The Diamond Buying Guide

Buying a diamond is not just another purchase; it is an emotive investment decision that needs to be considered carefully. The common concerns are:

» What should one prefer - a larger diamond or a smaller diamond of higher quality?

» Which is a more important consideration - cut or color?

» Solitaire or multi-stone ring?

The following set of questions and answers aim to address the common concerns while buying diamonds and empower consumers to make educated buying decisions.



Question: What are the basic things I need to know before I start shopping for a diamond?

Question: Which is the most important of the 4Cs?

Question: How important is clarity? Does it affect brilliance?

Question: When it comes to diamond carat weight, is bigger always better? Are there ways to make a diamond look larger than it really is?



Question: What are the basic things I need to know before I start shopping for a diamond?
Answer: Before you even begin looking for a diamond, educate yourself about the 4Cs so you understand how to juggle these characteristics to achieve a high-budget look at a reasonable price.

Cut
Angles and proportions of a diamond
The cut of a diamond reflects the way in which the diamond is proportioned, angled and faceted such that it best reflects light, resulting in maximum brilliance. A high quality cut (that comprises of balanced proportions, perfect angles, symmetrical facets and well polished surface) enhances the innate beauty of a diamond and increases its value. The ‘Very Good’ and ‘Good’ cut grades offer great quality stones reasonably priced as compared to the ‘Ideal’ / ‘Excellent’ cut grades.
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Clarity
Presence of inclusions in a diamond
All diamonds have identifying characteristics or inclusions, most of which are not visible to the naked eye. Small inclusions neither scar a diamond’s beauty not endanger its durability. To view a diamond’s clarity, the diamond is closely viewed under 10x magnifying loupe. The ‘Very Slightly Included’ (VS1, VS2) and ‘Slightly Included’ (SI1, SI2) grades represent stones that have a fine balance of quality and cost, making these stones a value for money purchase.
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Carat
Weight of a diamond
A larger diamond (one with a higher carat) will cost more than a cluster of smaller diamonds, even if the total carat weight of the diamond cluster is equal to the larger stone. This essentially means that a solitaire ring with a 1 carat stone might cost you more than a 3-stone or 5-stone ring that has stones with a total weight of 1 carat.



1 carat is equal to 100 points or 100 cents. Diamonds are priced on a per carat basis and the cost increases significantly when it reaches the full carat mark and for each carat thereafter. So if you choose a 93 cent diamond, the difference in size would be insignificant, and when set no one would see the difference, but you'll enjoy a big savings in cost.
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Color
Degree to which a diamond is colorless
Color grading for white diamonds involves deciding how closely a stone's body color approaches colorlessness. A clear white diamond can handle light well resulting in good brilliance and scintillation or fire. If you are looking at buying a round brilliant diamond, color grades F – I will provide good value for money. But if you are looking at buying a fancy shaped diamond such as marquise, pear or princess (in which color is highlighted in the corners) or emerald cut diamond (in which color and clarity are more pronounced), choose from higher color grades E - G.



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Question: Which is the most important of the 4Cs?
Answer: Cut is considered the most important characteristic contributing to the beauty and value of a diamond.

Brilliance of a diamond is determined by the cut, because it is the cut that affects the way light travels through the stone, how much is reflected back to the eye, and how much "leaks" out.

» A well-cut diamond will have lots of brilliance and liveliness.

» A poor cut results in light leakage dulling the brilliance and making the diamond look life-less.

» A lower cut grade diamond costs substantially less than the higher cut grades.

This does not necessarily mean that only an excellent cut diamond will have the perfect sparkle. Rather, if you are looking at getting good value for your money, choose 'Very Good' or 'Good' cut grades that showcase the mesmerizing beauty of a diamond without letting you spend a fortune.

Don't let anyone confuse you that cut refers to the shape. Shape refers to the physical form or contour of the stone. And cut determines how well is the shape executed.





Question: How important is clarity? Does it affect brilliance?
Answer: Clarity is often mistakenly believed to be the factor that affects the amount of brilliance in a diamond. This is not necessarily true. Clarity refers to the presence of microscopic inclusions that formed within the diamond as it crystallized. If the inclusions are readily visible to the eye without magnification, poor clarity will greatly reduce value of the diamond, but otherwise, clarity has minimal impact on beauty or desirability.



Question: When it comes to diamond carat weight, is bigger always better? Are there ways to make a diamond look larger than it really is?
Answer: Not necessarily. A good quality diamond will sure win over a larger stone that compromises quality. If not the best grades in the 4Cs, look at grades closer to the best; these do not mar the diamond's beauty but do provide you substantial savings in cost.

If size is important to you:
Consider shapes other than round. While a round, brilliant-cut diamond is popular as it exhibits maximum brilliance, the round stone normally looks smaller than diamonds in other shapes.

Consider an oval, pear-shape or marquise stone, all of which will look larger than the round.

Consider a design that uses several small stones rather than one large diamond. A fine diamond 1 carat weight, set in a classic Tiffany-style platinum setting, might cost $5,000, while a three-stone ring with diamonds of similar quality with total weight of 1 carat would cost around $3,500; or a platinum band with 9 diamonds, similar quality and 1 carat total weight, would cost around $2,250

You can further experiment with the setting styles and designs to make diamond appear larger. Tulip setting and Tiffany Setting elevate the stone from its base making it look grander.