Engagement Rings : Imporatant Knowldge About Diamonds
CUT
Cut should not be confused with a diamond’s shape. Cut refers to the diamond’s reflective qualities and determines the brilliance and fire of a diamond. The angles and finish of the cut establish the diamond’s ability to reflect light.
Proportions are key and will discern an Ideal cut from a Poor cut. Cut is graded in 5 steps from Ideal, to Fair and Poor.
* Ideal Cut – maximizes brilliance and is only used on round cut diamonds.
* Premium Cut – also maximizes brilliance and is almost equal to an Ideal Cut diamond, although most often priced lower.
* Very Good Cut – diamond cutters might stray from the preferred proportions of an Ideal Cut to maximize the size of the diamond. These diamonds will reflect most light and produce a good deal of brilliance. They are priced lower than the Premium Cut.
* Good Cut – provide excellent cost-savings to customers as the diamond cutter has chosen to create the largest possible stone by sacrificing proportions, therefore compromising reflectivity.
* Fair and Poor Cuts – reflect only a small proportion of light.
CLARITY
Clarity refers to the natural flaws (inclusions) caused by gasses or minerals trapped in the diamond during its long formation period. Truly flawless diamonds are extremely rare and account for about 1% of all stones.
Inclusions refer to air bubbles, cracks and non-diamond minerals in a diamond. Clarity is graded from Flawless to Included 3.
* F – Flawless
* IF – Internally Flawless. Some surface flaws.
* VVS1 – VVS2 – Very, Very, Slightly Included. Minute inclusions.
* VS1 – VS2 – Very Slightly Included. Inclusions detected with difficulty under 10x magnification.
* SI1 – SI2 – Slightly Included. Inclusions detected slightly more easily under 10x magnification.
* I1, I2, I3 – Included. Inclusions visible to the naked eye.
It is not recommended to drop to the “I” grade clarity when purchasing a diamond. Your diamond clarity should be mapped out on a certificate that plots out the diamond’s inclusions. This unique “fingerprint” is proof that the diamond purchased is the diamond received, and is different to an appraisal.
COLOUR
Colour refers to natural colour present in white diamonds. The whiter the diamond, the more valuable it is because more light is able to pass through it which increases the sparkle and fire.
Diamonds are graded on a scale from D (colourless) to X (light yellow).
* D – F: Colourless
* G – I: Nearly Colourless
* J – L: Faint Yellow
* M – O: Very Light Yellow
* S – X: Light Yellow
D – F are the most valuable, but G – I show almost no colour to the untrained eye. Diamonds falling in the J – M category may appear slightly coloured to the naked eye.
Your choice of setting will impact the look of your diamond. It is recommended to set higher quality diamonds in platinum or white gold to maximize their brilliance, whereas a yellow gold setting will off-set the discolouration in lower grade diamonds, thus making them appear whiter and more brilliant.
Fancy colour (pink, yellow, blue etc.) diamonds do not follow this grade classification. They are extremely rare and very valuable for their colour.
CARAT WEIGHT
Diamonds are measured in carats. A common mistake is to confuse Carat and Karat. The former refers to diamond weight, and the latter refers to the purity of gold. One carat measures about 200 milligrams. Larger diamonds are more rare and (depending on their Four C’s) will most likely be more expensive.
Bigger is not always better when you take the value in clarity, cut and colour into consideration. If size is important to you, but your budget does not allow for a large diamond, try shopping for rings with multiple stones and a high combined carat count. Another way to buy on a budget is to look for diamonds that fall just short of the full carat – a 1.90 carat diamond will cost a lot less than a comparable 2.00 carat diamond – yet to the untrained eye, appears very similar in size.
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