Happy Valentine's day readers! It is that time of the year where every one wants to gift a precious item to their valentine. Those who are thinking of buying diamond jewellery (I personally prefer gold or silver over diamonds for investment purposes) should get very familiar with the standard 4 Cs (Cut, Carat, Clarity & Color) of diamonds. You will find plenty of information on the internet if you search for "4 Cs of Diamonds". The information you will find will be too heavy to digest and remember. I will try to simplify and write basics of 4 Cs (from what I understood) so that you have some basic knowledge before buying diamonds. I can't be detail in my post anyway as I am not anywhere close to an expert.
1) Cut - Cut is not about shape of the diamond. It is more about the way diamond reacts to lighting and environment. The most popular diamond cut you will see is "Round Brilliant".
Rule of thumb: I always stick to Round Brilliant cuts because I don't know how to value other cuts.
2) Carat - Carat represents weight and size of the diamond, abbreviated as ct.. One carat equals 200 milligrams or 1/5 of a gram and is sub-divided into points. Each carat is divided into 100 point. So a diamond weight of 1/4 carat is equal to 25 points, 0.75 carat is equal to 75 points, likewise a 1.45 carat diamond is equal to 145 points - same like pennies in a dollar. Same carat weight diamonds does not necessarily look the same size. Depending on the cut a diamond may look bigger or smaller. Price of the diamond increases as the carat weight increases. Also, a 2 carat diamond is always expensive (and worth) than two 1 carat diamonds.
Rule of thumb: Make sure to look for carat weight before buying any diamond jewellery.
3) Clarity - Diamonds carry different internal and external characteristics because they are exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. Internal characteristics are called inclusions and external characteristics are called blemishes. Diamonds with no inclusions and no blemishes are called Flawless diamonds. But how do we determine external and internal characteristics of a diamond? There are 11 clarity grades and they are: F, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, and I3.
F - Flawless - No inclusions and No blemishes.
IF - Internally Flawless - No inclusions and but some blemishes visible under 10x magnification glass.
VVS1,VVS2 - Very Very Slight inclusions which are very difficult to see for a professional grader under 10x magnification glass.
VS1, VS2 - Very Slight inclusions which may be visible to professional grader under 10x magnification glass.
SI1, SI2 - Slight inclusions which are visible to anyone under 10x magnification glass.
I1, I2, I3 - Inclusions are obvious and may be seen with naked eye.
Rule of thumb: Stick to VS2 clarity or better because inclusions are not visible to us.
4) Color - Quality diamonds are colorless and the color grading scale extends from D to Z. D stands for colorless i.e. very expensive.
Colorless - D, E, F grades
Near Colorless - G, H, I, J grades
Slightly Tinted - K, L, M grades
Very Light Color(yellow) - N, O, P, Q, R grades
Light Color(yellow) - S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z grades
Rule of thumb: Stick to grades J or better to ensure your diamonds are very near to colorless.
Are you lost or still wondering what to do with all this information? In Short, to experience a satisfied purchase make sure your diamonds are Round Brilliant cut, higher carat weight, VS2 clarity or better and a color grade J or better. This information should always be provided by any licensed diamond seller.
I have all the information now but where to buy good quality diamonds? There are many vendors who sell quality diamonds. Speaking personally, I like Costco and it is my 5th C for buying diamonds. Costco is very committed to quality in all items they sell including diamond jewellery. They have their own gemologists ensuring quality checks at every level. All the diamonds sold at Costco are round brilliant cut (except some fancy cuts), VS2 clarity or better and a color grade I or better. Costco's excellent return policy on diamonds is one more reason why I like to buy from them.
1) Cut - Cut is not about shape of the diamond. It is more about the way diamond reacts to lighting and environment. The most popular diamond cut you will see is "Round Brilliant".
Rule of thumb: I always stick to Round Brilliant cuts because I don't know how to value other cuts.
2) Carat - Carat represents weight and size of the diamond, abbreviated as ct.. One carat equals 200 milligrams or 1/5 of a gram and is sub-divided into points. Each carat is divided into 100 point. So a diamond weight of 1/4 carat is equal to 25 points, 0.75 carat is equal to 75 points, likewise a 1.45 carat diamond is equal to 145 points - same like pennies in a dollar. Same carat weight diamonds does not necessarily look the same size. Depending on the cut a diamond may look bigger or smaller. Price of the diamond increases as the carat weight increases. Also, a 2 carat diamond is always expensive (and worth) than two 1 carat diamonds.
Rule of thumb: Make sure to look for carat weight before buying any diamond jewellery.
3) Clarity - Diamonds carry different internal and external characteristics because they are exposed to tremendous heat and pressure deep in the earth. Internal characteristics are called inclusions and external characteristics are called blemishes. Diamonds with no inclusions and no blemishes are called Flawless diamonds. But how do we determine external and internal characteristics of a diamond? There are 11 clarity grades and they are: F, IF, VVS1, VVS2, VS1, VS2, SI1, SI2, I1, I2, and I3.
F - Flawless - No inclusions and No blemishes.
IF - Internally Flawless - No inclusions and but some blemishes visible under 10x magnification glass.
VVS1,VVS2 - Very Very Slight inclusions which are very difficult to see for a professional grader under 10x magnification glass.
VS1, VS2 - Very Slight inclusions which may be visible to professional grader under 10x magnification glass.
SI1, SI2 - Slight inclusions which are visible to anyone under 10x magnification glass.
I1, I2, I3 - Inclusions are obvious and may be seen with naked eye.
Rule of thumb: Stick to VS2 clarity or better because inclusions are not visible to us.
4) Color - Quality diamonds are colorless and the color grading scale extends from D to Z. D stands for colorless i.e. very expensive.
Colorless - D, E, F grades
Near Colorless - G, H, I, J grades
Slightly Tinted - K, L, M grades
Very Light Color(yellow) - N, O, P, Q, R grades
Light Color(yellow) - S, T, U, V, W, X, Y, Z grades
Rule of thumb: Stick to grades J or better to ensure your diamonds are very near to colorless.
Are you lost or still wondering what to do with all this information? In Short, to experience a satisfied purchase make sure your diamonds are Round Brilliant cut, higher carat weight, VS2 clarity or better and a color grade J or better. This information should always be provided by any licensed diamond seller.
I have all the information now but where to buy good quality diamonds? There are many vendors who sell quality diamonds. Speaking personally, I like Costco and it is my 5th C for buying diamonds. Costco is very committed to quality in all items they sell including diamond jewellery. They have their own gemologists ensuring quality checks at every level. All the diamonds sold at Costco are round brilliant cut (except some fancy cuts), VS2 clarity or better and a color grade I or better. Costco's excellent return policy on diamonds is one more reason why I like to buy from them.
I am sure Costco jewelry is good but it is kind of hard to imagine Costco brand resonating with Diamonds.
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