Why the problem?
The problem facing the normal diamond buyer? And most of us are normal!
You usually have no idea what to buy, or for how much and when you buy it, you have little knowledge about whether or not it was what it was supposed to be. You view a deceptive ad with a "1/2 carat diamond for the normal price of $1,200 but this weekend only it is ....Just $199.99!" And wonder.
What do you believe? And who do you trust? All hype?
If we could sit down with you, we would take you to "Diamond School." We show our local customers diamonds with a 10x loupe, the proper tool for grading diamonds. We show them the proper method to hold and use the loupe. We use stones and charts to explain the intricacies of diamond grading.
Then, armed with knowledge, we send them out and tell them to compare our diamonds with others that they will be shown. We even give them a loupe to use so that they can do the job properly!
While not experts, they are better informed and able to spot the "malarkey" that is often sold with the diamond. They may not know the wholesale price per carat of a stone, but they are able to tell, roughly if the diamond is the grade that the salesperson is telling them it is. As for the cut and the color, that is a more difficult area to get a grasp on. So, begin with us now, a little lesson in diamonds and grading.
Why the look?
A diamond, properly cut and polished looks bright..brilliant if you will. The reason? The same reason everything else looks bright to you....light enters your eye! If you close your eyes, or block light from entering them, there is no brilliance. A diamond is designed to take the light that enters the stone, and by having the faces or "facets" cut at the right angles, reflect the light...all of the light back out of the Diamond and into your eye.
If the maximum light enters your eye, the Diamond looks bright, white and brilliant! So, examine why the light...the maximum amount of light...may not be entering your eye.
The Clarity
A diamond that has light entering it, will try to reflect all of that light back out so that it looks brilliant. If there are objects, such as carbon, cracks, feathers, air bubbles or other "flaws" or inclusions, inside the diamond, the light will be refracted elsewhere other than where it should go; out the top of the diamond and into your eye! The light will be blocked and not reach your eye! Therefore, the fewer flaws in your diamond, the more light reflected out and thus the brighter and more brilliant the diamond.
Gemologists grade the amount of "imperfections" in the stone, using a 10x loupe, according to a scale whch rates the clarity of the stone. Who makes the scale? There is the "rub." The normal standard is set by a group called the Gemological Institute of America, also known as the GIA. Do not be fooled. We could set up a "grading scale" as others have done and say our "SI diamonds show inclusions with the naked eye." But those standards would not be the same standards as the GIA, and thus, the diamonds would not be as valuable. Read on to see why!
An FL-IF stone is internally FLAWLESS when viewed with a 10x loupe, a word overused in the industry. Most diamonds have flaws, the ones that do not are highly sought after and expensive. Expect to pay for the quality that comes with this type of Diamond. These are very beautiful diamonds...and very rare!
The next grade, also an excellent diamond, is VVS, meaning that the stone is very, very slightly included and that those inclusions will be extremely difficult to see under the 10x magnification. They will never be seen with the naked eye. The rating has two classes...VVS1 and VVS2 which goes from good to not as good, but still a great grade. Another great diamond.
If the diamond has inclusions not yet visible to the naked eye, but some minor ones that might be seen with the 10x loupe, it might grade VS or very slightly included. Again, the grade has a VS1 and a VS2 rating within the scale. Less expensive than the VVS grade but a great diamond if all other factors are good.
Still not visible to the naked eye, but having a few more inclusions that can be seen with the loupe and easily discernable with the loupe, a diamond may fall into the SI category, and in that category, may be graded an SI1, SI2, and even an SI3.
If you can see inclusions with your naked eye, chances are your diamond is not a GIA properly graded SI diamond!
The next GIA grade states that the "inclusions will be just visible to the naked eye and obvious under the 10x" if the diamond is graded an I or imperfect or included stone. An included stone can have imperfections that will not show up very badly, perhaps a few "feathers" and the diamond will still be beautiful. Or, it could be an I diamond and have a big, ugly black carbon spot right at the top and be a big, ugly diamond! The I grade is broken up into the I1, the I2 and the I3. Anything below this grade and you might as well say that you have an industrial grade diamond ... you can also use it for a drill bit!
We grade according to GIA standards. Others may say that their SI diamonds will have flaws visible to the naked eye ( and they may have! ) but our SI diamonds will be eye clean. A properly cut and correclty polished, white SI2 to I1 diamond can be a thing of great beauty and value!
The Color
The color of the diamond, or rather the "lack of color" of the diamond is a very important factor, and one which is a real problem for many buyers. Especially male, nearly color-blind buyers!
A good white diamond should have no color, it should look as white as a sheet of paper...a nice white sheet of paper! The closer to white, the more valuable and if the diamond tends to lean more to the yellow side ( unless you want a yellow diamond, and they are rare as are red and blue diamonds) then the value goes down.
The GIA, using scientific methods, states that the diamond can range from Colorless, to Light Yellow and going through stages in between called Near Colorless, Faint Yellow, and Very Light Yellow.
They put a letter grade on the Colorless of D E and F, and run the letters of the alphabet to the end, with a Z being a very yellow diamond.
If your diamond is between a D and a J color, you will probably be pleased with the look of the stone. Many fine, beautiful diamonds fall into the G to J range in color. If you can afford it, try to purchase a D, E or F and you will have the ultimate color for your fine diamond.
Again, a white diamond will reflect white light back to your eye and thus the diamond looks brilliant!
The Cut !
This is the one that throws most consumers...and often many jewelers! It is one of the more important factors in determining how much light leaves the diamond...and thus how much enters your eye! We are not talking Diamond Shapes...we are talking about the manner in which that shape is cut.
To view the many different shapes besides the round that Diamonds can come in, click on Shapes.
If the cutter has all of the facets cut to the right angles, and the right shapes, and he has allowed so much for the "table" and the "crown" and the "pavilion" and done all he should do to get the proportions correct, then the clean, white diamond will throw back to your eye nearly all of the light that enters it and thus show great "brilliance" and "fire" and be a beautiful Diamond.
If he has not done this....well, you see diamonds with this problem everyday! Fortunately, most diamonds are cut to a tolerance that allows them to display their maximum brilliance. Those that match the "ideal" proportions command many more dollars than those that do not.
The average consumer, without knowing the proper proportions and using proper measuring tools, is not able to determine if the diamond is cut correctly or not. However, if you can trust the measurements on the certificate, or you can trust your supplier, then you can compare them to the measurements established as "ideal" and see how close your diamond will come to the standards.
Cuts are generally Ideal or Premium...or Inferior, but that one you do not want!
Put all of the above together, and you have one of the world's most sought after gems, a true thing of beauty and a rare and sought after stone!
Trivia
A carat is a unit of weight for diamonds and other gemstones. One carat equals 200 milligrams (0.200 grams). There are 453 grams in a pound (1,000 grams to a kilogram). Therefore, if your fiancee weighs 170 pounds, you have a 385,050-carat fiancee!
