Diamond Cheat Sheet

Diamond Cheat Sheet

How do you know you’re getting the best quality diamond for your money? Use the 4C’s as your guide.

Carat

Diamond weight is measured in carats. Each carat is divided into 100 points. So, a 50-point diamond is the equivalent of a half-carat diamond. In general, more carats means a larger looking and more expensive diamond. But keep in mind that quality, not just size, determines a diamond’s value. A large diamond that’s poorly cut will lack brilliance, making it far less appealing and valuable than a smaller diamond with a very good cut. Look for a good balance between carat weight and quality. The diamond carat weight or carat total weight listed is approximate. Variances may be up to .05 carats.

Cut

Cut refers not to a diamond’s shape, but also how expertly it’s fashioned. Precise angles, proportions, symmetry, and polish optimize the play of light within a diamond, in turn maximizing its brilliance and sparkle. A good cut brings out the beauty and fire of a diamond, while a poor cut leaves it dull and lifeless. This is why some say that cut is the most important of the four Cs. A good cut can also make a diamond look bigger.

Color

Diamonds range in color from colorless (or clear) to yellowish-brown. The more colorless the diamond, the more valuable it is. One exception: fancy colored diamonds (in blue or pink for instance) are even more expensive than colorless diamonds.

Clarity

Clarity refers to blemishes and flaws (also called inclusions) in the diamond. The better the clarity, the brighter the diamond. A VVS diamond (very, very slightly included) will have minute inclusions that would be difficult for even an experienced jeweler, using 10x magnification, to detect. Toward the other end of the spectrum, an I diamond (included) may contain inclusions that are visible to the naked eye.

Certification

Wait, there’s a fifth C? Certification is your independent verification that all the other Cs you’ve pondered so carefully really do measure up to their stated standard of quality. Certificates are issued by several agencies employing highly trained gemologists to provide an unbiased and accurate evaluation of the diamond. These gemologists scrutinize each stone to analyze its dimensions, clarity, cut, color, finish, symmetry, and other details. All diamonds purchased from Amazon are certified by the American Gem Society Laboratories (www.agslab.com), the Gemological Institute of America (www.gia.org), or the International Gemological Institute (www.igiworldwide.com) and come with a certificate.

Maximize Your Budget

Get more bang for your buck with these money-saving tips:

Save on carats. A diamond jumps in price whenever it passes a carat threshold. Therefore, you can save money by purchasing a .98 carat diamond instead of a 1 carat diamond. Visually, the difference is negligible.

Save on clarity. By going a little shy, you can get a significant cost savings. Most inclusions are not noticeable to the eye anyway. A VS diamond, for instance, provides excellent value, with no noticeable difference to the unaided eye from a VVS diamond.

Save on color. Against darker skin tones, a slightly yellower diamond will still look fairly clear and bright. This strategy may not work if your bride-to-be has a pale complexion. If that's the case, lean toward a colorless or upper-range near-colorless stone. Also, the metal color makes a difference. A yellower diamond will look brighter in a yellow gold setting than it will in a white gold or platinum setting.