Avoid These Big Mistakes When Buying A Diamond
With holidays around the corner, thousands of people are gearing up to take advantage of great sales on the most popular gift items such as jewelry and other luxury items.
Unfortunately, this also means that a lot of rash decisions and big regrets are made.
Luckily, when it comes to choosing a great quality diamond, the experts have put together a guideline to ensure you always choose a gift you will cherish forever.
#1: Always Check the 4 C’s
One of the biggest mistakes made when choosing a diamond is failing to familiarize yourself with the four C’s (the standard grading for diamonds as set by the GIA and accepted internationally). This is especially true when choosing fancy colored diamonds as many people think this standard doesn’t apply.
The four C’s can be easily broken down as follows:
Carat – this is the weight not the size of a diamond – this impacts the value and price
Color – for a colorless diamond this will need to be as near to clear as possible – fancy colored diamonds on the other hand will reflect their levels of color saturation that you will find as a scale of vivid levels
Cut – not the shape, but the style or design – this dramatically affects the reflection of light (*more on this later)
Clarity – again with a colorless diamond you are looking for as close to clear as possible. With a fancy diamond, the clarity is less relevant as long as the cut is good
#2: Not Understanding the Diamonds Market Value
Another critical mistake can be made when considering the cost. Not every diamond will be the same price and the four c’s as mentioned above will affect the cost dramatically.
For fancy colored diamonds, there is another value which is the rarity of the color. Here is a helpful list of fancy colored diamonds starting with the rarest:
- Blue, Green, Red
- Yellow and Pink
- Browns and Blacks are the most common
Colorless diamonds are also very common so the carat, grading, and popularity will affect their price as well.
#3: Understanding Your Cuts
As promised, let’s delve into the cut of a diamond and understand some of the science behind the effect it has on the light:
- Depth – the distance between the culet and table or top of the diamond
- Table – displayed as a % when you divide the width of the table facet by the width of the diamond
- Proportions – the above should be balanced for the best possible light refraction in a colorless diamond and for a fancy colored diamond, you want little to no reflection for maximum color.
This can get very complicated so it’s critical to do your research and know who to buy from and what you are looking for in your piece.
Take Away
Picking diamonds can feel overwhelming but by knowing some basic criteria you can avoid some big mistakes. Finding a trustworthy jeweler is also paramount to your experience. They will be able to explain and provide certificates and help you find the best piece for your budget and occasion.
Author Bio:
Kornelija Dedelaite is a writer and researcher who lives in London. She is working For Pearl Lemon. When she is not writing, she can be found clutching onto her camera or planning her next big trip abroad.
