Ready to Buy that Diamond Ring?
Diamond sellers describe their stones by four characteristics, the four “C’s”, Cut, Clarity, Color, and Carat. I suggest that you also consider about a fifth “C”, Cost. But we will get to that in a moment.
Carat may be the one you are most familiar with. It is basically a measure of weight. The larger the carat, the larger the diamond.
Diamonds also come in a wide range of colors, from the traditional clear diamond to champagne yellow. There are also fancy diamonds with various colors, including pink. The scale that jewelers use to rank diamond color goes from D-Z, with D the most clear and generally considered most valuable, and Z the most yellow. To the casual eye it will be hard to distinguish between D-F color grades. When compared with very clear diamonds you might be able to see some yellow in G-H diamonds, but they make an excellent value. Many diamonds sold in jewelry stores will have a color of I-J, which are also nearly colorless but show some yellow.
Diamonds also have a range in Clarity. Diamonds with high Clarity have very few internal imperfections. Diamonds that lack Clarity will not sparkle as much as diamonds with high Clarity, because the light will be reflected out the sides of the diamond or absorbed by the imperfection. Jewelers rank each diamond with one of the following Clarity scores. “FL” or “IF” are basically flawless diamonds. These are very rare and very expensive. “VVS” and “VS”, very slightly included diamonds, have imperfections that are not detectable by the unaided eye. These diamonds are very high quality. “SI” diamonds are slightly included, and the imperfections may be visible to the naked eye. Many of the diamonds sold by local jewelers will be in this category, and they make a good value. “I” diamonds show imperfections and may be loosing significant luster.
Along with Clarity, Cut strongly affects the sparkle and fire of a diamond. Cut is all about geometry. Diamond cutters try to cut their stones so that all of the light that enters the diamond is reflected back out the top of the diamond. This makes it shine. Diamond Cuts are graded in different ways but your diamond seller will tell you the quality of the Cut. And remember Cut is key to your diamond’s sparkle, so make sure you know what you are getting.
Before purchasing a diamond, you’ll probably want to see some stones and figure out what you like. Maybe you’ll find that size is really important to you and you are willing to sacrifice some sparkle to get that 2 carat stone. On the other hand, maybe you are really attracted to the fire and realize that a half carat diamond is actually quite large, especially if you can get one that really shines. You may want to bring a friend with you. It will be fun to look at all the pretty stones together, and they can make sure you don’t make any rash decisions. After seeing what your local jeweler has to offer, its time to go to the internet.
Your goal should be to get your favorite stone for the best price. Fortunately, the internet has become a great place to buy a diamond. For instance BlueNile.com allows you to browse through thousands of diamonds and search for stones that meet your criteria. You can quickly find out how the price is affected by a change in Carat, Color, Clarity or Cut. Blue Nile even lets you build your own diamond ring on-line. You pick the stone, the band and the setting and see a picture of what it will look like. Other websites such as DiamondRing.com have public forums for people with questions before they dive into a purchase.
Once you have an idea of the Cost of your favorite diamond on-line, you are ready to start buying. You can go back to your local jeweler and ask them if they can match the on-line price. You may find that the internet diamonds will be significantly more affordable, because, for instance, Blue Nile does not need to pay for store-front property. If this is the case, your final decision should be, how much more are you willing spend to work with your local jeweler? At this point, you know what you are doing and either way you will make a great choice. Have fun!
