Diamond Education

CARAT

The term "Carat" refers to the weight of a diamond. It is derived from the carob seeds, which are remarkably consistent in weight and shape and so were the favored scale balances in ancient times. This was standardized in 1907 and after that 1 carat became 0.2 grams or 1/142 of an ounce. Furthermore, each carat is divided into 100 points. Therefore, ¼ carat diamond is considered as 25 points and ½ carat diamond is considered as 50 points and so on. This term 'Carat' is different from the term 'Karat' which is used to describe gold's fineness or purity. When we consider all four Cs, that determine value of diamond, we can find Carat weight most accurately and easily by using a delicately balanced scale capable of weighing extremely small stones.

COLOR

Diamonds are found in all colors of the rainbow, from colorless and transparent stones to ink black ones. Varying degrees of yellow or brown color is common in most of the diamonds and slight difference in color can make a substantial difference in value. A truly colorless diamond is extremely rare and considered the most valuable. It allows most light to pass through the stone and create the most brilliance.

During formation of Diamond from carbon, certain chemicals may have been drawn into the mix and results in added tinge of color in the transparent stone.

Most diamonds appear white to the naked eye, but they all include trace amounts of yellow or brown color. The color scale goes from D to Z (no diamond of color grade A, B or C has ever been found), with D being the most white and Z being the most yellow. The best way to see the true color of a diamond is by looking at it against a white surface.

Fancy Colored Diamonds

Although majority of diamonds come in shades of white, there are also "Fancy" natural intensely colored diamonds available in colors like yellow, pink, greens, brown, red, orange, blue etc. These intensely colored diamonds are very rare, attractive and desirable. A deeply colored diamond can cost more than its colorless counterpart. These intensely colored diamonds are known as "Fancy" colored or "Fancies". Fancy colored diamonds are graded in two ways. The first factor is the basic hue, such as pink, yellow, blue, green, etc. The second is the intensity. Both color characteristics form the basis for determining a fancy colored diamond's worth. In fancy colored diamonds, Z+ grade is used for their color grading. Usually, the more intense the color, the rarer and more expensive the diamond will be. For example, a fancy light pink diamond costs less than a fancy vivid pink diamond of equal size, shape and clarity. Though fancy colored diamonds rarely occur in nature, laboratories can easily create them through irradiation and heating. This process can permanently turn a natural colorless diamond into a fancy colored diamond. Treatments have also been developed to make lower-color white diamonds whiter. Irradiated colored diamonds have a significantly lower value than natural fancy diamonds and can be detected in a gem laboratory.

CLARITY

Clarity is a term used to describe the absence or presence of flaws inside or on the surface of a diamond. In other words, the clarity of a diamond refers to a diamond's clearness or purity.

When these flaws / marks occur internally, they are called inclusions and the most common types of inclusions include Crystals, Tiny Bubbles representing small minerals that were absorbed into the diamond while it was growing, Internal Graining, Needles, Knots, Chips, Cavities, Cleavage, Feathers, and Clouds. On the contrary, when these flaws / marks occur on the surface, they are known as blemishes and the most common types of blemishes include Polish lines, Naturals, Scratches, Nicks, Pits, transparent stress lines that appear on a diamond's surface, surface graining, and extra facets, that are usually cut to remove a near-surface inclusion to raise the clarity grade of a stone. Most diamonds have these imperfections in them. Although many of these flaws are not visible to the naked eye, but under magnification, tiny featherlike shapes, crystals, bubbles and dark flecks become noticeable. These slight flaws make every diamond quite unique but they also do affect the beauty and value of the diamond.

Diamond's clarity is based on the number, size, nature, and location of imperfections on the finished stone. Diamond with higher clarity is more valuable in comparison to diamond that contains numerous inclusions because it is less brilliant due to inclusions interfering with light passing through it.

Diamond Clarity Grading Scale Table

Image	Clarity Grade Scale	Description	On Inspection through 10x magnification
	F	Flawless	Clear Stone, no inclusions or blemishes. Exceptional and beautiful diamonds.
	IF	Internally Flawless	No inclusions and only insignificant surface blemishes. Rare and beautiful diamonds.
	VVS1 – VVS2	Very, Very Slightly Included – 1 & 2	Tiny inclusions, which are extremely difficult to find, even under 10x magnifications. An excellent quality diamond.
	VS1 – VS2	Very Slightly Included – 1 & 2	Minor inclusions, which are difficult to see under 10 x magnification. These stones are less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.
	SI1 – SI2	Slightly Included – 1 & 2	Inclusions, which are easy to see under 10 x magnification. A good diamond value.
	I1 – I2 – I3	Included – 1, 2 & 3	Inclusions, which are easy to see under 10 x magnification and sometimes, may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value. Generally I3 grade is not used for Jewellery purposes and mostly used in industrial applications.

Diamond Buying GUIDE

Diamond is purely made of carbon, which is one of the Earth's most common elements. The diamond is the hardest known substance in the world that is uniquely resistant to damage by heat or scratching, and can be cut or polished only by another diamond. You buy diamonds or diamond Jewellery either for yourself or for your loved ones and usually your decision of buying a diamond is based on some emotions. Buying a diamond or diamond Jewellery is certainly an expensive purchase and it is advisable to you to get some knowledge about diamonds and their characteristics. You can get detailed information on each and every aspect of diamond in our diamond guide.

Diamond Buying Tips

These below mentioned diamond buying tips will certainly help you in finding the most suitable diamond, you are looking for. When you go out to buy a sparkling diamond, you must consider 4Cs of diamonds – Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat weight, as a base for your decision. These 4Cs will help you to choose the best diamonds on the same criteria on which jewelers use to select them.

Diamond Cut

Diamond cut is the most important attribute which increases diamond’s beauty because a well cut diamond reflects light to maximize the stone's brilliance. When we talk about diamond cut by depth, ideal cut is considered the best cut as it reflects most or all of the light that enters in the diamond back to the eyes. Whereas diamond cut by Shape describes the outline of the stone and pattern of the facet arrangement. You can find a diamond in various Shapes like Round, Princess, Heart, Oval, Pear etc. Polish and symmetry are also important for a well cut diamond. The diamond polish expresses the smoothness of the diamond's facets whereas the symmetry refers to alignment of the facets.

Buying Tips for Diamond Cut

You should always go for the ideal cut diamond with the desired shape. You should also ensure that diamond is properly polished and is with perfect symmetry. Diamond shape is a matter of personal choice. Brilliant round shaped diamond is one of the most desirable shapes and offers maximum brilliance.

Diamond Color

Diamond color is also a vital factor to look for as diamonds are found in almost all the colors. Most diamonds appear white to the naked eye, but they all include trace amounts of yellow or brown color. Slight difference in diamond color can make a substantial difference in value. A truly colorless diamond is extremely rare and considered the most valuable. It allows most light to pass through the stone and create the most brilliance. The diamond color scale goes from D to Z, with D being the most white and Z being the most yellow. Diamonds are also found in various intense colors like pink, greens, brown, red, orange, blue etc. These intensely colored diamonds, known as fancy colored, are very rare, attractive and desirable. A deeply colored diamond can cost more than its colorless counterpart.

In fancy colored diamonds, Z+ grade is used for color grading. Fluorescence up to some extent is common in majority of diamonds but it remains unnoticed by human eyes in ordinary light. Fluorescence is a form of illumination that is created when a diamond is exposed to low or high wave ultraviolet radiation.

Buying Tips for Diamond Color

The best way to see the true color of a diamond is by looking at it against a white surface.

Even though stones in the D-F color grades are the most valuable, you can still obtain great value and save substantial money with diamonds grades G-J and K-M, since no color is visible to the untrained eye. Even stones in the N-R range have a very light hint of yellow, which is visible to the untrained eye, can appear colorless in the right Jewellery setting.

Usually yellow metal (gold) hides traces of color in a colorless diamond, while white metal (white gold, platinum, silver) enhances it. While buying a fancy colored diamond, you should look into basic hue and intensity of the color. Faint or medium fluorescence will rarely affect a diamond's appearance.

Diamond Clarity

Clarity is a term used to describe the absence or presence of flaws inside or on the surface of a diamond.

When flaws occur internally, they are called inclusions and the most common types of inclusions include crystals, needles, knots, chips, cavities, cleavage, feathers etc. On the contrary, when these flaws occur on the surface, they are known as blemishes and the most common types of blemishes include polish lines, naturals, scratches, nicks, pits, extra facet etc.

Diamond’s clarity is based on the number, size, nature and location of imperfections on the finished stone. Clarity of a diamond affects the beauty and value of the diamond.

Diamond with higher clarity is more valuable in comparison to diamond that contains numerous inclusions because it is less brilliant due to inclusions interfering with light passing through it.

Buying Tips for Diamond Clarity

While buying a diamond, you can compromise a bit on clarity aspect as most diamonds contain imperfections which are not visible to the naked eye. Choose a diamond with its imperfections hidden deep in the stone or hidden by prongs or bezels.

You can use jeweler’s 10X magnifying glass or microscope to examine diamond’s imperfections.

F (flawless) and IF (internally flawless) are rare and beautiful diamonds and exceptionally high price. Diamond, with clarity grades VVS1-VVS2, is always an excellent quality diamond. Whereas you can also buy diamonds with clarity grades VS1-VS2 and SI1-SI2 as imperfections in these grades are not visible to naked eye and you can save huge money.

Diamond Carat Weight

The term "Carat" refers to the weight of a diamond and 1 carat equals 0.2 grams or 1/142 of an ounce.

A carat may also be displayed in points and 1 carat is divided into 100 points. Therefore, ¼ carat diamond is considered as 25 points and ½ carat diamond is considered as 50 points and so on.

The price of a diamond rises exponentially with its size. So, a 2 carat diamond of a given quality is always worth much more than two 1 carat diamonds of the equal quality.

Buying Tips for Diamond Carat Weight

The carat weight of a diamond will always depend on your budget. You must buy an average sized diamond with good cut, color and clarity instead of buying a larger diamond with not so good cut, color and clarity. This term ‘Carat’ is different from the term ‘Karat’ which is used to describe gold's fineness or purity.

Diamond Certificate

A Diamond Certificate or Diamond Grading Report is a statement, issued by an independent Gemological Laboratory, that at the time of evaluation, the Diamond in question has been examined, measured, and scrutinized by experienced Diamond Graders, using various gemological instruments, and determined to contain the characteristics as stated in the Certificate or Report.

• There are many reputed laboratories available for diamond certification, which are known for their consistency and unbiased diamond grading systems. For example, the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL).

Buying Tips for Diamond Certificate

When you buy a diamond, you should always ask for a diamond certificate. It may cost you little more money but it will provide you a much-needed peace of mind knowing that you are getting your money’s worth.

A diamond certificate gives you the exact details of the stone and on the basis of this information you will be able to do some comparison-shopping before doing the actual purchase.

A diamond certificate allows you to pay the money on basis of stone’s characteristics. Your jeweler won’t be able to charge you more and there are very good chances to get the best deals.

On re-sale of diamond along with its certificate, you will get better price for the diamond.

To get insurance for your diamond, you also need to produce diamond certificate.

General Buying Tips

You must set your budget for buying a diamond and then explore all your options. By this way, you'll find a wide range of diamonds with different carat weights and qualities in your price range.

Always buy a diamond which fulfills the basic criteria of 4Cs and suitable to your budget.

You should give priority to diamond cut, color and carat weight over diamond clarity. Imperfections are almost always so small that they have no measurable effect on the diamond's brilliance. Brilliance is almost entirely the result of the cut and proportions of the diamond.

When you are buying a diamond for your loved ones, always keep their personality and preferences in mind.

You should ask your jeweler to give more information about the origin of diamonds available with him so you don't end up buying a conflict diamond.

Always buy a diamond from a reputed and known jeweler. If you don’t know any good jeweler then you should ask your family members or friends for their recommendations.

While buying a diamond, you should not be in a hurry or in pressure. You should buy it at your convenience and at your own pace.

Now you can go ahead to buy a diamond with more confidence and always remember that ‘Diamonds are forever’. They won't depreciate or wear out like a car or a computer in few years. So enjoy buying the world’s most exceptional item by keeping the above mentioned buying tips in mind.