Diamonds Archives - Page 19 of 19 - The Diamond Gurus

Do you know what you need to know when buying diamonds? The diamond trade requires some savviness to ensure that you get the value for your money. The fraudulent jewelers aiming to dupe you are out there in droves so you need to get familiar with what to look for when buying diamonds. Nothing is more devastating than realizing that you spent your money on a worthless rock. There are 4 major factors to consider when buying diamonds and they are branded the 4Cs: Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat. They determine the value of the diamond and can be used to compare the prices between different jewelry stores. The Cut The CUT is a vital factor to consider when buying a diamond. You should ask for a Gemological Institute of America (GIA) certificate which grades the cut as either excellent or very good. Anything below good is not worth your money. The cut gives it the sparkle, the glitter, and the fire that makes it look glamorous. Actually, this is the most important factor because it determines the visible traits of the rock. The Color The color of the diamond also dictates quality. It is graded by the letters D-Z. Grade D is the most valuable. This shows that the diamond is colorless. As they go down the scale, the diamonds get more brown or yellow. However, the color grades are not far apart, so a D grade may look similar to F or G grade. You should not spend more money on a D grade when you can get an F which looks almost the same. Warning: Diamonds can be subjected to extreme pressure and temperature to improve the color. So the Color Grade should be carefully considered since it can be manipulated. The Clarity Clarity refers to the number of tiny flaws and black or white specks in the diamond. The best grade is the FL which means flawless. It is followed by IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2 AND I1. The clarity is not as important since you usually need a magnifying glass to see any flaws. It also does not influence the sparkle or the glitter. The clarity grade should not be a major factor though you can see a big price difference between the grades. The Carat Weight A Carat is simply the weight of the diamond. It has a huge influence on the price of the diamond. The higher the carats, the bigger the rock and the more expensive the diamond becomes. The price of the diamond greatly increases at each whole number. However, the price difference and actual appearance of a 0.95 carat and 1 carat diamond is not very significant. Most people tend to think that carats are not important but they certainly are. Knowledge is Diamond Buying Power These are the main factors to look for when buying diamonds. You now understand the standard grading of diamonds. So you will now be able to compare the prices between different jewelers. The Fifth C of Diamonds – Certification