideal colorless diamonds, G, H, I and J are tinted slightly and anywhere beyond that and you are looking at a yellow diamond and going into brown as you move along the chart to Z.
When dealing with carat (weight), bigger is not always better, you have to take into consideration an important factor. For example, if you are looking at a 1.25ct diamond next to a 1.0ct diamond and they both cost the same price and are the same color but the cut on the larger 1.25ct diamond isn't the most ideal cut to allow the light to be used to its full potential as I've written before and so the smaller 1.00ct is the better option as the light will be utilized better by the stone and create the "fire" look, which the dazzle is so commonly referred to as, when the light is reflected out. You'll be aiming for very good to excellent cut and remember, size doesn't always matter.
Another alternative stone type to consider is a lab enhanced stone and in actuality, lab created diamonds are exactly the same as a natural diamonds, with the same elements and structure with the only difference being where the diamond is formed. Lab diamonds are grown under controlled conditions. Some are of excellent quality, are valued and graded just as a natural diamond and get lab reports on them too but best of all, they cost a lot less. The most important factor though, when you are buying a diamond, is that you like it. Not because on paper it ticks all the right boxes but because you can see yourself wearing it everyday and not growing tired of looking it.
I hope this information is a help to you and your quest for buying a diamond. Thank you for reading this article.
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