How To Buy Diamonds

All you need to know about buying a diamond

Essentially four things determine a diamonds value and are the essential things you need to know about how to buy a diamond. These four key elements (diamond characteristics) have become know as the 4 C’s.

The 4 C’s are:
Diamond Cut
Diamond Colour
Diamond Clarity
Diamond Carat Weight

An additional two factors which you should also be aware of when you buy a diamond are; diamond certificate and also confidence in the vendor supplying the diamond.

Here is a little more in depth information about the above characteristics. Once you have read this information you should know the essential basics about how to buy a diamond.

Diamond Cut:
Refers to how well the diamond polisher has polished or cut the diamond, that is, how well the diamond cutter has placed the facets on the diamond. As a rule: the better the cut, the brighter the diamond.

Another factor related to the element of cut, is diamond shape. Diamonds come in virtually any shape. The most common shapes are; Round, Princess, Emerald, Oval, Pear, Heart, Marquise, Radiant, and Cushion.

Diamond Colour:
Diamonds come in all colours of the rainbow. The most prevalent diamond colours are white, yellow, and brown. Some of the rarer diamond colours are pink, blue, green, red and orange.

Diamond Clarity:
Diamond clarity refers to the impurities present within a diamond. These impurities are formed when the diamond was created by nature millions of year’s ago. Virtually all diamonds have some form of impurity. Very few diamonds in the world are flawless.

There is an internationally accepted diamond clarity definition system which list diamond clarity from best to worst as follows; (F) Flawless, (IF) Internally flawless, (VVS1) Very very slight inclusion 1, (VVS2) Very very slight inclusion 2, (VS1) Very slight inclusion 1, (VS2) Very slight inclusion 2, (SI1) Slight Inclusion 1, (SI2) Slight Inclusion 2, (I1) Included 1, (I2) Included 2, (I3) Included 3. To download a diamond clarity chart click here: Diamond Clarity Chart.

Diamond Carat Weight:
The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. One hundred points equals one carat. So for example a half carat diamond is equal to a fifty point diamond.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask us for diamond advice by going here: ask a diamond question