Little bit of Diamond Information
Before you go out a make your Diamond purchase here are a few bits of information you should know. With this information you can make the perfect choice for you or your Bride. This is known to jewelers as "The 4 C's". With this knowledge you can ask the right questions and understand a stone's grading scale.
CUT
Cut - is very personal. Look for Brilliance, Fire, Sparkle and always look at the stone under different types of lighting.
Pear Shaped, Emerald, Marquise, Asscher Cushion, Princess, and the Heart. The "Round Brilliants" have their own instinctive shape.
CLARITY
Clarity - this is a 11 step scale, each Diamond is rated based on this grading scale.
Flawless (FL), Internally Flawless (IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1 & VVS2), Very Slightly Included (VS1 & VS2), Slightly Included (SI1 & Sl2) and Imperfect Included (I1, I2 & I3).
The most common is VS to SI range, in this range they are clean to the human eye. Only under a magnification can inclusions be visible. In all cases inclusions are a good thing, they help identify your stone, and make it unique to you. Our suggestion is to stay away from anything in the "I" range.
CARAT
Carat - the diamonds weight and not it's size.
Each metric carat weighs 200 milligrams, with each carat divided into hundredths, or points. An easier understanding is a dollar contains 100 pennies, so each carat comprises of 100 points. Example is 75 -points diamond weighs 0.75 carats, or a 50 pointer weighs 0.50 carats.
COLOR
Color - Colorless diamonds are graded on a scale from "D" (completely clear) to "Z" (traces of yellow, gray and brown). There is a letter grade for each shade.
"D" is like looking into glass, "E and F" are also pretty colorless.
"G thru J" are near colorless. "K thru L" start to turn a very light yellow. Recommended to stay in the "D" thru the "L" range this will give you great brilliance for your dollar.
Fancy Color Diamonds - yellow, pink, blue, and any other color, are currently not rated by the GIA for their color, but the more saturated the color the more expensive the stone will be.