Diamond Buying Guide

The first thing about diamond purchase is the high budget you need to consider. Now, how does one decide upon this? If the first diamond you are buying is for engagement purpose, two months' salary is the norm. Notwithstanding, the best diamond that you can buy with this budget is an art you will master by the end of this guide. Diamonds are graded into several categories. While this is helpful to the professional, it can be confusing to the customer. The whole idea is to gather enough information to make an intelligent decision, but the information can be overwhelming. To help you we have made this guide.

Four C'S

Diamonds are graded on four qualities, commonly known as the 4 C's.
Color
Cut
Clarity
Carat

Color

The closer a diamond is to colorless, the greater the value. The current system begins color grading with the letter D. Colors D, E and F are the highest grades. They are described as nearly colorless.

Colors G, H, I and J come next. They are described as -white. The colors from K to Z have tints (usually yellow or yellowish brown). Diamonds that are just lightly tinted, K, L and M are often said to be -- set white. It means that they are lightly tinted and they will appear white if set in yellow gold.

As you move further down the alphabet, the tinting gets stronger and the value of diamond lower. This applies long as you are not moving into colored diamond category, where the richness of color escalates the value.


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Cut

This one of the hardest properties to judge, plus there are a number of factors to consider. The first one has to do with the brilliance of the gem. The pavilion facets of the gem are intended to act as mirrors, to reflect the light entering the stone, back towards the observer. However, the angle they are cut at has a lot to do with how effectively they work.

Diamonds have a high refractive index, which gives them great brilliance. However, if the cutter varies a little from the ideal the brilliance begins to suffer. Still more and you get a gem that just doesn't stand up to others in terms of brilliance or fire.

A high quality cut (that comprises of balanced proportions, perfect angles, symmetrical facets and a well polished surface) enhances the innate beauty of a diamond and increases its value. The 'Very Good' and 'Good' cut grades offer great quality stones reasonably priced as compared to the 'Ideal' / 'Excellent' cut grades.
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Clarity

The clarity of a diamond is determined by the size and number of inclusions inside it. An inclusion could be another mineral, or a fracture. An inclusion is anything that interferes with the free passage of light.

Just as with color, there are many clarity grades. They are judged by what can be seen at 10x magnification. The highest grade a diamond gets is Flawless. It means no inclusions can be seen at 10x magnification.

Clarity grades use the letters V, S and I. They stand for Very, Small, and Inclusion. Progressing from Flawless, the grades are VVSI1, (Very, Very Small Inclusions One,) VVSI2, VSI1, VSI2, SI1 then SI2. These are the grades of diamonds that have no eye visible inclusions. Remember, some SI2 stones have small, eye visible inclusions. As we progress down the grading scale, there is I1 and I2. These are eye visible inclusions, but are still considered to be gem grade.
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Carat

The standard to measure diamond weight is called carat. A carat equals 1/5 of a gram . Each carat is further divided into points, each point representing 1/100th of a carat. While weight is the least important of the four Cs in determining value, it may be the easiest of the four Cs to gauge .As diamonds increase in size, their cost increases geometrically. Thus, a one-carat diamond may cost more than twice as much as a half carat stone of same quality. Also, as previously stated, weight does not always enhance the value of a diamond. In fact, if a diamond is improperly cut, added weight may serve to reduce its brilliance.

Most important of the four C's.

Cut is considered the most important characteristic contributing to the beauty and value of a diamond.

Brilliance of a diamond is determined by the cut, because it is the cut that affects the way light travels through the stone, how much is reflected back to the eye, and how much "leaks" out.

This does not necessarily mean that only an excellent cut diamond will have the perfect sparkle. Rather, if you are looking at getting good value for your money, choose 'Very Good' or 'Good' cut grades that showcase the mesmerizing beauty of a diamond without letting you spend a fortune.

Don't let anyone confuse you that cut refers to the shape. Shape refers to the physical form or contour of the stone. And cut determines how well is the shape executed.

If size is important to you

Consider shapes other than round. While a round, brilliant-cut diamond is popular as it exhibits maximum brilliance, the round stone normally looks smaller than diamonds in other shapes.

Consider an oval, pear-shape or marquise stone, all of which will look larger than the round.

Consider a design that uses several small stones rather than one large diamond. A fine diamond 1 carat weight, set in a classic Tiffany-style platinum setting, might cost $5,000, while a three-stone ring with diamonds of similar quality with total weight of 1 carat would cost around $3,500; or a platinum band with 9 diamonds, similar quality and 1 carat total weight, would cost around $2,250

You can further experiment with the setting styles and designs to make diamond appear larger. Tulip setting and Tiffany Setting elevate the stone from its base making it look grander.