How to Buy a Diamond

There’s nothing better than a low-priced diamond ring to give to your loving wife on the wedding anniversary. While many people do that, most of them do not know what factors they need to consider when selecting a low-priced diamond ring. When evaluating the worth of a diamond, experts consider four factors, also known as the Four Cs of diamond: carat weight, clarity, color and cut. It was the founder of the Gemological Institute of America, Robert M. Shipley, who came up with these four Cs of diamond for the famous De Beers. Jewelers and consumers can acquire some basic knowledge of diamond’s cut, color, clarity, and carat weight to make a better decision while doing a transaction. Hence, by educating you about the four Cs of diamond, this article will assist you in buying high quality diamond jewelry.

Carat Weight

The easiest concept to understand amongst the four Cs is the carat weight. Carat is the unit of measurement for diamonds and gemstones. One carat equals 100 points or one fifth of a gram; the carat weight of a diamond can be measured using an electronic balance. It seems obvious that the more carat weight a diamond has, the larger it will appear. Still, this is not the rule of thumb. Industry experts know that the apparent size of a diamond also depends on the cut proportions.

It is an established fact backed by the Gemological Institute of America that larger diamonds are more valuable than smaller ones. This means that the per carat price of a larger diamond is higher than the per carat price of a smaller one. Hence, although the combined weight of two diamonds weighing 1 carat each will be 2 carats, their combined price will be less than the price of a single 2 carat diamond. Hence, if you want to buy a low-priced diamond ring for your loved one, you need to take this factor into account.

Of all the Four Cs, the carat weight is the least important factor to determine the worth of the diamond. The role played by the weight does not affect the value of the diamond. If the stone is not cut properly, adding more weight will make it look poorer. So you need to consider the diamond cut while buying high-quality diamond jewelry.

Clarity

Clarity refers to the appraisal of both the external and the internal features of a diamond. If there are only negligible amounts of blemishes or inclusions, the worth of the diamond increases. Inclusions are generally inside the diamond. Crystals and feathers are common types of inclusions. Crystals are actually minerals that get trapped within a diamond and feathers are small breaks. As far as blemishes are concerned, you can find them on the outer surface of the diamond and they are external. American Gem Society Laboratories assesses the location, nature, size, color and number of the various kinds of blemishes and inclusions and assigns a grade for clarity from 0-10. Zero refers to a diamond which does not have any blemishes or inclusions. It has to be examined by an experienced grader. The magnification level has to be 10x and the lighting should be perfect during this appraisal. The Gemological Institute of America has a different way of grading a diamond’s clarity. This grade moves from flawless/internally flawless (I/IF) to many inclusions (I3) as shown below.

                                                                                      

Color and Cut

Diamond Grading

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