Tuesday, March 16, 2010

The Four C’s of Buying Diamonds


Diamonds are the most expensive gem and when shopping for it you need to look at the basic attributes that are highlighted in the diamond's 4C’s – cut, color, clarity and carat.

Cut: A cut defines the facet arrangement of diamond that is further called as Shape. People get confused with cut and shape. But, they are two different aspects of the same coin. Basically, the craftsman shows his skills by arranging the facet of the stone in such a way that the light which enters through diamond should get reflected directly back to the viewer's eye.

Diamond cutters are solely responsible to make or break the light that enters through the stone. Hence, too shallow or too deep cut can cause light to "leak" out from the sides and bottom of the diamond.


GIA has set parameters that evaluate diamond cut and grade them as follows:

* Ideal
* Premium
* Very Good
* Good
* Fair and Poor.

The better the Cut grade, the more expensive is the diamond.

Color: Here the color refers to the transparency of the gem, because colorless diamonds are more valuable than a colored stone. With the exclusion of "fancy colored diamonds", colorless diamonds are very rare and highly in demand. Diamond color has been graded on a GIA scale from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). 

Clarity: It refers to the internal flaws that are called as inclusions such as small flaws, air bubbles, scratches, tint or other minerals within the diamond. The inclusion of diamond would result on its price. However, diamond with less inclusions is more precious and attractive.


The scale for grading diamond's clarity is:


F Flawless – No inclusions.

IF Internally Flawless - Slight inclusions in the exterior of the gem.

VVS1-VVS2 Very Very Slightly Included - minute inclusions that are very difficult to detect on 10x magnifications loupe.

VS1-VS2 Very slightly included - tiny inclusions, invisible to the naked eye and can only see through the 10x magnification loupe.

SI1-SI2 Slightly included - invisible to the naked eye, yet easily visible under 10x magnifications.

I1-I3 Included - inclusions are visible to the naked eye and affect on its brilliance.

When deciding on clarity, people usually go with SI2 and VS1 diamonds, without knowing their differences. A diamond that falls between VVS2 to F is very rare and expensive so, make sure you select the stone with proper evaluations.

Carat: A carat refers to the size and actual weight of a diamond. One carat is equivalent to 200 milligrams. Carat is also evaluated in numerical values.

For example:

* One carat diamond equals to 100 points,
* One-half carat diamond is consider as 50 points
* Three-quarter carat diamond as 75 points and so on.

Big diamonds are more expensive than smaller one of the same quality because of its rarity. For example: one carat diamond is much more expensive than value of multiple small diamonds of the same quality and total carat weight.

Sunday, March 7, 2010

How to analyze a diamonds color

Diamond evaluation can be done on the basis of four C’s – Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat as they are considered the most important attributes. However, diamond color is one of the main aspects that you need to look at while purchasing a diamond. The basic knowledge of the diamond in terms of 4c’s makes your investment worthwhile.

Diamond Color Variations:

A colorless diamond is more valuable than a colored diamond because it impacts its prices. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) has set a standardized method to grade a diamond color. The diamond color has been analyzed on the basis of its colored stones that could be specified through the grading procedure.

Diamond Color Grading Procedure

a) Color grading is done on loose diamond because once the diamond is placed on metal then it is difficult to detect the amount of color the stone has.

b) 10X magnification loupe is used to locate the amount of color in white diamonds

c) GIA grading scale categorizes the diamond color in alphabetical order from D to Z

Diamond Color Grading Scale Ratings:

A colorless diamond is judged through the grading scale – that shows the presence of colors the stone has. They are as follows:

* D-E-F: Colorless.
* G-H-I-J: Nearly colorless.
* K-L-M: Faintly tinted, usually yellow.
* N-O-P-Q-R: Lightly tinted, usually yellow. Tint can be visible through naked eye.
* S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z: Tinted, usually yellow, cloud turns as brownish color since; the tint is easily visible to the naked eye, even when mounted.

Fluorescence: It is one of the factors that affect diamond color. GIA diamond reports and many other lab reports show that all diamonds have certain amount of fluorescence, since diamond changes its color when it gets exposed to ultra violet rays.

For Instance: Diamonds with blue reflection appear whiter or more colorless under UV light and the yellow fluoresce appear more yellow in bright light

Identifying the color of a diamond is easier than expected. The color grading scale simplifies the diamond quality to fit your budget. However, if you don’t want to compromise then choose the diamond that falls in D to F grade and to save some amount you can opt for G to J grade. This way you can select your own diamond as per your budget specification without an expert opinion.

Thursday, March 4, 2010

Certified loose diamonds are better choice for Jewelry designs

Shopping for loose diamond is the most perfect choice when it comes to jewelry. Loose diamonds can be available in different shapes and sizes. In fact, it is the latest trend among couples to set their piece of jewelry with a stunning loose diamonds.

When designing a jewelry piece, couples are buying diamonds first, and then they look for the settings. The tradition of finding and selecting a pre-set diamond ring is limited to a few options. But today, there is a change in this tradition. 

The selection of a loose diamond opens the door in multiple ways to create the perfect engagement ring of your choice. Mostly, all jewelers advise you for loose diamonds rather than buying a pre –set engagement ring. 

It would give an idea about the type of ring you are looking for and at the same time the jeweler can understand your style. Thus, he can create the one that best describes your personality and also gives you maximum return of the investments with these certified loose diamonds in future. 

Shopping for loose diamonds is quite easy for a bride – as it gives multiple choices in terms of its shapes including round, pear, triangle, oval, tear drop and many more. The other aspect you can consider is the carat weight, color and the amount of money you're looking forward to invest. 

When shopping for loose diamond, you have to analyze its four C's – cut, clarity, color and carat. However, cut is the most important attribute, as its shows the overall beauty of a diamond associated with other three C’s of diamonds. 

Certified loose diamonds are an even better combination if you buy diamond jewelry settings because loose diamonds with certificates specify the true value of your investments.

Loose diamonds save lot of money as compared to pre-set diamond jewelry. If you make an effort to design your own jewelry piece, then loose diamond is a wonderful option to make your investment fruitful. This way you can save a good amount on your diamond shopping.
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