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14k White Gold Diamond
$550.00
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Assessing Quality
Anybody who has ever shopped for diamonds has learned what the industry
calls the 4Cs: carat, clarity, color, and cut. These four pillars of quality are the
best way to understand and shop for diamonds. Here’s what to look for:
■ Carat. Many people think that carat refers to the size of the diamond,
but it’s actually a measurement of weight. One carat is the
equivalent of 0.2 grams, or a little more than 0.007 ounces. Diamonds
less than one carat in weight are usually measured in points—for
example, a 70-point diamond is the same as a 0.70-carat diamond.
Keep in mind that price typically jumps disproportionately once
you hit one carat and above, so price-minded buyers often look for
diamonds that fall just below one carat in size. Also understand that
bigger isn’t always better. It’s preferable to have a smaller but bettercut
diamond than a bigger, poorly cut one.
■ Clarity. This is a measure of the flaws, or inclusions, in a diamond.
Diamonds that come out of the ground aren’t always clear and perfect;
sometimes you’ll find fissures and cracks or streaks of black carbon in
the middle of the stone. Cutters do their best to cut and polish the
diamond so the inclusions don’t show to the naked eye, but sometimes
it can’t be helped. The more visible the inclusion is without a loupe
(a jeweler’s magnifying glass), the less valuable the diamond is.
Clarity grades are indicated by the codes VVS (very, very slight),
VS (very slight), SI (slightly included), and I (included), with varying
steps between each one.
■ Color. Color grades are measured using letters of the alphabet, although
strangely, the grading scale starts with the letter D, signifying colorless,
and descends from there. You can generally think of grades in
groups of three. For example, there’s little discernable difference
between a D and an F diamond; similarly, you’ll get about the same
color with a G as you will with an I. The lower the color grade, the
more of a yellow color you’ll start to see, but the yellow doesn’t really
start to appear noticeably until you get into J colors and below. A
diamond that rates D or E will cost a pretty penny.
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The Ins and Outs of Jewelry Buying Chapter 4
58
Part 2 eBay for Buyers
■ Cut. This fourth C is often misunderstood. People either think it
means the shape of a diamond— pear shape, round, marquis, and so
forth—or the type or style of cut, such as the brilliant cut, a method
of cutting that creates 58 different facets on a diamond. In fact, cut
refers to the care with which the diamond cutter shaped the various
facets, angles, and dimensions of a diamond so the maximum
amount of light can shine through it, thus creating that spectacular,
colorful sparkle for which diamonds are known. A diamond with a
cut that’s too deep or too shallow loses light and brilliance, and is not
as valuable as a well-cut diamond.
Many experts will tell you that cut is the single most important characteristic
on which to judge a diamond. Unfortunately, cut is the one
characteristic that’s hardest to determine without seeing the diamond
first-hand, since there’s no real grading scale to help you judge cut.
Scientific types love to figure out the quality of the cut by studying
dimensions of various parts of the diamond—identified in Figure 4.3
—but unless you really know what you’re talking about, it’s hard to
use all these measurements and percentages to determine whether
your diamond will be beautiful. |
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