Diamond Buying Guide:

Many people walk into a jewelry store not only not knowing what type of wedding ring they want, but also not knowing how to choose one. With a little research you can learn the basics to diamonds and feel confident that you will not only get the perfect ring, but also the best deal.

We have taken the basics and laid them out is a straightforward manner so that there is no confusion. This process should be enjoyable and easy, but first you have to know what you're looking for.

When buying a diamond you should keep the following things in mind (Commonly called the 4 C's):

Cut Clarity Color Carat weight

The Parts of a Diamond:

Before getting too far into how to choose a diamond, please familiarize yourself with the parts in the diagram to the right.

While we do not go into great of depth here, the information to the right is useful to know and may help in discussing your purchase with the jeweler.

Cut:

This is the most important of the four C's because it most directly effects the diamonds brilliance and appearance. A good cut will give a diamond its brilliance (and up to 50% of its value!). This brilliance is the reflective quality that adds the "fire" to the stone.

This fiery reflection is the direct result of the finished stones proportion and is seen when the light enters the diamond, reflects off the pavillion and sparkles up through the table.

In a poorly proportioned stone, the light does not reflect back upward and this brilliance is diminished or lost.

Note: Cut is not the same as the shape!

Important: Be aware of the diamond's proportions! In many cases stones are purposely cut too deep to increase the stones carat weight. This makes the stone appear smaller when compared to a stone of the same size with an ideal cut! Also, some stones are cut shallow to appear larger than they really are. Both of these sacrifice size for brilliance and should be avoided.

Shape:

There are a wide variety of shapes that diamonds can be cut into. Below is a list of the most common:

Round	Oval	Marquise	Emerald

Princess	Pear	Trilian	Heart

Clarity:

The clarity of a diamond tells us the amount of inclusions (flaws) it contains. Clarity ranges from Flawless to Include 3 (very flawed).

Note: Clarity grades F thru SI have an impact on a diamond's value only, not its appearance!

F	No inclusions or surface blemishes. Rare, very expensive, and usually very small.
IF	No inclusions however there are blemishes. Rare, very expensive, and usually very small.
VVS1-VVS2	Inclusions hard to detect under 10X magnification by a trained gemologist.
VS1-VS2	Inclusions hard to detect under 10X magnification.
SI1-SI2	Inclusions easily detected under 10X magnification.
I1-I2-I3	Inclusions detected by human eye (not recommended).

Color:

Diamonds come in every conceivable color; however, the color grade of a diamond usually refers to white (colorless) diamonds. It is important to note that while colorless stones allow more light through than colored diamonds (thus having more "fire"), fancy colored diamonds (red, blue, pink, etc.) are often more valuable.

Note: This color scale only applies to "colorless" diamonds.

D-E-F	Colorless
G-H-I-J	Near colorless
K-L-M	Faint yellow
N-O-P-Q-R	Very light yellow
S-T-U-V-W	Light Yellow
X-Y-Z	Yellow

Some things to keep in mind when choosing the color of your diamond:

Price generally goes down with the color scale D to Z, Stones with a color more intense then Z are considered yellow fancy diamonds and the price starts to rise again!
Some people prefer the warmer colors thus opting for a stone with a yellow hue.
Grades G - I show very little color to the untrained eye.
The setting that the diamond will be placed into can have a dramatic affect on how the color appears. For example, a yellowish stone will generally appear lighter in color if it is mounted in a white gold setting.

Fluorescence:

This is a property of diamonds where the UV light from the sun or a black light may cause a diamond to give off a blue or other colored glow. If strong, this may affect (negatively or positively) the way a stone's color appears. Remember to ask and check how UV light affect a stone's color and clarity before you buy it!

Carat Weight:

The carat weight of a diamond is its size. The size difference between stones is easily discernable to even the untrained eye. Just remember, some stones are cut to poor proportions to either appear larger (too shallow) or to add carat weight (too deep).

1 carat = 200 milligrams

These points discussed above are all subjective. Two people spending the same amount may get drastically different stones. One may want a smaller stone with a better cut, while the other wants a larger stone with a poorer cut. This information is meant to help you balance want it is that you want and what you can afford.