| Familiarize yourself with the 4Cs of diamond | | | | Yellow and that is a totally different |
| buying. They are: Cut, Color, Clarity and | | | | ballgame. |
| Carat Weight. WhiteFire offers a wide | | | | |
| selection of diamonds in many shapes and | | | | Here is a good buying tip to keep in mind. |
| sizes. You should purchase a diamond that is | | | | Diamonds are best viewed when they are loose. |
| ideal for by way of price and quality. | | | | It is difficult to tell color when a diamond |
| | | | is in the ring setting, even for a |
| Cut - The cut of the diamond can affect its | | | | professional. Most diamonds will face up as a |
| price by as much as 50%. However, please know | | | | whiter color when they are already set in the |
| that Cut does NOT mean the shape of the | | | | ring mounting. |
| diamond. By shape I mean popular cuts like | | | | |
| the Round Brilliant, Princess, Oval, Radiant, | | | | Clarity - Clarity refers to how clean the gem |
| etc. Cut refers to symmetry or how well a | | | | is of inclusions. Inclusions are naturally |
| diamond is proportioned. Another term used | | | | occurring characteristics within the diamond, |
| within the diamond industry is "make" of the | | | | kind of a fingerprint of the diamond if you |
| diamond. The Cut or Make of the diamond | | | | will. Just as no one will ever have your |
| determines how a well-proportioned diamond | | | | finger print pattern, no two diamonds will |
| will sparkle after it is fashioned and | | | | ever have the same inclusions oriented in the |
| polished for the end user. Again, a well-cut | | | | same way. It is extremely unlikely. |
| diamond will command a higher price at | | | | |
| market. A poorly cut diamond will not be as | | | | The more inclusions a diamond has, the less |
| "fiery" or "brilliant" and will be less | | | | valuable it is. Inclusions seen to the |
| costly. | | | | unaided eye are even less costly. Fewer |
| | | | inclusions in a diamond command a higher |
| Color - Color is another important factor in | | | | price, as they are rarer than included |
| determining the value of a diamond. A | | | | diamonds. |
| diamonds body color or color grade is | | | | |
| determined by using a letter grading scale | | | | Carat Weight - The higher the carat weight of |
| developed by the Gemological Institute of | | | | the diamond, the more you will pay. A Carat |
| America. The color grading scale starts with | | | | is the unit of measurement used for weighing |
| the letter D of the alphabet and goes down to | | | | gemstone. The smaller unit of measurement |
| the letter X. Starting with the letter D, the | | | | under a carat is a called point's. One carat |
| diamond will be at its whitest color and is | | | | is equal to 100 points. Half of a carat is |
| also referred to colorless. As you move | | | | equal to 50 points, so fourth and so on. |
| further down the grading scale towards X, the | | | | Obviously diamonds come in many different |
| diamond will gradually become less colorless | | | | weights. The key is determining what you |
| and typically have more yellow color. | | | | budget allows. |
| | | | |
| White or colorless diamonds are rare and | | | | If your future fiancé has small hands it |
| therefore more valuable or costly. The more | | | | may be that a larger diamond is not necessary |
| color or yellow a diamond has, the least | | | | for her hands. If she has larger hands, then |
| costly is. The color grading scale is | | | | you may have to go with a larger diamond. |
| basically broken down into four categories. | | | | Talk to her, feel her out and try to get an |
| | | | idea of what she prefers. Or if you are |
| Colorless- consisting of D to F in color, | | | | trying to keep it a surprise, ask a family |
| Near Colorless- G through J in color, Faint | | | | member or close friend of hers what she might |
| Yellow- K to in M in color and Very Light or | | | | desire. In doing so, you are sure to buy her |
| Light Yellow- meaning N to X in color. Beyond | | | | a diamond engagement ring she will cherish |
| that point is what is classified as Fancy | | | | for a lifetime! |