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Subscribe to our free email newsletter and be updated on our new products and special sales!"For many people, buying a diamond is a blind purchase. They have no idea what a diamond is worth, or why. Many have been led to believe that jewelry markups are high and that jewelers are making excessive profits." Keep in mind that there is no one in the jewelry industry that can offer a substantial discount on diamonds and if you find one, BEWARE. Diamonds are priced from an exact pricing scale. The majority of diamonds are sold by large chain stores because they can easily absorb the high cost of mass advertising. The truth of the matter is that most large chain stores stock diamonds in lower color and clarity grades, and with cutting proportions that save weight at the expense of beauty. The best thing to do before buying a diamond is to learn what factors are involved with diamond pricing! If you are reading this page then sitting in front of you is an incredible tool in which to learn from. Simply go to any search engine and type in "diamond". DO NOT ever buy a diamond from a store that will not give you a written certified appraisal based on GIA terms. You do not have any recourse if a store lies to you and you don’t have it in writing. If you have a written certified appraisal you can have it checked by anyone YOU pick. There are many honest jewelers out there but there is always at least one bad apple in every bunch. The most important thing that I can not over stress is to get it in writing! Diamond pricing is based on what is commonly known as: The Four Cs. Carat Weight - carat (ct) is a standard of measure. 1ct.= 0.2grams. We now live in an incredible technology era. You no longer have to accept approximate weights. A one carat stone is commonly referred to as being 100 points, ½ carat = 50 points, 1/4 carat = 25 points, etc. Diamond scales weigh to thousandths of a carat (.001). This value is then rounded to one hundredths of a carat (1 point; .01). Just to express how accurate this is - one point is less than one fourteen-thousandth of an ounce. If you are purchasing a diamond you should have the exact weight listed on your certified appraisal. NOT approximate!!! There are however some situations where a jeweler will list a carat weight as approximate. This lesson is mostly focusing on single engagement rings. When a jeweler purchases an estate(antique) piece. They are not going to break the piece apart in order to give you an exact weight. This would ruin many beautiful pieces. There are GIA estimation formulas created for these rare purposes. These formulas should be stated on the appraisal form if used. Diamond prices are always per carat. There is an exponential increase in diamond prices as you move into larger carat sizes. This is due to the fact that diamonds become much more rare as they increase in size. For example, in order to find a one carat diamond you must find approximately a two-to-three carat rough that you can cut a one carat out of. Color- diamonds occur in every color of the rainbow. Diamond color grades are actually based on a colorless grading system. A colorless diamond has a grading of "D"
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D |
E |
F |
G |
H |
I |
J |
K |
L |
M |
N |
O |
P |
Q |
R |
S |
T |
U |
V |
W |
X |
Y |
Z |
Colorless |
Near Colorless |
Faint Color |
Light Color |
Obvious Color |
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Most diamonds sold in the retail trade range from very nearly colorless to slightly yellow or brown- the normal range. Some customers actually prefer G/H/I color grades over higher ones because they find them warmer or richer looking then colorless stones.
Color is always graded with the table down (as shown above). You do not need to be an expert to grade color. Every jeweler should have a color master that you can place the stone, that you are purchasing, next to for comparison.
If you want the largest possible stone for the money, there is little difference in appearance between two stones with slightly different color grades. By sacrificing a color grade or two where you can not see the difference, you can buy a visibly larger stone. My recommendation is to stay around the H/I color grades if you are trying to save money. The average diamond sold on the market is a 46 point (.46)L-color. If you stay around an H/I color grade your diamond will look noticeably nicer than the average.
If you are interested in fancy color grades I will be happy to give you more information.
Clarity-is the degree to which a diamond is free of blemishes and inclusions. Blemishes are external scratches, small nicks, and parts of the rough crystal’s surface left on the finished stone. Inclusions are internal - other mineral crystals (or diamond), feathers (breaks), traces of distortion in the crystal structure, or even drill holes made with a laser to lighten or remove other inclusions. Diamonds without inclusions are more rare and command higher prices; inclusions lower the clarity and the price.
A positive note about inclusions is that they serve as fingerprints for your diamond. Just as no person has the same fingerprints as the other the same goes for diamonds. Many people have asked, " how do I know that you are going to return my diamond to me". If you are familiar with the inclusion in your stone you will know immediately if it has been changed.
Clarity Grading
F |
IF |
VVS1 |
VVS2 |
VS1 |
VS2 |
SI1 |
SI2 |
I1 |
I2 |
I3 |
Inclusions only visible under 10X magnification |
May be visible to the naked eye if over 1ct. |
Visible to the naked eye |
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F-Flawless (99.999pure): No inclusions or blemishes observed under 10X magnification. There are few characteristics that will still qualify a stone as flawless such as:
-Extra facets on the pavilion which can’t be seen when the stone is face up.
-Small naturals confined to the girdle (unless the girdle is thick).
-Internal graining which is neither reflective, whitish, colored, nor significantly affecting transparency.
IF-Internally Flawless: This grading applies to diamonds that have no inclusions but have minor surface blemishes.
VVS1(99.99pure)/VVS2(99.98pure)-Very Very Slightly Included(1-2): These grades represent diamonds that have very minor inclusions that are difficult to see under 10X.
VS1(99.9pure)/VS2(99.8pure)-Very Slightly Included (1-2): These inclusions are clearly visible under 10X but they are characterized as minor or small in appearance.
SI1(99.0pure)/SI2-(97.0pure)Slightly Included (1-2):(1) these inclusions are not noticeable to the naked eye unless the diamond is over one carat. (2)Usually none are visible when stones are viewed with the unaided eye. (1-2)They are noticeable or fairly easy to see with 10x magnification.
I1(85.0pure)-I2(39.0pure)-I3-(0.0pure)Included: The differences between these grades are matters of degree. Most of the promotional jewelry sold on the market fall into I1-I2 categories. These diamonds have inclusions that are obvious under 10X magnification or can be seen with the unaided eye. Brilliance is seriously affected in the grades.
Cut-
| Shallow Cut/ | Properly Cut/ | Deep Cut |
*graphics are compliments of Gemological Institute of America.
The photographs above show a beam of light being reflected through three different diamonds. If a diamond is cut properly (in proportion) than 100% of the light that comes into the stone is reflected out of the top. A stones proportions determine the extent to which it achieves its optical potential. Cut is the most important of the four Cs because it directly affects the weight, color, and clarity of the finished stone.
"The cut of a diamond determines the overall brilliance. But what is brilliance? A modern cut stone (round brilliant cut) has 58 facets; 57 if the culet is not faceted. The sparkling flashes that you see when light is reflected from a stone’s facets as the stone, or you move is called scintillation. For good scintillation, the facets need to be large enough to produce distinct, individual reflections, but small enough so those reflections are small and bright, not big and flashy."GIA Brilliance is the sum total of each individual reflection. Even the slightest variation can cause a diamond to lose over half it’s life (brilliance). This is where the price fluctuations come into play. I may show you a diamond and give you a price of $1000 but the jeweler down the street quotes a price of $600. How do you know if you are getting a good deal?
This is how:
The most important tool to become familiar with if you are purchasing a diamond is the Leverage Gauge
The following is a table of measurements that you should become familiar with. This list will allow you to buy from an actual store or a virtual store (internet). There are also measurements for fancy shapes that I would be happy to e-mail to you if you are interested. This list should be read from top to bottom. The millimeter size is on top and the diamond size is directly below. These sizes are for modern round brilliant cut diamonds.
5mm |
5.25mm |
5.5mm |
5.75mm |
6.0mm |
6.25mm |
6.5mm |
6.75mm |
7.0mm |
7.25mm |
7.5mm |
7.75mm |
50pt |
60pt |
65pt |
70pt |
75pt |
85pt |
1ct |
1.10ct |
1.25ct |
1.40ct |
1.50ct |
1.75ct |
For more information or diamond pricing information contact us at:
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