Guide to
Buy Diamonds
With a large selection of diamonds available on the market, finding the one
that is right for you may seem to be a challenging task.
STEP 1: CHOOSE YOUR BUDGET
STEP 2: DECIDE ON CARAT SIZE
After you set your budget, you should decide on the carat weight of the stone. Diamonds are priced per carat. For example, if a 0.50-carat diamond costs 50,000 INR that means the price per carat is 100,000 INR (0.50 carat x 2 = 1 carat). Another example, is if you see a 1.25-carat diamond that costs 150,000 per carat, then the total price would be 187150 INR (150,000 INR x 1.25 carats).
To get the total diamond price, use the following formula:
Total Diamond Price = Price per Carat x Carat Weight
If you check the prices at most diamond retailers, the price for any particular stone will most likely be a Total Diamond Price. But these prices are still based on the above-mentioned formula.
Remember that prices per carat go up the bigger a diamond gets. The increase is due to the fact that bigger diamonds are rarer compared to small ones.
STEP 3: QUALITY OF A DIAMOND
To Choose the quality of a diamond, one should have basic knowledge of 4C’s of a Diamond.
CUT
A beauty of a diamond lies not only in its shape, Color, and Clarity but also in the effectiveness of the stone to reflect the light that touches it. A poorly cut diamond appears lifeless whereas an Ideal and Excellent cut has a brilliant, fire-full, and scintillating appearance. Cut in a Diamond determines the quality of a diamond to a great extent. A perfectly cut diamond has ideal proportions, angles, excellent polish, and symmetry, and appears larger than other diamonds of the same carat weight. Its ideal proportions make sure that it refracts light to produce the best fire and brilliance a diamond can produce.
The cut is the biggest indicator of a diamond’s beauty and should be made a priority over the other characteristics.Cut quality is the most important factor that determines how light enters the stone and is reflected. The better a diamond’s cut, the more brilliance and sparkle the stone has. A diamond with no inclusions or colour tints will still look dull if it’s not cut exceptionally well which is why you should always go for the best cut quality.
COLOR
Diamonds can be colourless and may have a slight yellow/brown tint. Diamond colour is graded on a scale of D to Z, and are divided into five broad categories- colourless, nearly colourless, faint, very light, and light. Diamonds which lie between D-F on the colour scale display no colour and are the clearest diamonds. D to F are the rarest and the most valuable diamonds than the others on the scale. Diamonds lying between the range G to H appear nearly colourless when observed from the face-up position whereas I – J are faint and show a slight tint of Yellow or Brown, also display a little amount of colour when observed from the face-down position against a perfectly white background. Diamonds under K display a faint yellow color when viewed from the face-up position. They are a great option for those who do not mind the color. However, diamonds with the least amount of colour are preferred while shopping for diamonds.
CLARITY
As diamonds are formed under the earth crust at extreme pressure and temperature, they have small imperfections, which occur Naturally. Every diamond comes with inclusions (imperfections on the inside) and blemishes (imperfections on the surface). The degree to which these imperfections are present on or inside the diamond refers to diamond clarity and ranges from FL (Flawless) to I (Included). Diamonds that are devoid of such flaws are considered to be of high quality. CIL clarity Scale contains 11 grades. In determining a clarity grade, the GIA system considers the size, nature, position, color or relief, and quantity of clarity characteristics visible under 10× magnification.
- Flawless (FL) – No inclusions or blemishes are visible to a Diamond grader using 10× magnification
- Internally Flawless (IF) – No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a Diamond grader using 10× magnification
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) – Inclusions are difficult for a Diamond grader to see under 10× magnification
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) – Inclusions are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a Diamond grader to see under 10x magnification
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) – Inclusions are noticeable to a Diamond grader under 10x magnification
- Included (I1, I2, and I3) – Inclusions are obvious under 10× magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance
CARAT WEIGHT
Carat is a term that refers to the weight of a diamond and the word “carat ” originates from the word ‘carob seeds’, a term that was used to measure the weight of the diamonds prior to the twentieth century. A carat is equal to 0.200 grams. A carat is completely unrelated to the word ‘Karat’ which sounds quite similar to it and refers to the purity of gold. A 1-carat Solitaire measures approximately 6.5 mm in width Since a diamond that is big in size is rare, it is expected to be expensive. A single two-carat diamond is more expensive than two one-carat diamonds together. This implies that the cost of a diamond increases with its size. So as the carat weight increases, you typically pay more not only in total but also on a pay-per-carat basis. When you buy diamonds you should choose the carat weight not just on the basis of the size but also the cut grade, as it majorly affects the diamond quality. The cost and quality of diamonds depend on these 4Cs. One should consider all these factors before judging the right value of any diamond.
STEP 4: SET MINIMUM COLOR
Now, it’s time to set a minimum colour range.
If your diamond will be set in platinum or white gold, the colour minimum should be I colour – any lower than that will show yellowish or brownish tints.
However, there is an exception to the above recommendation. If you are going to have your diamond set in a setting other than solitaire (side-stone setting, pavé setting, halo setting, etc.), the minimum should be H colour.
If the diamond will be set in yellow gold, you can go as low as J, K or L colours. Since diamonds tend to absorb the colour of yellow gold, most likely you won’t see the difference between H and K colour diamonds when set in a yellow gold setting.
STEP 5: SET MINIMUM CLARITY
The next step is to decide on the minimum clarity range. To have a stone that looks clean to the naked eye, set the lower end of your clarity range at SI1.
You can also find an eye-clean diamond in SI2 range, but you will need to sort through more diamonds until you find the right one.
STEP 6: EXAMINE ADDITIONAL CHARACTERISTICS
Now it’s time to examine additional features you should be paying attention to.
FLUORESCENCE
Diamond fluorescence is the ability of a stone to emit light and change its colour when subjected to ultraviolet (UV) rays. It is described by its intensity on the following scale: None, Faint, Medium, Strong, Very Strong.
Although fluorescence doesn’t affect the quality of a diamond for an average observer, it is recommended to choose a stone with either None or Faint fluorescence level. Stones with Strong fluorescence will appear hazy under normal light.
Stones with Medium fluorescence usually look fine, but to be on the safe side, avoid Medium fluorescence diamonds if they are in the D-E-F-G range. However, for diamonds that are H colour or lower, Medium fluorescence can improve colour, making them appear whiter.
CULET
The culet is a small facet at the bottom of a diamond placed parallel to the table. It prevents chipping and abrasion to the point.
The culet is described according to its size using the following grades: None, Very Small, Small, Medium, Slightly Large, Large, Very Large and Extremely Large. When there is no culet, it may be indicated as a pointed culet.
Make sure that the diamond you are going to buy has None to Small culet size. Bigger culets will be visible through the stone’s top and look like a dark hole.
GIRDLE THICKNESS
The girdle is the middle portion of a diamond, narrow section separating the crown from the pavilion. It is graded using the following an eight-grade scale: Extremely Thin, Very Thin, Thin, Medium, Slightly Thick, Thick, Very Thick and Extremely Thick.
Girdle thickness should fall within Thin to Slightly Thick grade range. Very Thin girdles are at higher risk of chipping, while too thick girdles negatively affect diamond’s proportions.
CERTIFICATE
A diamond certificate (or a grading report) is a document referring to the information on the quality characteristics of a particular stone. It describes the key features which affect the value of a stone.
Apart from the 4 Cs (cut, colour, clarity and carat weight), polish, symmetry, presence of fluorescence and a diagram showing the stone’s most important proportions, this document lists results for any process carried out on the stone, such as clarity and colour enhancements which may have affected its quality.
STEP 7: COMPARE DIAMONDS AND CHOOSE
After you have shortlisted several stones that fit all the above-mentioned criteria, choose the one that you will buy.
If you are comparing diamonds with the same colour, clarity and cut, the choice is pretty much clear: either get the cheaper one or the bigger one.
If similar diamonds defer only on colour and clarity, go for the better colour. Why not better clarity? With clarity, the stone should not have inclusions visible to the naked eye. And most likely you won’t be able to tell which stone has a higher clarity grade just looking at it. With colour, you will still be able to notice a slight difference.
