Diamond Information
The Four C's of Diamond Buying
Cut
A good cut enables a diamond to make the best use of light. A fully cut diamond has 58 facets, which are small, flat, polished surfaces cut into a diamond. When a Diamond is cut in proper proportion, light is reflected from one facet to another and then dispersed through the top of the stone. Cuts that are too deep or too shallow allow light to escape before reflecting through the top of the stone.
Color
A Diamond is the only stone which the absence of color makes the stone more valuable. A colorless diamond acts as a prism to form a rainbow of colors, commonly called "FIRE". The scale shows the color range from colorless to a degree of yellow tint. Visible differences between one grade of color and the next grade are very subtle.
Clarity
Most diamonds contain inclusions,some times called carbon spots. Inclusions are natural birthmarks and considered nature's fingerprints on the diamond. A diamond's clarity is determined under 10 power magnification by a trained eye, taking into account the number, size, type, and location of the inclusions. The fewer inclusions in a diamond, the more valuable it is.
Carat
Diamonds can be found in all shapes and sizes. The size of the diamond is determined by it's weight in carats. A carat is divided into 100 points, so a diamond of 75 points is a .75 carats or 3/4 of a carat. Larger diamonds are more rare, and command a higher price. While size is an obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, bigger is not necessarily better, all C's should be considered.
Information About Diamond Quality
| Flawless | "Extremely Rare." Free from all color, inclusions, blemishes or external chips. |
| Internally Flawless | "Rare." Nothing visible with a 10x magnification loop. |
| V VS1-V VS2 | Very, very slightly included. Extremely to very difficult to locate with 10x magnification loop. |
| VS1-Vs2 | Very slightly included. Noticeable inclusions are easy to very to locate with 10x magnification loop. |
| S11-S12 | Slightly included. Visible 10x magnification. |
| 11-13 | Obvious inclusions. Naked eye visible inclusions. |
Diamond Color
The scale below shows the color range from colorless to a degree of yellow tint. Visible differences between one grade of color and the next grade are very subtle.
| D | E | F | G | H | I | J | |
| Colorless | Near Colorless | ||||||
| K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R |
| Faint Yellow | Very Light Yellow | ||||||
| S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z |
| Light Yellow | |||||||
Remember, we have a fully open-ended and unrestricted trade-in policy on diamonds purchased at our store.