Things To Consider When Buying A Diamond
Buying a diamond for a ring or other piece of jewelry can leave you wondering if you got a high-quality stone or just an okay one. There is a rating system in place for diamonds and most jewelers are good about explaining it to buys but in many cases, only as a means of justifying the price of the stone. How do you get the best stone for your money? Here are a few things to consider.
Understand the Ratings
The first thing you need to do is to understand the rating system used for diamonds. The 4c's as they are called, detail the quality of the stone for you.
Carat
The carat referees to the weight of the diamond, not the size. A denser stone may have a higher carat rating than a larger one that is not as heavy. Don't get fooled into thinking a higher carat diamond is a bigger one.
Clarity
All diamonds have small defects in the stone. They are microscopic, but they are there. These imperfections or inclusions as they are called, are what effects the clarity rating of the diamond. Finding a perfect diamond is very rare. Less than one percent are perfect and can be called flawless stones.
Color
Diamonds often have a slight yellow or blue color to them. The color rating of the diamond is critical and the closer you can get to a colorless diamond the better. The less color in the diamond, the higher the color rating of the diamond.
Cut
The cut is perhaps the most crucial part of the rating system. The best diamond you can find will looks its best after it is cut. If the cut is wrong, the diamond will not sparkle as nice, so it is essential to get a diamond that was cut by an expert.
Sales Points
Most jewelers will use these points as a way to sell diamonds but if you want a great diamond, look for a diamond market near you. They often have the best stones because they buy them uncut and have an expert cutter that will look at the stone and cut it to get the very best out of it.
If you are purchasing a diamond for an engagement or anniversary, you want the best diamond you can afford and buying direct can save you enough money to get a higher quality stone at a lower price. It also allows you to mount it in a way you want, not in a generic setting many people have. A custom setting and a hand cut diamond may be the best gift you give, so choose wisely and shop around before you spend that hard earned cash on a diamond that is just good.
