- Let’s face it, you don’t really go about looking for a Diamond every day and it isn’t like the masses buy a natural Diamond. So the obvious question is how do you buy a diamond. Just like everything else you need to look for quality, make sure it is genuine and optionally whether it is certified or not.
- This articles comes to the rescue for those who need to know what is a certified diamond, how to detect a fake diamond, how to measure the diamond quality, the best place to buy diamonds and several other questions that come to a mind. This article provides a good source on tips for buying a diamond and a diamond quality guide.
Accessing the quality of the Diamond:
There was a time when everyone had their own standard or method of grading a diamond or detecting a fake. However thanks to the GIA we now have a globally accepted standard for describing diamonds. This assessment is made on the basis of the 4Cs, Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat.
Color:
The diamond color is evaluated on the basis of the absence of color. Hence the greater the degree of colorlessness the better it is.
Clarity:
- A diamond is rare to start with and those that found often contain inclusions and blemishes. This happens when the diamond is affected by other factors at the time of the creation deep inside the earth.
- Hence a diamond is rarely perfect but are available in several degrees of perfection. Here are the 6 categories that have been created to classify the clarity of the diamond:
- Flawless (FL)
- Internally Flawless (IF)
- Very Very slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2)
- Very slightly included (VS1 and VS2)
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2)
- Included (I1, I2, and I3)
Cut:
- The diamond found in nature is in a raw format. This diamond is then cut into one of the several popular shapes. This is not an easy process.
- Some shapes are easier than others. And some of the shapes even require special tools as well the touch of an experienced cutter to get the job done.
- When you see a diamond you are always dazzled by the way it sparkles an it’s ability to transmit light. However this is not something that come easy and a lot of works goes into making the perfect shape to optimise the properties of a diamond.
- Hence GIA has developed a scale to measure the effectiveness of the diamond’s visual effects when exposed to light. The visual effects that matter are the Brightness, the fire and scintillation.
Carat:
- Carat is the measure measurement of the weight of the diamond
Is it certified?
- It is possible to grade a diamond based on several standard factors. A grading report can be prepared by several laboratories.
- The most popular grading laboratories are GIA (Gemologial Institute of America), AGS (American Gem Society) and EGL (European Gemological Laboratory.
- In general many tend to accept the grading report of either GIA or AGS due to their more strict grading procedures. The 4Cs that we have already discussed play a vital role in the grading of a diamond.
- Once the quality and weight (Caret) of the diamond have been determined a certificate is issued that states all the details of this diamond.
- This is now a certified diamond and even if the diamond is laying miles away in a foreign county, if you access to the picture and certificate of the diamond there is not much else you need when considering which diamond to by. Thus in case you were wondering how to detect a real diamond? This is one good method.
- Don’t be mistaken into thinking that a uncertified diamond is a fake diamond. A uncertified diamond is as genuine as a certified one, however it does not come with a certificate. Hence there is no detailed report on the characteristics of the diamond.
Guild Hall Diamonds:
It is often the case that the diamonds buyers have no or limited knowledge regarding the many facts about diamonds. While many tend to do some research prior to making an expensive purchase (like buying the diamond) it can hardly compare with the many years of experience that can be provided by Guild Hall Diamonds. In addition to which they also offer assistance and help while grading the diamonds
Guildhall Diamonds Inc. 