Diamonds Grading Criteria

Diamonds are graded using grading criteria known as the "Four C's". These criteria are: color, cut, clarity and carat.

Color refers to the presence or absence of color in white diamonds. Diamond with no color allows maximum light to pass through, colorless diamonds are preferred for their sparkle.

Cut refers to a diamonds reflective quality. Most diamonds are cut with 58 facets. The brilliance of diamonds is heavily dependent on the cut. The different angles and the finish of a diamond determine its ability to reflect light and cause its brilliance and fire. The cut of a diamond can have an impact on its durability as well as its beauty. Cut is probably the most important of the Four C's.

Clarity refers to the inner flaws, or inclusions occur during the formation in most diamonds. Diamonds that are clear create more brilliance and therefore are rarer and highly priced. To be considered "flawless", a diamond must have no surface or internal imperfections visible upon being viewed by a skilled diamond grader using 10 power magnifications.

Carat is the unit of weight by which diamonds are measured. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 segments called points. 150 points would equal one and a half carats.

Knowing the "four C's" allows you to compare and purchase the best diamond at a fair price. Shop around and decide what shapes and styles really appeal to you and enjoy your diamond for years to come.

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Colored Diamonds

The most famous diamonds in the world are Colored Diamonds. The Tiffany Diamond, which is yellow and the Hope Diamond which is blue are colored diamonds. Natural fancy color diamonds get their coloring from different trace elements present in the stones, such as nitrogen, which produces a yellow diamond. Most natural colored diamonds are rare and extremely expensive. If you have some desire to own the expensive colored diamond but cannot quite afford, then, synthetic colored diamonds are another option.

Synthetic colored diamonds, real diamonds but created in a lab, are affordable for the average person. Treated with irradiation followed by intense heat, these less desirable diamonds turns into beautifully colored diamond. When shopping for colored diamonds you must assume that any affordable fancy color diamond has been treated. Remember that Natural fancy colored diamonds are very expensive, any colored diamond labeled to be sold as natural should be accompanied by a certificate from a respected grading lab.

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Buying Diamond Online

With all of the potential for scams concerning diamonds, buying diamonds online almost seems unthinkable for me.However, I learn that you actually can purchase diamonds online, without any problems – as long as you are careful.

First, I must think about the reasons for wanting to purchase the diamond online, as opposed to making a purchase from a local jewelry store. One of the common reason is price. Due to low overhead costs, online jewelers and wholesalers are able to offer lower prices. However, I must be really careful – sometimes a price that is too low is a sure indication of a scam.
One of the best things about purchasing online is the unlimited selection. When shopping offline, you are limited to the selection in the stores. Online, there are no limits. But again, you must use a great deal of care and consideration before handing your money over to someone that you cannot see and have never met!

Before shopping, online or offline, learn as much as you can about diamonds – especially cut, color, clarity and carat weights. When you are knowledgeable about diamonds, it will be harder for a con artist to rip you off. Once you know more about diamonds, you will be ready to start shopping.

Take the time. I will not want to purchase the first diamond that interests me. Instead, I would look for similar diamonds for sale. You should do some comparison shopping to find the lowest prices. Once you have found the lowest price, start doing your investigation. You know about diamonds, you’ve found a diamond that you love, and you’ve found the lowest price – but you are still quite a ways away from actually purchasing that diamond!

Next is to ask about the seller’s credentials, such as professional jewelry associations that they belong to. View and print the seller’s return, refund, and upgrade policies. Also inquire about additional services, such as settings and mountings, sizing, and free shipping. Do a search for customer reviews on this particular company around the Internet. Also check with the BBB Online to see if there have been any complaints.

Ask for a diamond grading report from an independent laboratory such as GIA, HRD, EGL or AGS. You should see this before making a purchase. Finally, use a reputable escrow service for high dollar diamonds – preferably one that will have the diamond appraised while it is in their possession. The seller sends the diamond to the escrow service, and you send the money to pay for the diamond to the escrow service. The escrow service has the diamond appraised, sends the diamond to you, and sends the money to the seller. This is the surest way to protect yourself, but again, make sure that you use a reputable escrow service!

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Spotting a Fake Diamond

In this world of advanced technology it is almost impossible to simply look at a diamond and determine whether it is real or not – especially if you don’t know much about diamonds. There are some steps that you can take to avoid buying a fake diamond,however.

First, only deal with reputable jewelers, and when you find a reputable jeweler, stick with them. Avoid buying diamonds or other jewelry from jewelers that you have never dealt with before in the past. Ask to see the certificate for the stone. If no certificate exists, walk away.
Look at the setting that the stone is in. Fake diamonds, such as zirconias, are usually set in low quality metals. Take a close look at the stone. Fake diamonds are not durable – natural diamonds, on the other hand, are the most durable stone on the planet. Look for scratches or nicks.

After purchasing a diamond, take it to another jeweler for appraisal. In fact, take it to two or three other jewelers for an appraisal to make sure that the appraisals are all fairly close. If you find that you have purchased a fake diamond, you may be accused of making a switch when you return to the store of your purchase; therefore, it is important to have a certificate for the diamond. No two stones are alike.

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The Cut Of A Diamond

When shopping for a diamond, I would choose the that that I like the best. There are many different cuts of diamonds. The cut refers to the shape that the diamond is cut into and this shape has a great impact on how much the diamond sparkles. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose its sparkle.

The most popular cuts are heart, marquise, oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, and emerald cuts. However, in the diamond industry, the cut of a diamond doesn’t refer to its shape at all. Instead, this is a reference to the stone’s depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and other aspects of the diamond. Common cutting problems include a missing or off center culet, misalignment, a diamond that is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken culets.

When shopping for a diamond, look at several different diamonds of the shape that you like best to find the one with the best cut – the one that sparkles the most, in all types of lighting.

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Clarity of Diamonds

Since I've interest in diamond I think I should learn about the Clarity of Diamonds.

Clarity is an important aspect of a diamond, and it is important to know how to grade the clarity of a diamond before you buy one. I was told that it is actually quite easy to learn how to grade the clarity of a diamond. I've learned that there are basically two things that you must understand about the clarity of diamonds: Diamonds with visual inclusions and blemishes, and those that are ‘eye clean’ meaning that there are no inclusions or blemishes that can be seen with the naked eye. From there, the clarity of a diamond is further broken down into subcategories.

Many people mistakenly think that diamond clarity refers to how clear it
is. This isn’t so. Clarity actually refers to the internal and external
imperfections of the diamond. The best diamonds, of course get a grade of
FL or IF – Flawless or Internally Flawless – meaning that it is perfect. A
grade of I-1, I-2 or I-3 means that the diamond is imperfect, with a grade
of I-3 being the worst.

Other grades are VVS1 and VVS2, which means that the diamond is very, very slightly imperfect; VS1 and VS2, meaning the diamond is very slightly imperfect; SI-1 and SI-2, which means that the diamond is slightly imperfect.

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Rare Diamonds - A New Appreciation

When I walk into a jewelry store and see all the diamonds in all of the various settings that are for sale, it is difficult to realize that diamonds are indeed rare. While most people don’t even stop to consider how that diamond came to be sitting in that jeweler’s case, I've been wondering that there must be quite a bit of work that is done before a diamond is ready to be sold to the general public.

I've learned that for every one million diamonds that are mined, only one will be found that is a quality one carat diamond. In order to find a two carat diamond, about five million diamonds must be mined. More than two hundred tons of ore must be mined to find one small diamond, and even then, more than 80% of the diamonds that are mined are only good for industrial use, such as diamond drill bits.

So, the next time I visit the local jewelry store and see the one carat diamonds. I would look at this diamond with a new appreciation – knowing that it truly is one in a million!

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