How to Buy a Diamond

When buying a diamond, do you really want the cheapest or do you want the best value? Be sure you are dealing with someone who knows the difference. Along with having a huge selection of quality diamonds to choose from, we are experts in grading and evaluating diamonds.

When considering a diamond purchase, look below at the "Four C's" of diamonds - Carat, Clarity, Color, and Cut:

CARAT:

The carat weight of a diamond refers to the size and weight of a diamond. Many times you will also hear a reference about points of a diamond, which also describes the weight of the diamond. For example, there are 100 points in a 1.00 carat diamond and 25 points in a .25 (or quarter) carat diamond.

CLARITY:

Clarity refers to the number and visibility of inclusions in a given stone. Inclusions occur when diamonds crystallize in the earth over thousands of years and other materials become included or mixed in during their growth. Sometimes these things show up in the finished stone. If there are many inclusions, or there are inclusions which are distinctly visible, the stone is less valuable.

COLOR:

The color of a diamond is graded on a scale. The most desirable is a diamond with no color at all. The diamond becomes less valuable the more color that is present, until you reach level of color that is known as "fancy."

CUT:

A diamond is brilliant because of the way it refracts and reflects light. The way a diamond is cut affects its brilliance. Because diamonds are sold by weight, the cutter tries to maintain the most weight -- which is sometimes not the best way to show or retain brilliance.

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