The Diamond Buying Guide

Beauty of diamonds magnetizes people to haveThe CLARITY of a diamond describes the
this amazing gemstone. There are hundreds ofinclusions or imperfections in the stone. Items
diamond jewelers both online and offline and yousuch as carbon spots, clouds, take away from
can purchase perfect one according to yourthe overall value of the diamond.
penchants and budget. But you require properIt is extremely rare to find diamonds without
knowledge about diamonds before you make ainclusions. Diamonds without any inclusions are
deal. These days, market is full of fake diamondscalled flawless. The fewer and smaller the
and there are great chances to lose your hardinclusions are, the less likely that they will interfere
earned money for such phony diamonds.with the passage of light through it, making the
Before making a diamond purchase one mustdiamond more beautiful.
know the 4 C's first; carat weight, diamondColor:
clarity, diamond color and diamond cut. OtherThe COLOR of a diamond can range from while
advanced characteristics of diamonds includeto yellow to brown. The whiter the diamond, the
diamond fluorescence and diamond enhancements.scarcer it is and, therefore, the more expensive it
By understanding what all the diamondis. Most diamonds, even though they appear to
characteristics are and what to ask whenhave no color, actually have slight tones of yellow
purchasing a diamond, you are much moreor brown. The difference from one color grade to
empowered when it comes time to make yourthe next can be very subtle, but affect its value
diamond investment.tremendously. As the color becomes easier to
Cost:see, the less rare and valuable the diamond
When looking to buy a diamond, first determinebecomes.
what your price range or COST is. OneCarat:
commonly asked question is how to figure theThe size of diamond is given in CARATS. The
prices per carat of diamonds. The price of aword "carat" originated from a natural unit of
diamond will reflect rarity factors as well asweight: the seeds of a carob tree. Diamonds
overhead expenses of the seller. Some raritywere traditionally weighted against these seeds
factors depend on size (larger is rarer thanuntil the system was standardized to one carat at
smaller), clarity (less imperfections are moreone-fifth of a gram. The carat is divided into 100
uncommon), color (colorless is less frequent) and"points". So, a 25 point diamond weighs a quarter
cut (good proportioning gives greater brilliance).carat.
Clarity: