When Buying A Diamond What Is Most Important
We always say that the imperfections of a diamond are the birthmarks of a diamond. As we mention in our Diamond Cut, Color, and Clarity video, no one is walking around with a 10x magnification when they look at your diamond, so that is very important to keep in mind when choosing your stone. As long as you love it, that is what matters most.
when buying a diamond what is most important
Did you know that most guys take an average of 2 months from the start of their diamond search to making a final purchase? Despite having spent many hours doing research, most people still find diamond shopping a very daunting process.
Diamond Shopping Tip: The cut quality ratings assigned by gemological labs are very broad and most GIA triple excellent diamonds actually have mediocre light return. If you want to buy a truly well cut diamond, you need to rely on tangible cut performance data like videos and ASET.
Carat weight is probably the first C that comes to mind whenever people talk about diamonds and most people believe that larger is better. In fact, carat size is often deemed as the most important attribute that women look out for when receiving an engagement ring.
Diamond Shopping Tip: The majority of people cannot differentiate between diamonds that are 3-4 color grades apart. If you want an icy white looking diamond and want to save money, consider buying a near colorless diamond in the G-H color ratings.
The truth is that in most gem-grade diamonds, inclusions are only visible under 10X magnification and are very difficult to detect with the naked eye. In this section, you will discover the secrets to buying a diamond with maximum value as we dissect the myths that are shrouded behind clarity.
Diamond Shopping Tip: Uneducated consumers get overly worried about inclusions and tend to buy higher clarity grades because of misplaced fears. The truth is, it is easy to find eyeclean VS2 and SI1 diamonds which can save you thousands of dollars compared to buying an identical looking VVS or IF diamond.
Watch the video below where I compared 3 diamond rings with top of the line cut quality and different color/clarity specifications. The leftmost diamond ring is a D/VVS1, the middle ring is an I/SI1 and the rightmost ring is a K/VS1.
Over the years, I had purchased a number of diamond rings. My philosophy is always to focus on cut quality when selecting a diamond and to buy from reliable jewelers that have good craftsmanship standards for their settings.
I also want you to watch this video below to find out how a well cut diamond looks like in various real life environments. Hopefully, this will convince you that cut quality is the most important C to pay attention to.
When the diamond 4Cs were introduced in the mid-20th century, for the first time ever the world had a universal standard for judging the quality of a diamond and a transparent way of determining its value. The 4Cs also became a tool for people to understand why they might want to buy one diamond over another, when it was often hard to discern differences between two different diamonds with the naked eye.
To get the most out of your diamond for less, finding a balance between color and clarity is key. While that balance varies by diamond shape, you can save money without sacrificing quality by staying on the high end of the color scale, but the lower end of the clarity scale, as long as there are no visible inclusions.
A diamond carat is divided into 100 points, meaning a 50-point diamond weighs 0.50 carats. However, a stone with a certain weight may actually look larger than the carat suggests due to its dimensions (measured in millimeters). For example, you could potentially find a diamond that weighs 2.00 carats but appears closer to a 2.20 carat stone. Essentially, you're buying a stone that looks larger without the extra cost associated with a higher weight.
Not all sales staff are trained to correctly grade diamonds. So their main advertising focus is on price, lowest, was X but now only Z. In short, if the most visible companies are talking mainly about price and using words like wholesale, direct from cutter, discount, etc. these are ALL red flag terms that will lead you to a substandard product. Why does this work so well? Think about it, with any other large purchase you have brands, warranty, consumer information, not to mention visible quality factors on cars boats etc. With a diamond ring it goes immediately on a ladies finger, an engagement announcement is made wedding plans begin and among all this excitement the details of the ring purchase fades very quickly
The bad news for a jeweler is that flaws lower the price of the diamond. The good news for you is that most flaws are invisible to the casual viewer. This gives you the opportunity to save some money without noticeably losing quality. Of course, too many flaws and even you will start to notice. As will she.
Blue Nile is the largest and most well known respected diamond dealer online. They are highly trusted, have a huge inventory, and low low prices (compare anywhere and see for yourself). If you want to save money, or build your own ring, this is the place to shop. Visit Blue Nile today.
Only a few diamonds are truly colourless. The rest of them come in varying shades of yellow and brown. After a diamond is mined, it is sent to a gem lab where gemologists grade its colour on a scale that begins with D (colourless) and ends with Z (light yellow). Colourless diamonds are most valuable and hence the most pricy. We usually advise to choose diamonds between D and I maximum. Learn more about the different diamond colours and their grade.
The remaining diamond shapes are called fancy shapes. Some of them, like the marquise, pear and heart, are actually modifications of the round brilliant cut, while the square or rectangular shapes, including the asscher, are step cuts. All fancy shaped diamonds have varying degrees of fire and scintillation. Explore our guide on the 7 most popular diamond shapes.
With so many diamonds to choose from, finding the one that's right for you can feel overwhelming, especially when compared to a jewelry store where choice is much more limited. Consider the following step-by-step guide for choosing a diamond. Everyone's diamond search is unique, but you may find this to be a helpful starting point.
Unless a particular preference has been expressed, consider a round diamond. Round diamonds tend to have more brilliance and scintillation than other shapes, they accommodate almost any ring setting, and never go out of fashion.
Look for diamonds that fall just under popular carat weights such as 1/2 ct. 3/4 ct., 1 ct., etc. Because these diamonds fall just shy of the popular weight, they are often sold at a slight discount compared to diamonds of full weight. For example, a .90 carat diamond will typically cost less on a price-per-carat basis than a full 1.00 carat diamond. Visually, they are difficult to distinguish. In fact, a smaller carat weight diamond may have a diameter equal to that of a heavier diamond, making it appear the same size when viewed from above.
Receivers of diamond engagement rings tend to have the strongest preferences when it comes to shape and carat weight. Each Lumera Diamond is shown as it would appear in a ring as well as actual size, to allow you to accurately gauge the size of the diamond you are viewing.
The most popular carat weights for engagement diamonds are between one and two carats. If a diamond under .75 carats is a budget necessity, consider a marquise cut, which appears larger than other shapes of equal carat weight, due to its elongated cut.
Unlike the other "Cs" (Carat Weight, Color, and Clarity), the various Cut grades in existence today were not originated by GIA. Even though retailers use common terms to describe Cut (such as Excellent, Very Good, Fair, Poor) the terms are not uniformly defined or applied. In fact, a diamond seller may assign any cut grade they choose, based on any set of factors they wish. One retailer will use terms such as "Signature Ideal", "Ideal", and "Excellent"; while another uses "Ideal" to describe all three, and another uses "Excellent" for all. Be cautious when comparing cut grades from different retailers, as they are most likely inconsistent.
Cut grade is the most important factor in determining the overall appearance of a diamond because a poorly cut diamond will seem dull even with excellent clarity and color. Conversely, a well cut diamond can have a slightly lower color (G-H) or clarity (SI1-SI2) and still look quite beautiful, due to its superior ability to create sparkle and brilliance.
Because Cut grade provides a single rating which incorporates a variety of factors (such as polish, symmetry, table %, depth %, culet size, girdle width, etc), it is a simple yet vital tool in evaluating a diamond. A common mistake is to evaluate these individual factors instead of relying primarily on the Cut grade, which already takes them into account. Only when comparing two diamonds of identical Cut grade should the individual components of Cut be considered as further refinements in your search. That said, some general guidelines for these individual factors are:
The vast majority of untrained observers (and many gemologists) cannot distinguish a color grade from the one just above or below unless the diamonds are compared side by side in a controlled environment. Even when side-by-side, changes in color are difficult to detect in I color and higher diamonds.
Color becomes much harder to detect once a diamond is set in a ring and placed in an environment that contains color (as opposed to the all white background used in color grading). For instance, an H color diamond may look as colorless as a D when set in a ring under normal lighting conditions, especially if the two are not compared side by side.
For the best value in what would appear to the naked eye as a colorless diamond, look for G-J diamonds. Because color is easier to detect in larger diamonds (just as a large carafe of white wine shows more color than a small glass), opt for G-H in diamonds over 1 carat, and I-J for those under 1 carat. Once set in a ring, these diamonds will look just like higher color grade diamonds. Instead of investing in higher color, invest in higher cut, the most important factor in a diamond's brilliance. 041b061a72