Diamonds are perhaps the most precious and most sought after gemstones in the world! The demand has grown significantly over the past years making them accessible to people across different income groups across the world. Since there are many sellers of this precious stone, it is a challenge for a buyer to know who is selling what quality. This is a guide for all those who wish to buy this gemstone and is aimed to help them in selecting it.
A grading system for the precious gem was created by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) way back in the 1940s. This grading system classifies this gem on the basis of four Cs – cut, clarity, color and carat and is uniformly practiced worldwide. These are the principal things that you need to watch out for while buying a this stone. We will tell you how!
1. CUT
The cut is responsible for the look of a finished diamond. It means the stone’s polish, symmetry, proportion, etc. It involves sculpting tiny angles which are called facets. This gives the stone its shape. There are many different kinds of cuts. More precise measurements lend the shine and sparkle to the stones while poor facets make it appear dull. Marquise, cushion, emerald, Asscher, princess, round, heart, pear are examples of some cuts.
2. COLOR
Diamonds are either colorless like glass or are colorful. A universal scale based on the alphabetical order has been created to grade these stones according to their color. A to D are completely colorless while G and J are almost colorless. As the alphabets progress, so do the colors of the gemstone with variations in shades. Colored diamonds are more expensive than their colorless counterparts.
3. CLARITY
While buying this precious gemstone, you have to be make sure that it appears clean. These gems come with internal flaws in their composition which lends them clarity. It is almost impossible to find diamonds without flaws. However jewelers consider them as perfect when the flaws in the stones are not visible to the naked eye.
4. CARAT
Carat is different from karat. Karat is a measure for the purity of gold while in case of diamonds Carat refers to the weight of the stone. Each carat is made of 100 points. For example, a 25 point stone will mean it is of 25 carats, if it has 50 points then it weighs 0.50 carats.
Once you have understood these basics for buying diamonds, you are good to go and can be sure of making a good buy!