To take the stress out of choosing your diamond jewellery, it's important to know what characteristics to look for in a diamond. When buying a diamond you must decide which factors are the most important to you, such as the size of the stone, the colour or the clarity, as buying the perfect diamond for your budget hinges on deciding which factors can be compromised.
Cut
The 'cut' of a diamond refers to its' shape The most popular cuts are Round Brilliant, Emerald, Princess and Cushion cut.
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| Cushion cut |
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| Brilliant cut |
| Emerald cut |
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| Brilliant cut
The cut also refers to the way the facets have been cut, which affects the diamonds' reflective qualities. 'Brilliant' diamonds have 5 different grades of cut quality, so this is something to be aware of if you are looking for a round brilliant diamond.
Clarity
The clarity of a diamond refers to any inclusions that might be present within the stone. The most desirable diamond has no inclusion at all; flawless.
F
Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Extremely rare.
IF
Internally Flawless: no internal flaws, but some surface flaws. Very rare.
VVS1-VVS2
Very Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions very difficult to detect under 10x magnification by a trained gemmologist.
VS1-VS2
Very Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions seen only with difficulty under 10x magnification.
SI1-SI2
Slightly Included (two grades). Minute inclusions more easily detected under 10x magnification.
The clarity greatly affects the price of a diamond. Flawless diamonds are highly desirable, but command a premium. With diamonds from F to SI1 you can not see the inclusions with the naked eye, so this can be a factor that you compromise on, as clarities VVS, VS and SI1 have inclusions that can only be seen through a jewellers loupe (10x magnification).
Colour
Colour is perhaps the most important factor to consider when buying a diamond, as it is what you will first notice when you look at your jewellery.
A diamond is most desirable when it is colourless. Diamonds from graded from D to I will appear colourless to the naked eye, and will appear to start drawing colour from grade K.
Carat Weight
The carat weight of a diamond alters the size of the diamond, so greatly affects the price.
If the size of your diamond is important to you, you might want to consider compromising on the colour or clarity to accommodate this into your budget. If you would rather have a very high quality diamond then carat weight is probable the factor that you should compromise on.
-We hope these tips are useful, but of course feel free to contact us should you wish to have further guidance on buying a diamond; it's a complex process and we are happy to help!
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