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Before you buy diamonds

Before you buy diamonds...

Gems are divided into precious and semi-precious. Precious stones include diamond, sapphire, ruby ​​and emerald, while semi-precious stones include amethyst, aquamarine, spinel, tourmaline, topaz, citron, tanzanite, garnet, zircon and many others.

A diamond is pure carbon (chemistry: C) but with three outstanding properties. First, a diamond has the unique power to reflect light. Secondly, it is the only mineral, which bases its existence on a single element, so that it is the purest of all. Third, it is the hardest transparent matter known to man. The diamond got its name because of its hardness (adamas = indomitable).

Before you buy a diamond, please read this information we have compiled and use it as a guide to help you learn and understand the meaning of the "five C's" (Cut, Color, Clarity, Carat, Cost) as they are called in English or the four " K" and an "X" in Greek. Diamonds are evaluated based on their characteristics, which are, their Cut, their Color, their Clarity or clarity, their Carats or their weight and finally of course the Cost. Diamonds that are of high quality are often sold as "certified diamonds". Certified diamonds come with a certificate that proves their value. It takes a diamond expert to really know how to look at and grade a diamond.

Diamonds are the perfect gift you can give to someone you love or to yourself. After reading through this guide, you will know how to choose the right diamond

 

The five points for choosing a diamond

1. Cutting

The cut of a diamond refers to its proportions. The cut of a diamond affects the value of a diamond. Diamonds are usually cut with 58 facets, or cut into flat surfaces. These seats are placed at exact angles to each other. This relationship is intended to maximize the amount of light refracted by the diamond and increase its beauty. Original stones - diamonds can be cut to their maximum weight and value, but lose in "brilliant" and "sparkle". However, they can be cut to a lower weight having large "losses" in weight but giving us a much more beautiful stone.The most famous cuts, however, can be seen in the figure below:

 

1. Good Cut: The diamond is cut to the right proportions and the light is reflected from one face to the other and scatters the light through the top of the stone. Within the well-cut standards are the ideal, excellent and very good categories.

2. Deep cut: If a diamond is cut too deep, it shows slight light leakage due to the large angle of its lower facets.

3. Shallow cut: With a shallow cut, light leaks through the lower seats because light doesn't have time to reflect inside.

The proportions of the sides of the ideal cut of a diamond, which gives it the ideal dispersion of light and brilliance, are shown in the adjacent figure. The cut of a diamond is expressed as a percentage of its "head" diameter. We always consider the diameter of the "head" of the diamond to be 100/%. Assuming the diameter of the head is 10mm, its top surface is 5.3mm and its total depth is 6mm. So the diamond has 53% head and 60% depth.

2. Clarity

The clarity of a diamond refers to how "clean" the diamond is. Diamonds have their imperfections that are present from their creation. The clarity scale is a measure to measure a stone's imperfections, or "flecks" as they are known in the trade. Clarity is graded using a very precise and complex method, taking into account the size, position, and transparency of the stone's blemishes.

FL- Flawless : Shows no blemishes or blemishes of any kind, observed at X10 magnification by an experienced gemologist (gem appraiser).

IF- Internally Flawless : Has no blemish when examined by an experienced gemologist, but has a few minor nicks.

VVS1, VVS2 – Very slightly imperfect : Contains small specks called crystals, clouds or feathers depending on their shape when viewed at X 10 magnification.

VS1, VS2 - very slightly imperfect : Contains small spots called crystals, clouds or feathers depending on their shape when viewed at X 10 magnification.

SI1, SI2 - slightly imperfect : Contains pit like spots, has clouds, feathers and crystal spots noticeable by an experienced gemologist.

I1, I2, I3 - imperfect : Contains specks such as large feathers or large crystals, which are obvious under a 10x magnification and can affect its transparency and brilliance.

3. Color

The best color for diamonds is colorless, because this acts as a prism allowing light to pass through it undisturbed and transform into the colors of the rainbow. The more colorless a diamond is, the higher its value.

The perfectly fine and colorless stone is graded on a scale that descends from the letter D through each letter of the alphabet to Z, indicating a light yellow, brown, or gray diamond. This color in the stones can be caused by the presence of trace elements, such as nitrogen, within the mass of the carbon crystal. As the stone color becomes more intense, the grade for the color goes down the scale.. The best choice regarding the color of the diamond is within the scale from K and above.

4. Carats – Weight

The weight of a diamond is expressed in carats. A carat is divided into 100 centimeters. A diamond weighing a quarter of a carat may also be described as weighing 25 centimeters or 0.25 carats. Diamond prices are shown per carat. When choosing the carat size, first think about the amount of money you want to spend.

Size vs. Rarity:

The rarity of a diamond is greatly affected by its size. The rarity of a 1.00 carat diamond is much more than twice that of a 0.50 carat. Although it weighs twice as much, the 1.00 carat is considered to be statistically more difficult (rare) to mine than the 0.50 carat.

5. Cost

The most important factor in buying a diamond is cost. However, this factor is also determined by the final buyer. By choosing the design of a piece of jewelry, you can move to a better or lower quality of stone, and determine for yourself the price of the piece of jewelry you want to buy. For example a G color diamond weighing 0.30 ct is more expensive than an I color diamond weighing 0.38 ct. Accordingly, the price also varies when the clarity of the diamond changes. A 0.20 ct VVS2 diamond is much more expensive than a 0.30 ct VS2 diamond. So, knowing whether you are interested in the size of the diamond or its quality or both and having determined the amount you want to allocate for the particular purchase, you will be able to decide more easily which piece of jewelry you will ultimately buy.