INFORMATION ABOUT DIAMONDS

Knowledge is the key to a fair price in the diamond market. While you can depend on our Certified Gemologists and experienced estate buyers to carefully inspect the cut, color, clarity and carat of your diamond and to use our extensive information on the current diamond market to determine the highest price for your diamond, it can be helpful and interesting for you to learn a little more about diamonds and how we determine a price.

THE 4 "Cs" OF DIAMONDS

Clarity

The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear, or "clean" the diamond is. In it's rough state, a dimaond is going to have imperfections, called "inclusions" (internal) and "blemishes" (external) - how severe the imperfections are determine the clarity of a diamond. A Certified Gemologist will grade the clarity of a diamond on a scale from "Flawless (FL)" to "Imperfect (I)."

Color

The best color is no color at all. The color is graded from sparkling colorless white towards the more fancy colors. An absence of color allows light to be reflected and dispersed most dramatically as a rainbow of color. The color of a stone is rated on an alphabetical scale, from D (totally colorless) through Z (light yellow).

Carat

The weight of a diamond is expressed in carats. One carat is divided into 100 points, and stones that weigh less than a carat are sometimes measured in points (for instance, one half of a carat can be described as weighing 50 points or 0.5 carats). Carat weight refers only to the weight of a diamond, not its dimension. The higher the carat weight, the rarer the diamond, so a 2 Carat diamond is going to be more valuable than 2 1 Carat diamonds.

Cost

A Certified Gemologist will take into consideration all of the above aspects of a diamond when determining the value of a diamond.

 

THE SHAPE OF A DIAMOND

The Shape of a diamond is a matter of personal preference - there is no particular shape that is more valuable than another. The shape of a diamond is different from the "cut" of a diamond. For each shape, the cut can range from excellent/ideal to poor.

DIAMOND CERTIFICATION

The certification of diamonds is not covered by law, which is why it's so important to work with a reputable jeweler. There are several grading companies and organizations that certify diamonds - the most respected labs are the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), European Gemological Laboratory (EGL) and American Gem Society (AGS).