Shopping For Diamond Jewelry

When you are shopping for diamond jewelry, you want to have an understanding of what you're buying. This guide simplifies the four Cs of diamonds, cut, color, clarity, and carat weight, so you can understand the diamond’s specifications based on the same criteria jewelers use to grade them. At DiamondStoreusa, we strive to provide you with quality diamonds.

Cut

The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. There is no single measurement of a diamond that defines its cut, but rather a collection of measurements and observations that determine the relationship between a diamond's light performance, dimensions and finish. Most gemologists consider cut the most important diamond characteristic because even if a diamond has perfect color and clarity, a diamond with a poor cut will have dulled brilliance. Determining a diamond's cut grade, however, goes beyond simple measurements of width and depth. Cut consists of brightness, fire and scintillation.

Brightness is determine from the table percentage, the pavilion and crown angel.

Fire is determine from the size of the crown facets.

Scintillation is sparkle and pattern.

Color

Diamonds range from colorless to light brown. The diamond color grading system uses the letters of the alphabet from D through Z, with D being colorless and therefore the most valuable. A diamond's color is determined by looking at it under controlled lighting and comparing it to the Gemological Institute of America's color scale.

D-F colorless, and most expensive.

G-J near colorless and next most expensive

K-M faint color, however a good buy

O-R very light in color

S- Z light color

Clarity

Another vital diamond grading characteristic is clarity. Five factors to determine clarity is number, position, relief, nature and size of inclusions, blemishes, scratches or minerals that occur naturally inside the diamond.

Grading for clarity,

IF Flawless: No internal flaws visible under 10x magnification.

VVS1 & VVS2 Very, very slightly included: Internal and external flaws very difficult to locate under 10x magnification.

VS1 & VS2 Very slightly included: Internal and external flaws difficult to locate under 10x magnification.

SI1 & SI2 Slightly Included: Internal and external flaws easy to locate under 10x magnification.

I1, I2, & I3 Imperfect: Internal and external flaws very easy to locate under 10x magnification and also with the naked eye.

Carat Weight

A diamond's weight is measured in what is known as metric carat. One carat is equal to 200 milligrams. The larger the carat the more expensive. Carat is not a measure of a diamond's size, since cutting a diamond to different proportions can affect its weight. When diamonds are mined, large gems are discovered much less frequently than small ones, which makes large diamonds much more valuable. In fact, diamond prices rise exponentially with carat weight. So, a 2-carat diamond of given quality is always worth more than two 1-carat diamonds of the same quality. The most important thing to remember when it comes to a diamond's carat weight is that it is not the only factor that determines a diamond's value. All four Cs, Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight must be taken into consideration when determining its value.

DiamondStoreusa also carries fancy cut diamonds. Some fancy cuts are oval, marquise, emerald, and pear shape.

Now that you've read about the four C's, you'll be able to understand the quality and value of  a diamond. Should you have additional questions, please feel free to call our customer service representatives.