Buying diamonds can be a big step if you have never done so in the past and have little or no knowledge of what makes a diamond valuable or why the prices vary. They are the ultimate luxury gift and have been the most popular stones for wedding and engagement bands due to their allure and prestige.No two diamonds are the same. They are created through a natural process, which is why we have the variations; although many appear similar by the cut and polish.
When looking to make your first diamond purchase, there are a myriad of options. A little research will help you find the perfect stone for you. Perhaps the first area to look at is the actual shape of a diamond as there are a plenty of designs available. The most popular shape is the round-cut diamond. These currently account for more than 70% of all diamond sales globally. This is by far the most commonly found shape in wedding and engagement rings. The popularity of the round-cut is even more impressive when you realize that per carat they cost more than most fancy cut stones. This is due mainly to the amount of diamond which is lost in getting the round shape.
Some of the other popular shapes include the princess cut, which is a fairly recent shape that started in the early 1980s and has ever since, become a mainstay for rings of many styles as the diamond works well on most gold and silver rings. Marquise, Oval, Pear, Radiant and Heart are a few of the other most sought after diamond shapes available.
Key Attributes of a Quality Diamond
The main factors when choosing the perfect diamond are commonly known as the four Cs. This covers the Cut, the Color, the Clarity, and the Carat weight of the diamond. I have mentioned previously that different cuts suit different people. The cut is also very crucial as this can determine how much the diamond sparkles. The way a diamond reflects the light is simple. If the diamond is cut correctly, the light should enter the stone at the top and then be reflected back out the same way. If a diamond is cut too shallow, this can let light pass straight through the stone from top to bottom. If a diamond is too deep, the light will exit through the side. The color is also very crucial when deciding what stone to buy.
The highest quality diamonds are generally thought to be the colorless ones as these gives the greatest light reflection, which in turn gives that true diamond sparkle. Of course, you may choose to purchase a stone, which has slight coloring to it, a hint of yellow. The clarity of any gem stone is a very important factor when it comes to pricing the stones. Clarity is not a color factor. Clarity is determined by how many blemishes or inclusions are present in the stone. The highest value diamonds are the ones with the highest clarity ratings and are extremely rare. These blemishes and inclusions have an effect on the amount of light allowed to escape back through the top. The more blemishes the less light will be returned through it, which in turn means a less sparkling diamond.
Diamonds are graded by carat. The largest carat diamond is currently the Golden Jubilee Diamond, which was discovered in 1985, in South Africa. The finished stone has a carat weight of 545.67. That’s over 100 grams. The original uncut stone weighed in at a whopping 755.5 carat. This gives you an idea on how they can vary in price. Depending on the cut you choose, the original stone needed to make up your finished ring or necklace could be vastly bigger than the one you have. I picked up this insight from my diamond merchants in Brisbane, who are extremely helpful.
Checking for Fake stones
There are a few simple steps you can take to ensure the finished gem stone you have is the real deal and has come from legitimate sources. One of the easiest tests you can do is the magnification test. Diamonds should not be magnifying anything, so grab the newspaper or a book and hold it underneath, and if the text appears unusually large then you have a fake diamond. You can also employ the light test as we know diamonds should refract the light back. This refracting will cause a small halo type ring of light around a real diamond if you point a focused beam of light, like a mag light or something similar.
Sometimes looking at the band or setting the stone is set into can reveal a lot about the stone. A high class diamond is normally set with open backs to let as much light in as possible. This gives us the sparkle. It would also be highly suspicious if an alleged high quality diamond is set into not so high end band, like a 14 carat gold ring, for example. A top quality stone will always be set into an equally top quality ring or necklace. Specialist dealers will check for the diamond weight too. This means if the diamond seems a bit lighter than it should be, this could be a point for concern. A good dealer will compare to a similar stone of known quality to gauge it.
Author’s Bio : Tiffany Richards has been a jewelery enthusiast for many years and has bought and sold many diamonds over the past five years. She shares her insight to help others make the right choice for their gem stones. Tiffany uses Diamond Queensland for all her wholesale diamonds purchases.
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