CLASSIC JEWELERS Diamond Buying Tips

Classic Jewelers strives to provide its customers with the Best Prices on Loose Diamonds by constantly researching the market for the Best Diamond cutters and Sight Holders. Shopping for diamonds can be a wonderful experience when working with knowledgeable salespeople. Here at Classic Jewelers, visiting our showroom is critical to the purchasing experience, to learn about the 4 C's, and to SEE the differences in qualities.  

Diamond, the birthstone for April, is the hardest and most brilliant of gems.  It is the chief symbol of marital happiness and , as such, the most popular engagement and anniversary stone.     

THE 4 C's OF DIAMOND BUYING  

Cut          Color          Clarity          Carat Weight

Cut    -- The most important "C" of all in terms of the brilliancy of a diamond.  Cut is a combination of polish, symmetry, and proportions.  An ideal cut diamond will show the most brilliance and scintillation possible.  When light enters an ideal cut diamond, it is then reflected from facet to facet until it is returned back to the eye through the crown (top half) of the diamond.  If the stone is cut too deep in order to retain weight, the light will escape through the pavilion (bottom half) of the diamond.  If a stone is cut too shallow in order to make it appear larger, the light will also escape through the pavilion, creating an unappealing fish-eye effect.  There are many different opinions of what an ideal cut is, however, we feel the best range is 55-64% table, 57-63% depth, 42-44% pavilion depth, and 33.5-35.5 degree crown.  But, remember, beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

  Color  --  Color is graded on a scale from D (highest - colorless) to Z (lowest - yellow, brown, or gray).  Master stones are used by diamond graders to help determine the color grade, or machines known as Colorimeters are able to accurately and consistently grade diamonds within seconds.  Diamonds are graded most accurately in North daylight, upside-down on white paper.  D, E, and F grades are considered Colorless.  G, H, I, and J grades are considered Near-Colorless.  K, L, and M grades have a faint tint of either yellow, brown, or gray.  We feel the best range for yellow gold jewelry is G-K grades, and for platinum or white gold jewelry, D-I is the best.  Visible differences between one grade of color and the next grade are very subtle.    

Clarity   --  Most diamonds contain inclusions. Inclusions are natural birthmarks and considered nature's fingerprints on the diamond.  A diamond's clarity is determined under 10x magnification by a trained eye, taking into account the number, size, type, and location of the inclusions.  The fewer inclusions in a diamond, the more valuable it is. The grades range from Flawless, Internally Flawless, Very Slightly Included (VVS), Very Slightly Included (VS), Slightly Included (SI), and Imperfect (I).   

Carat Weight   --  Diamonds are weighed to the nearest one hundredth of a carat.  Popular weights are 1/2 carat (.50), 3/4 carat (.75), 1 carat (1.00), and 2 carats (2.00). The carat weight of mounted diamonds must be determined by formulas which are not as accurate as actual weights on a diamond scale.  Larger diamonds are more rare, and command a higher price.   

Visit our Showroom in Jacksonville, Florida, so we can show you the 4 C's. 

This information was compiled by Brenda  S. Nichols,
one of the resident Gemological Institute of America Graduate Gemologists at Classic Jewelers. 

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