How to Buy Diamonds

Diamond Facts

The first diamonds were mined in India, more than 2800 years ago.  The diamonds that we find today are all extremely old.  In fact, most are 900 million years old or more, with the oldest known diamond being 3.2 billion years old.  In fact, the Argyle mine in Australia is taking diamonds from rocks estimated at two billion years old.

Like snowflakes, each diamond is entirely unique.  There are no two diamonds that are exactly the same. That said, some are close enough to make beautifully matching jewelry pieces.

There are many things to consider when learning how to buy a diamond, and you should never rush into buying a diamond without first doing a little research as to how the diamonds are priced.

The “4 C's”: Cut, Clarity, Carats, and Color.

Everyone has many things to consider when determining how to buy a diamond.  All around the world, jewelers use the “4 C's” as a way of describing diamond quality.  If you want to learn how to buy a diamond, you need to learn exactly what the 4 C's are, and how each aspect contributes to the value of the diamond.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Cut: The cut of a diamond describes how an artisan angles the gemstone to best reflect light through the diamond, causing it to sparkle.  A quality cut brings out the beauty of a diamond and makes it more valuable, while a poorly cut diamond will sell for less because it isn't as brilliant. A quality cut makes a major difference in the value of a diamond. In addition, diamonds are cut into many different shapes.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Clarity: The clarity of a diamond refers to how clear the diamond is when you look through it.  A perfect diamond is rare; most have inclusions and flaws, although many cannot be seen without magnification.  When looking at a diamond for clarity, look to see if there are dark spots inside the diamond. Aks your jeweler if you can see the diamond under magnification. Your jeweler will be able to explain what you are seeing.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Carats:  Larger diamonds cost more than smaller diamonds, even if the total carats of the smaller diamonds are the same as that of the larger.  For example, a single one carat diamond will cost you more than three diamonds set in a ring that add up to one carat.  This is because diamonds become increasingly rare as they get larger.  When diamonds are cut they lose about half their size, depending on the initial quality of the stone and exactly how it's cut. Actually, most diamonds discovered are not gem quality. The ones that you see in the jewelry store are the cream of the diamond crop.

How to Buy a Diamond based on Color:  The actual color of a diamond is a personal preference, but diamonds that are colorless, known as white diamonds, are the one most commonly seen. Diamonds actually come in different shades, including yellow, brown, green, blue and pink, among others.  Fancy colored diamonds of fine quality, eg: blue or pink or green, are extremely rare and are correspondingly expensive. See the vividly blue Hope diamond as an example.

Certificates and Appraisals

In addition to understanding what to look for in regards to the 4 C's when learning how to buy a diamond, you should also learn how to read diamond certificates.  These describe details about the unmounted diamond. You might also consider having any diamond you are interested in professionally appraised by an independent organization. 

You may not want to accept the appraisal done by the jeweler for the simple fact that they are biased and may appraise the diamond for slightly higher than it's actual worth in order to gain more money for the sale of the diamond. (We had a ring that the jeweler appriased for $1000 appraised at $250 by another jeweler. )

© 2006 gems4friends.com