Buying a diamond is a very special experience in life. Diamond is even considered a popular choice among all age groups for engagement rings to necklace pendants. Though, diamonds are bit expensive, they are quite durable and may last for the lifetime. With so many options available, choosing the right diamond requires a handful of knowledge. Let’s explore how you should proceed in this regard.
Determine the Cut
Diamonds are crafted in a manner that the light gets reflected from each small facet of it, and brilliance of the diamond comes out. Diamonds are available in various shapes like round, radiant, pear, oval, heart, cushion, etc. The aesthetic value of a diamond is based on the optics used while crafting it. It includes the reflection of white light, color flashes also known as fire and relatively dark and light areas also known as scintillation. The contrast between the dark and light areas on the introduction of light gives the diamond a brilliant appearance. The crafting proportions make the difference in the reflective capability of a diamond. GIA Researchers have implemented various combinations and figured out that fire and scintillation effects give brilliant results in some patterns as compared to others with the same diamond quality. The cuts are specifically described in the categories like ideal, excellent, V. good, Good and Fair. For eg. choosing V.good or Excellent would give a great diamond quality in your budget. It is recommended that you should not choose ‘Fair’ cut for engagement rings as they lack details for its purpose.
Take professional’s assistance for ‘Clarity.’
Diamonds tend to get blemishes during the crafting process. The natural imperfections and imperfections during crafting process constitute inclusions. The clarity determines the best value in terms of colourlessness in a diamond. A trusted jeweller would always clarify the difference while you make a purchase. You may further ask for the GIA grading report to get more details on the clarity of the diamond. The clarity grades are generally assigned from FL to SI2. The FL stands for flawless while IF stands for internally flawless. These are quite expensive but worth your purchase. VVS1 or VVS2 (VVS stands for very very slightly included) are considered to have a little amount of inclusions that are quite invisible to the naked eyes. VS1 or VS2 (VS stands for very slightly included)contains somewhat more minor inclusions that are still invisible to naked eyes. SI1 OR SI2 (SI stands for Slightly included) contains inclusions that are invisible to naked eyes but can be seen under magnified vision. I1, I2 and I3 constitute the included diamond categories.
Carat Value and Price
Carat value defines the weight and size of the diamond. It does not determine the quality. For e.g.,. the diamond with the carat weight of . 85 is considered to have eighty-five points. A .75 carat diamond would be of more worth than three diamonds of .25 carat together and costs more. However, the price goes up with the carat value. It can be of the great idea that you can easily determine the size of the diamond with its carat value. So, if you need to get a diamond for a wedding ring, you can differentiate and get the diamond of your choice. The Carat should not be confused with the Karat, which defines the purity.
Color should not be ignored
The colourless diamonds are considered to be of higher quality. They are capable of reflecting the light better than others. GIA lab uses the master stones that are considered a perfect diamond to give diamonds the color grades. The color is the quality factor, and prices go high with the specified grades in it. ‘D’ stand for the highest quality grade while the color quality diminishes subsequently going up alphabetically up to Z.
D-F is colorless
G-J is nearly colorless
K-M is faint
N-R is very light
S-Z is light
In addition to this, you should protect the diamond against the UV radiation since it may spoil the color and clarity of a diamond.