A diamond is something special. It is a symbol of beauty, art, sparkle, appeal, status and so much more. It is a treasured possession, valued far beyond its monetary worth, and often passed down over the generations.
So, it is important to choose carefully and buy correctly. It is important that you fully Know Your Diamond!
This brief guide is our attempt to help you do just that.
Remember one thing though. Buying a diamond is not just about hard facts. It is also about emotion and passion. So, while its ok to use your mind, don’t forget to listen to your heart.
DIAMOND SHAPES
As the name suggests, shape is the term used to describe the form of the diamond after it has been polished. The most common and widely available shape is the round diamond. There are a number of other different diamond shapes including Marquise, Trillion, Oval, Pear, Baguette, Taper, Princess, Emerald and Heart, etc. together termed as Fancy shaped diamonds.”
Each diamond shape has its own unique beauty. It has been chosen by a skilled manufacturer so as to maximize its sparkle and shine, based mainly on the characteristics of the rough diamond from which it has been cut. Beauty and appeal of a diamond is often a subjective matter, and as tastes usually differ from person to person, shape by itself is not graded the way that other physical aspects are.
Above all, while selecting the diamond for you, keep in mind that the shape you decide on must be closely related to the actual design of the jewelry that you dream of possessing!
Note: It is important to know that shape is different from cut, though the two terms seem interchangeable. While shape is generic (a round diamond is always a round shape), cut is based on scientific principles and measurements. A well-cut round diamond will have better sparkle than a poorly cut round diamond.
ROUND
Round is one of the oldest and most common diamond shapes. It is based on proportions best suited to extract maximum light and brilliance from a stone that have been thoroughly researched many decades ago. Round diamonds can also balance cut, color and clarity without any impact on sparkle. The best round cut diamonds are the ideal or excellent cut with excellent or very good polish and symmetry.
MARQUISE
A marquise diamond is an elongated shape that ends in points on two sides. It was developed to maximize weight resulting in a diamond that looks much bigger than one of equivalent caratage in other shapes. It is widely used for rings since it matches the long, slender look of the finger.
TRILLION
A trillion diamond is cut in a triangular shape with three equal sides and either 31 or 50 facets. The number of facets depends on the use either as solitaires or accent stones. In the case of solitaires, a curved or convex cut is seen, whereas accent stones are cut uncurved or concave. There are some unique modern variants of this cut with modified corners and varied facet count.
OVAL
The oval shape places emphasis on brilliance similar to the way a round shape does. It is slightly more elongated, hence is more popular for use in rings.
PEAR
This shape is quite unique and resembles a teardrop as it has a rounded end opposite a single point. Pear shaped diamonds may be more elongated or less elongated depending on the nature of the rough diamonds from which they are cut.
BAGUETTE
This shape comprises a long, rectangular look with 14 facets. Though it resembles an emerald cut, the latter has a much larger number of facets (50-58), and looks narrower and more elongated. A baguette usually has straight edges in a perfect rectangle..
TAPER
Mostly similar to a baguette in many respects, the taper cut is more elongated and the edges angle inwards making the edge trapezoidal and often giving it a pointed appearance.
PRINCESS
Another relatively more common shape, the princess is unusual and has a squarish look with pointed corners. However, the polished stones can be rectangular with the length to width ratio being adjusted to maximize brilliance.
EMERALD
The emerald, with a pavilion that has rectangular facets and a more open table, is a unique shape helps to highlight the clarity of the stone. So lower grade emerald cut stones are not preferred. Again, some emerald cut stones are more squarish than rectangular, and it is important to consider the length to width ratio when selecting these shapes.
HEART
A perfect symbol of love, the heart shaped diamond has a unique and distinctive look and is popular across a variety of diamond jewelry.
THE 4C’S OF DIAMONDS
Every diamond is evaluated based on the four C’s – Carat, Clarity, Color and Cut.
These are the four critical physical characteristics and are universally accepted as the basic means for valuation of a diamond. There are a number of leading diamond labs that grade diamonds and act as third-party certifiers of the four C’s. However, in some cases, smaller stones are usually assigned a grade by the manufacturer due to the high cost (relative to their price) of having the characteristics separately verified by a lab.
CARAT
Carat refers to the physical weight of a diamond, not its size. In B2B trading, a carat is sometimes further sub-divided into 100 parts referred to as pointers. So, a 20-pointer diamond can also be called a 0.20 carat diamond. While larger diamonds are usually priced higher than smaller stones, weight by itself does not determine cost. Thus, a smaller sized, well cut and flawless diamond may be more expensive than a larger one that is not of the same quality. Also, price is not directly proportional to weight as larger stones are rarer. Hence, for diamonds that are otherwise equal on all other parameters, a 2-carat stone will be more expensive than two stones of 1 carat each.
CLARITY
Clarity grade is an indication of the number of imperfections (called inclusions or blemishes) present in a polished diamond. The ‘inclusions’ are not defects; they are only ‘impurities’ embedded as a result of the diamond having been formed in a natural environment deep within the recesses of the earth. Diamonds without any imperfections – called internally flawless – have the highest grade (and are also quite rare). Those that have Very, Very Small Inclusions (VVS) which are only just about visible when viewed in 10x magnification through a microscope are the next highest grade. Diamonds above SI (small inclusions) quality are considered good, because their imperfections are not visible to the naked eye, and they hardly affect the beauty or brilliance of a diamond in any significant manner.
COLOR
The Color grade records how white or colorless a diamond is. In fact, most diamonds have a slight yellowish color tinge. When this tinge is lower, the diamond receives a higher color grade. Color is graded on a scale. The highest grade is D, which is a colorless diamond, and the lowest is Z, but most diamonds used in jewelry fall between the D and J color grades.
CUT
Cut, the only parameter entirely determined by human intervention, is very critical as it has a significant impact on the beauty and sparkle of a diamond. Cut is different from shape. A cut grade is based on the amount of light which a diamond reflects back to the viewer, and the angle at which it is reflected. A diamond that is well cut will reflect the maximum amount of light back through the top. A diamond with a lower cut grade is one that loses some light from the bottom or the sides due to its proportions not being proper, and its sparkle is consequently diminished.
CERTIFIED DIAMONDS
Most diamonds usually have a certificate (or a grading report) issued by a laboratory after verifying its parameters, or four C’s. The lab has trained gemologists who use specialized tools and equipment to make their evaluation. The certificates also usually have information classifying the diamond as a mined / natural or lab-grown. They also contain the dimensions, weight and the grade for each of the other C’s. Some labs report additional parameters such as symmetry, fluorescence, cut grade, etc., and a few also provide details of country of origin.
Diamond manufacturers also provide assurance that the diamonds have been ethically sourced. This is usually based on the certificate issued by an official, inter-government-run body called the Kimberley Process, while some manufacturers provide additional documentation based on guidelines issued by trade bodies.
CHOOSE RIGHT: A DIAMOND BUYING GUIDE
For most people, buying a diamond is something special – you don’t do it every day! And the decision is usually linked to an important milestone – a birthday, anniversary, graduation, your first salary. It will stay with you for a lifetime and will always symbolize the reason it was purchased.
So here are some tips to help you choose right.
Read About the 4Cs
Get familiar with the basic characteristics of a diamond – the 4Cs – Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut. They will be referred to constantly, so you should have a fair grasp of what each means.
Choose a Design
Shortlist a couple of preferred designs, so you already know approximately the size and number of the diamonds you need.
Have a Budget in Mind
Go prepared with a clear idea of how much you plan to spend. This would depend on the occasion and the person you are purchasing it for. The figure would provide a useful guide to narrow down your search among the many options available.
Selecting a Size
With the above framework in place, you can now dig deeper. Look for the size you require but remember, it is an approximate need. A marginally smaller diamond (say a 0.98ct, rather than a full 1 carat stone, or a 1.49 ct instead of 1.5ct) can look almost as good, and result in some useful savings.
Deciding on Clarity
The same principle applies here as well. While Internally Flawless (IF) diamonds are the highest grade, a stone graded as VVS or VVS1 will not affect the overall look of a jewelry design in most cases (larger sizes, or the ‘hero’ stone in a design, are exceptions). It will once again work wonders on price.
Choosing the Color Grade
What works for the other two Cs, is also true in the case of a color grade. A stone with a little yellow will not appear very different from a colorless one, but the price variable could change appreciably.
Shape V/S Price
Be flexible here too. There is no direct one on one co-relation between the shape of a diamond and its price, as the latter is influenced by other characteristics too.
However, it is good to keep some general rules in mind when searching for the right diamond.
A fancy shape diamond can be markedly more affordable than an otherwise identical round. They also give the appearance of being visually larger.
The more widely available shape – a round diamond – is usually higher priced, other things being equal, on account of its extra sparkle. This is due to the shape being more commonly used for jewelry and the relatively higher manufacturing costs. In the case of a round diamond, the cost rises because there is greater wastage when a piece of rough is cut in this shape while maintaining ideal width and depth to maximize sparkle.
Feel Confident about the Seller
Trust matters a lot when buying a diamond. If you are visiting a jeweler from whom your family and friends have bought diamonds for many decades, you may not need much additional reassurance. But, if you are checking out a new source, it is good to ask for a lab certificate and verify its authenticity. It’s a great confidence booster!
Consult your Closest Advisor
If you have done all the above, and your heart tells you its right, then you are almost there. However, just to be sure, get another viewpoint from someone who really knows you well – spouse, partner, fiancé, mother, really close friend.
Once all boxes are ticked, sign, swipe or click and close the deal at once.
NATURAL V/S LAB CREATED
Are they the same thing? Or are they different?
There could be a range of answers depending on whom you ask. So, let’s just place a few facts before you, so you can decide.
Natural diamonds
A natural diamond is made of pure carbon, and was created by Nature in processes that took place over millions of years. They are extracted from the earth, so are also called mined diamonds by some. They were among the most beautiful gifts of Nature, with a unique romance, charm and sparkle.
Though there are millions of natural diamonds available, the Earth’s stock is finite. Remember, diamonds were created during a specific period in the earth’s development, in conditions that may never occur in Nature once again.
Each location, or pipe, has a limited supply. Once diamonds at a particular site can no longer be dug out in an economically viable manner, the mine has to be shut down. The number of new sources being discovered in the past few decades is extremely limited. In that sense, natural diamonds are rare, and the larger the size, the rarer they become. And, for this reason, many analysts believe, they are truly a long-term store of value, and will mostly appreciate in price over time.
