How
to buy diamonds - what characteristics are important
to the quality and the influence on the price:
Avoid
buying bad quality, fake and simulant diamonds - read
about: dirty tips and tricks Official appraisal, valuation
The FIRST criterion
is the Brightness: The ideal cut, Triple Excellent,
Hearts & Arrows is by far the most important
matter buying diamonds! You
see it. Your Diamond has the best Brightness or not On the Diamond
Certificate you must find following grading: Cut grade:
Proportions: Hearts &
Arrows, Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair, Poor, Unusual
or Fancy cut
Polish: Excellent, Very
Good, Good, Fair, Poor
Symmetry: Excellent, Very
Good, Good, Fair, Poor, Unusual
Brightness is
obtained by the art of Cutting and Polishing View
ideal proportions all shapes Ideal cut: Triple
Excellent - Hearts & Arrows Read more about...
Cut
grading chart
2. Carat weight
grading chart:
The SECOND criterion is the weight of the diamond. Carat weight converted in milligrams and grams.You can see it.
The SECOND criterion is the weight of the diamond. Carat weight converted in milligrams and grams.You can see it.
Your Diamond is big
or small ! (Weight is expressed in Carat) View
diamond Carat weight
3 Diamond
sizes
The size of diamonds Dimensions expressed in millimeter and centimeter. The size is determined by shape and cut
The size of diamonds Dimensions expressed in millimeter and centimeter. The size is determined by shape and cut
Your Diamond is
White. (D, E, F, G, H, I are White Color
indications) D,
E, F - Blue
White registered color
explained
5. Clarity
grading chart
The FOURTH criterion is the Clarity: That's what you see by naked eye (Eye Clean) and by loupe (Loupe Clean).If you can't see any inclusion it's the best Clarity. (VS1 to SI 3 and some I1+) Everything situated above is not important because you can't see it.Better Clarity is invisible, is much more expensive and you can see the difference only by microscope.
The FOURTH criterion is the Clarity: That's what you see by naked eye (Eye Clean) and by loupe (Loupe Clean).If you can't see any inclusion it's the best Clarity. (VS1 to SI 3 and some I1+) Everything situated above is not important because you can't see it.Better Clarity is invisible, is much more expensive and you can see the difference only by microscope.
We describe the
four most important quality requirements, 4C's for
diamonds:
Cut, Carat, Color, Clarity
Shape is the model
The loss in carat
weight between a rough and cut / polished diamonds is
about 60 to 66 %
Example: a rough
diamond of 2.00 Carats gives a cut and polished
diamond with ideal cut of about 0.66 carat
The cut is
determinate by 2 separate descriptions :
The proportions and
the finishing grade.
These are the most
important elements for the brightness of the diamond. Read
more about
There are TWO separate
definitions: The diamond carat size and the carat
weight of diamonds
Each diamond has an individual weight, depending on the cut and the shape.
The diamond weight is expressed in Carats.
One Carat has a weight of 200 milligram - 200 milligrams = 0.2 grams.
Each diamond has an individual weight, depending on the cut and the shape.
The diamond weight is expressed in Carats.
One Carat has a weight of 200 milligram - 200 milligrams = 0.2 grams.
The Color of
diamonds. Diamonds exist in all colors of the rainbow.
The diamond grading laboratories have standardized the
color grading.
The most desired are
colorless diamonds: Read
more about and view the color grading chart
Blue, Black, Pink,
Champaign, Canary Yellow, Cognac and Green exist in
natural color or enhanced by treatments.
The color is graded
by standard artificial light which is the equivalent of
the Northern daylight.
Masterstones are
used to compare color grading. Visualize colored
diamonds grading in all rainbow colors
Defining the
existence of visual inclusions, impurities of external
and internal characteristics of a diamond
. visualize clarity grading chart
. visualize clarity grading chart
6. Fluorescence influencing color
explained The
mysterious "Blue White" registered Color explained
Buying diamonds
you must look at first to what is the most visible,
that's what is the most important:
1. Ideal Cut,
Triple Excellent, Hearts & Arrows = Brightness
2. Carat - weight
and the size expressed in Carats
3. Size - expressed
in dimensions
4. Color
5. Clarity
6. Fluorescence
Shape :
Some common diamond
shapes are: Brilliant, Princess, Oval, Heart, Pear /
Teardrop, Emerald, Marquise, Flanders, Trilliant -
Trillion, Radiant, Tapers and Baguette. You can find
several other Fancy shapes like Horse, Butterfly and
more.
There are many
diamond shapes. The most popular are:
It is the standard
for all other diamond shapes. More than 75% of diamonds
sold today are round brilliant diamonds. The round
brilliant diamond displays most fire and scintillation
of all cuts.
Princess
cut + shape: square cut diamond with 90 degree angles on
each corner, visualize facets. The Princess Cut
diamond is a young cut, designed for getting maximum
brilliance from a square cut.
Pear
cut + shape:
also named Teardrop diamonds: pear shape is a
combination of oval and marquise cuts. visualize facets
Emerald
cut + shape: They can be rectangular or square shaped.
They have beveled corners and step cut facets.Select a
good clarity and color. because of the open shape.
Emerald diamonds are cheaper than brilliant diamonds.
The weight is less, you can spend more on quality. The
Emerald cut is a very stunning noble cut. visualize facets
Heart
cut + shape: the best shaped heart diamonds are cut with
even lobes and a well-defined outline Heart shape
diamonds are hard to find and are considered most
sentimental of all diamond shapes. visualize facets
Trillion
- Trilliant cut + shape:also named Trilliant diamonds: triangular
shaped diamond. This triangular cut is one of Antwerp
special cut diamonds. A one carat trillion or trilliant
diamond looks as large as a 1.50 carat round brilliant
diamond! A trillion or trilliant Diamond is a dazzling
and versatile diamond shape whose uses are unlimited .It
can be used in earrings, solitaires, wedding bands,
necklaces, bracelets and pendants. visualize facets
Square cut diamonds:
rectangular shape. Visualize facets
Cushion
cut + shape:
Deep cut with large facets. Very good shape for color
diamonds because of the depth. visualize facets
Asscher
cut + shape: Is
a common square emerald cut diamond with concentric
squares. In diamond grading reports it will be described
as such. The Asscher cut diamond was created by the
Asscher brothers of Amsterdam, Holland (Netherlands) in
1902. Square cut diamond such as emerald… but with less
facets = less fire and brilliance. Other inconvenient:
flaws and inclusions are easy to see. visualize facets
Flanders cut +
shape: square cut diamonds with 65 facets, recently
developed cut in Antwerp
Baguette cut +
shape: step cut in the shape of a small rectangular
stone. It has a table and 8 facets at the top and 8
facets at the pavilion.
Taper cut + shape:
single step cut which has 9 facets. A taper has a table
and 8 facets at the top and 6 facets at the pavilion,
two of them at a taper form of an arrow.
Avoid buying bad
quality, - Tips and Tricks, (dirty) - Learn how
to detect fake and simulant diamonds
•
Poor cuts (even the D IF
'graded'/indicated ones), also called off-makes, are
relatively cheap! You may find these offered at eBay and
tourist trap shops. A poor cut diamond has up to 50%
less brilliance than a Very Good cut diamond. Poorly cut
diamonds
will refract only white light, or appear dull and
lifeless and often have dark or washed-out areas that
allow to see through the bottom of the stone.
Poor cuts (even the D IF
'graded'/indicated ones), also called off-makes, are
relatively cheap! You may find these offered at eBay and
tourist trap shops. A poor cut diamond has up to 50%
less brilliance than a Very Good cut diamond. Poorly cut
diamonds
will refract only white light, or appear dull and
lifeless and often have dark or washed-out areas that
allow to see through the bottom of the stone. Watch out: ...
Purchasing a diamond online is like buying a second hand
car without a test-drive ...
•The lighting at
tourist shops (and many jewelers) is specialized to
enhance the brilliance and whiteness of a diamond.
The lighting at
tourist shops (and many jewelers) is specialized to
enhance the brilliance and whiteness of a diamond. Watch out: a diamond
appears much whiter than it really is in such a lighting
condition.
•Tourist
and (online) diamond shops frequently use fake certificates to sell a diamond
to you.
Tourist
and (online) diamond shops frequently use fake certificates to sell a diamond
to you.•Watch out:
switching a
certificate for one with a better grade also occurs!
Watch out:
switching a
certificate for one with a better grade also occurs!•Too thin girdle
diamonds:
Yes, a diamond can break or be chipped. You better avoid
these very thin girdle diamonds (despite the fact that
they are cheaper) frequently offered online.
Too thin girdle
diamonds:
Yes, a diamond can break or be chipped. You better avoid
these very thin girdle diamonds (despite the fact that
they are cheaper) frequently offered online.•Doublets: Doublet is a
composite of a diamond and a simulant. The top (1/3) is
true diamond, the bottom 2/3 worthless zircon or
another simulant. The tourist trap jewelry shop may
demonstrate to you with a diamond tester (the top and
only genuine part) that it is true diamond. Watch out:
you'll end up always paying the diamond price for the
simulant bottom part!
Doublets: Doublet is a
composite of a diamond and a simulant. The top (1/3) is
true diamond, the bottom 2/3 worthless zircon or
another simulant. The tourist trap jewelry shop may
demonstrate to you with a diamond tester (the top and
only genuine part) that it is true diamond. Watch out:
you'll end up always paying the diamond price for the
simulant bottom part!•Other
diamond tricks, like treated diamonds nowadays quite popular
in online auctions!
Other
diamond tricks, like treated diamonds nowadays quite popular
in online auctions! Good to know yet
very difficult to notice: high-pressure high-temperature
treated diamonds (brittle),
• laser drilled
diamonds
• coated diamonds
• simulants
• paying handling
costs for
returning a diamond purchased online and/or
• paying for
damaging the original (sealed) packaging,
• glued diamonds,
• fracture filled
diamonds,
• irradiated fancy colored
diamonds.
• Diamond watches
online offers trick: Look for small sentence like "All
custom diamond and gold work is done by ..., and not by
the watch manufacturer. This means the diamonds are NOT
set by the watch manufacturer and you have NO
manufacturer's warranty.
• Ask for a real buyback
guarantee!
Learn about Jewelry,
settings, materials, precious metals and more Learn about Jewelry
care + cleaners
Learn about
Understanding HPHT
Diamonds. Read
more about
Want a
professional KBM INTERNATIONAL sponsored Diamond Course?:
HI Sponsored Antwerp Diamond
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It offers a range of
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and gemology:
1. Diamond
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Diamond Grading -
Basic
Diamond Grading -
Advanced
Diamond Grading -
Extended
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2. Diamond
Sorting Courses
Sorting of polished
diamonds – small goods
Sorting of rough
diamonds - basic
3. Gemology
Program
Gemology
Gem Practice
Advanced
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