Basics of Diamond Buying

If you are looking at purchasing a diamond, there are a few things you should highly consider. It is best to have some knowledge about diamonds before you actually start to purchase one. Find a store that has their diamonds graded by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). This is important so you know the quality of the diamond you are purchasing. Don’t trust the stores grading on a diamond.

The four C's are what dictate the quality of a diamond.  They include cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. These four things dictate the cost of the diamond. For example, you may have a diamond with a perfect cut, clarity, and color that is a quarter of a caret that is more expensive then a full carat with a poor cut, and ok clarity.

The cut of the diamond is about the proportions of the diamond.  If done correctly this maximizes the fire the diamond can exhibit. The cut is not the shape of the diamond such as round or heart shaped. This has to do with the angles of the crown (the top of the diamond) and the pavilion (the bottom of the diamond).

Clarity is the next big factor in the flare of a diamond. Clarity has to do with how many imperfections and impurities are in the diamond. Though a diamond free from imperfections is great it is not totally necessary. An eye clean diamond is perfect for most purposes. This means that with the naked eye you don’t see any imperfections by just looking at it.

Whether the diamond is clear or yellow tinted or colored will be indicated by the color rating. Again you don’t have to have a perfectly colorless diamond to get a nice diamond. There is a second category called nearly colorless that at would be hard to distinguish from the colorless category. The grades of G and H are at a great place in the color scale to look at.

When you are referring to the size of a diamond you will be referring to the carat weight. The size of a diamond should be completely dictated by personal preference. If you are not purchasing the diamond for yourself please make sure you know what the other person prefers. Typically the higher the carat weight the higher the price will be on the diamond.

Diamond purchasing can be tough when you don't know what you should be considering. If you decide to purchase from a brick and mortar store, make sure you get a feel for what you are looking for.