Education
LEARN THE 4C’S: DIAMOND TUTORIAL
Carats are the traditional measuring unit of a diamond’s weight, one carat equaling 200 milligrams. A carat is divided into 100 “points,” so the same diamond can be represented as weighing a carat and a half, 150 points or 1.50 carats.
Is bigger always better? Well, this is not at all true with the weight/size of diamonds…. A big ugly stone isn’t better than a smaller eye clean one, guaranteed! We like to remind my customers that a very yellow or included large stone is much less attractive than a well cut, clean white smaller version of the same cut. While the depth of the stone will affect its size, the carat measurement indicates its true mass and weight. With each weight category increase (quarter, third, half), the value per carat of a diamond will increase significantly (given all have the same other factors).
Geometric price increases! A stone which is twice as large as an otherwise identical smaller stone might be three or more times more expensive. So while you might see a price for a smaller stone at $2,000 per carat, as you price the same cut, color and clarity in a larger stone you’ll see dramatic increases. Geometric increases at each weight category are to be expected, it’s often a lot less money to buy a .97 or .98 carat diamond than to buy the same grade in a 1.00 or 1.01ct (above this 1ct. category) … While the size difference is nearly impossible to visually detect the price differences for the per carat price are significantly different with a “light half carat”… Keep this in mind when you go pricing stones, and you’ll definitely end up with a better value…
In a multistone piece of jewelry, the total carat weight is the combined weights of the stones in the item. All the stones should be of the same approximate grade. Remember that a total weight and price is determined by the size of the individual stones making up that total weight. If the ring is all ten pointers (.10carats each), then the number of stones X their weight (.10cts) X the per carat price would equal the cost for the stones in a ring.
When choosing carat size, consider your budget first and not how many month’s salary you “should spend.” If you’re shopping for a nice diamond for your future, don’t start off by overspending as some twisted token of your love. Buy something you can afford, that you like. Buy something that makes you happy, invest in your happiness–but remember you’re going to need other things, which are more practical, like furniture & a television. While not very sexy, leave something in the bank for them too! That might translate to a very nice tasteful 1/3 or 1/2 carat diamond in a well designed mounting, or it might be a nice quarter carat stone, but it shouldn’t be a choice you feel compelled to measure against some marketing campaign by the diamond cartel’s advertising agency. If you can afford a larger diamond, and want it then by all means “buy it”.
Don’t feel compelled by some advertisement advising you that “expressing your love means two month’s salary!” There are no rules–only options! Remember, it’s always better to buy an attractive stone rather than a very included larger one. Since the main function of a diamond is beauty, keep in mind that bigger isn’t always better.
The round brilliant cut is designed to provide maximum optics for the brilliance and scintillation, making the light seem to sparkle and dance in the stone. A deeply cut stone will also effect the way the light passes, is reflected in the mass of the diamond. Fancy cut stones (marquise, emerald, pear, princess, and triangular cuts) are all variations of cutting a stone to maximize the carat weight by the cutters, a rough diamond which might only yield a half carat in a round might yield another 50% if cut into a pear shape or marquise. Many of the fancy shapes are stunning, but all fancy cuts sacrifice maximum brilliance for that specialty cut to some degree.
| D-F | Colorless: perfect or almost perfect color. |
| G-J | Near colorless: good to very good color, and this diamond may “face up” colorless when mounted. |
| K-M | Light but noticeable yellow or brown tint. May “face up” colorless when mounted, especially when mounted in yellow gold. |
Nuances between color grades are very hard to distinguish. Subtle differences are usually judged through the pavilion side of stone using a set of “master stones” for comparison. While many diamonds appear colorless, or white, they may actually have subtle yellow or brown tones that can be detected when comparing diamonds side by side. Diamonds were formed under intense heat and pressure, and traces of other elements may have been incorporated into their atomic structure accounting for the variances in color. A single change in color grade can significantly affect a diamond’s value. Although the presence of color makes a diamond less rare and valuable, some diamonds come out of the ground in vivid ‘fancy” colors — well-defined reds, blues, pinks, greens, and bright yellows. These are highly prized and extremely rare.
FLUORESCENCE: A diamond’s fluorescence is a tricky thing. To put it simply, a diamond’s fluorescence is its glow under the influence of ultraviolet (UV) light. With the unaided eye, it is very hard to see when not in the proper environment. For example, in simple sunlight, UV light is abundantly present, but then again, so is every other spectrum of light, thus drowning out the glow. Technically, it is visible, but only the trained eye could see it after a short while of looking. Under halogen and fluorescent lights, there simply aren’t any (or very little) UV rays emitted, making the stone look as wonderful as can be, just without any fluorescence. However, under a special light source designated to send out only UV light, a diamond will show its “true colors.” A UV light, aimed at a diamond, will bounce back only if the stone has fluorescence. The stronger the fluorescence, the brighter the UV light bounces back. Almost every case of fluorescence results in a blue tone, but there is always the exception to the rule, resulting in different tones. Fluorescence is a thoroughly debated topic in the diamond industry.
There are people who like it and there are those who don’t. Some enjoy it as a little extra surprise held deep within the stone, and others claim that it takes away from the diamond’s natural brilliance. A diamond’s fluorescence is a natural phenomenon, just not always appreciated. Fluorescence indicates if the stone reacts to UV light. It is graded as faint, moderate, strong or very strong, and may be followed by a color such as blue or yellow. A diamond with fluorescence strong yellow is less valuable because it may appear yellowish in daylight or fluorescent lighting. The presence of blue fluorescence will not detract from a diamond, and will in some cases add value because the stone will appear whiter in daylight or fluorescent lighting. However, an ideal-colored diamond will exhibit none to very faint fluorescence. Strong or intense fluorescence will decrease the value of a diamond.
If you think about the incredible amount of pressure it takes to create a diamond, it’s no surprise that many diamonds have clarity inclusions — scratches, blemishes, air bubbles or non-diamond mineral material — on their surface or inside. Diamonds with no or few inclusions and blemishes are more highly valued than those with less clarity, not just because they are more pleasing to the eye, but also because they are very rare.
Diamonds are graded for clarity under 10x loupe magnification. Clarity grades range from Internally Flawless, diamonds which are completely free of blemishes and inclusions even under 10x magnification, to Imperfect 3, diamonds which possess large, heavy blemishes and inclusions that are visible to the naked eye.
FL: Completely flawless
IF: Internally flawless; only external flaws are present, which can be removed by further polishing the stone
VVS1 – VVS2: Only an expert can detect flaws with a 10X microscope. By definition, if an expert can see a flaw from the top of the diamond, it is a VVS2. Otherwise, if an expert can only detect flaws when viewing the bottom of the stone, then it is a VVS1
VS1 – VS2: You can see flaws with a 10X microscope, but it takes a long time (more than about 10 seconds)
SI1 – SI2: You can see flaws with a 10X microscope
I1 – I3: You can see flaws with the naked eye. Consider avoiding I2-I3 diamonds.
REMEMBER: For grades IF through SI, a diamond’s clarity grade has an impact on the diamond’s value, not on the unmagnified diamond’s appearance.
While Flawless diamonds are the rarest, a diamond does not have to be flawless to be stunning. Diamonds with VVS and VS grades are excellent choices for both value and appearance. More affordable (and still a great choice) are those diamonds which gemologists call “eye-clean” – diamonds with no inclusions visible to the naked eye. These diamonds are SI1 and SI2 and unless the recipient carries a 10X loupe (a strong jewelry magnifying glass), she won’t see the inclusions.
There are many different types of flaws. The best way to become acquainted with them is to look at lots of diamonds. The more common ones are as follows:
Pinpoint: A very small white dot on the surface of the stone. By far, the most common flaw
Carbons: A very small black dot on the surface of the stone. Less common than pinpoints
Feathers: Small cracks within the stone, similar in look to broken glass. Small internal feathers are harmless (other than lowering the clarity rating of the diamond), but large feathers can become a problem because the crack can grow as the diamond ages
Clouds: Hazy areas within the diamond, actually made up of many small crystals that are impossible to see individually
Crystal Growth: A small crystalline growth within the diamond. Looks like a small diamond within the big diamond
Unfortunately, clarity is very difficult to judge accurately by an inexperienced consumer, so your best bet is to gain an education first by looking at lots of diamonds before making a purchase. Any good jeweler will spend the time you need to get comfortable judging the clarity of your stone — ask different jewelers to point out the flaws in several stones until you can detect pinpoints and other flaws by yourself.
Many people make clarity the least “important” of the 4 Cs when purchasing their diamonds. The rationale is obvious — when your partner shows the ring to all her friends, the likelihood that one of them will pull out a 10X microscope to examine the flaws on her diamond are very slim. Given that, why spend a lot of money on a VVS1 diamond when an SI2 will look exactly the same to the naked eye?
If you’re purchasing an emerald cut (or any other step cut), consider purchasing a diamond with clarity greater than SI1. Clarity flaws are much more readily visible in step cuts than in brilliant cuts.
Diamond cut is perhaps the most important of the four Cs, so it is important to understand how this quality affects the properties and values of a diamond. A good cut gives a diamond its brilliance, which is that brightness that seems to come from the very heart of a diamond. The angles and finish of any diamond are what determine its ability to handle light, which leads to brilliance. When a diamond is well-cut, light enters through the table and travels to the pavilion where it reflects from one side to the other before reflecting back out of the diamond through the table and to the observer’s eye. This light is the brilliance we mentioned, and it’s this flashing, fiery effect that makes diamonds so mesmerizing.
It’s easy to see that the deep-cut diamond shown above will have a higher carat weight, but is clearly the less desirable stone! Many jewelers will not discuss cut proportions unless the customer specifically asks; a stone rich in carat weight but poorly proportioned can be deeply “discounted,” giving the buyer a false impression of a great deal.
In a poorly cut diamond, the light that enters through the table reaches the facets and then ‘leaks’ out from the sides or bottom of the diamond rather than reflecting back to the eye. Less light reflected back to the eye means less brilliance.
Proportions
Gemologists agree that the best cut diamonds are those that follow a set of formulae calculated to maximize brilliance. These formulae can be seen in a diamond’s proportions, most importantly how the depth compares to the diameter, and how the diameter of the table compares to the diameter of the diamond.
However, the variance in the proportions between an Ideal Cut and a Poor Cut can be difficult to discern by the casual observer.
Because cut is so important, several grading methods have been developed to help consumers determine the cut of a particular diamond. In general, these grades are:
Ideal
Premium
Very Good
Good
Fair & Poor
Selecting the grade of cut is really a matter of preference. To make the best selection, you need to understand the various grades. Please note that the descriptions below are general guidelines.
Ideal Cut
This cut is intended to maximize brilliance, and the typically smaller table sizes of these diamonds have the added benefit of creating a great deal of dispersion or ‘fire’ as well. Ideal quality diamonds are truly for the person who enjoys knowing that he has one of the finest things that money can buy. This category applies only to round diamonds.
Premium
In the case of round diamonds, many Premium Cut diamonds have cuts that are the equal of any Ideal Cut diamond, though they often can be purchased at slightly lower prices than AGS Ideal Cuts. They are intended to provide maximum brilliance and fire. Like the Ideal Cut, these are also for the person who enjoys knowing that he has one of the finest things that money can buy.
Very Good
These diamonds reflect most of the light that enters them, creating a good deal of brilliance. With these diamonds, the cutters have chosen to stray slightly from the preferred diamond proportions in order to create a larger diamond. The result is that these diamonds fall slightly outside of some customers’ preferences in terms of, for example, table size or girdle width, though, in many cases many of the parameters of diamonds in this range will overlap with certain parameters of diamonds in the Ideal or Premium ranges. Generally, the price of these diamonds in slightly below that of Premium cuts. Represents roughly the top 15% of diamond quality based on cut.
Good
Diamonds that reflect much of the light that enters them. Their proportions fall outside of the preferred range because the cutter has chosen to create the largest possible diamond from the original rough crystal, rather than cutting extra weight off to create a smaller Premium quality diamond. Diamonds in this range offer an excellent cost-savings to customers who want to stay in a budget without sacrificing quality or beauty. Represents roughly the top 25% of diamond quality based on cut.
Fair & Poor
A diamond graded as fair or poor reflects only a small proportion of the light that enters it. Typically these diamonds have been cut to maximize the carat weight over most other considerations. Most of these types of cut diamonds can be found in retail mall jewelry stores. Represents roughly the top 35% of diamond quality based on cut