Discover Diamonds

Diamond Education - Buying Diamonds

When seeking out a diamond there are a number of factors to take into consideration. By taking all of the facts concerning diamonds into account you will have the ability to not only choose the diamond that you want, but find it at a cost that you can afford. Armed with diamond education and some careful research about diamonds, your diamond search will be both enriching and rewarding.

Balancing the 4Cs

It is important to search for a balance of characteristics in the diamond you choose. The balance that you are seeking is between the 4Cs of cut, clarity, color and carat weight. For example, if you weigh carat weight too heavily in your quest for a diamond, you might find yourself looking at diamonds that are large, but unattractive in terms of clarity, cut or color. A 2 or 3 carat diamond may sound wonderful, but if it is an unattractive cast of yellow, or has large, easily noticeable inclusions, it may not give you any real satisfaction. Cut, clarity and color need to be balanced out in the same manner.

Clarity

With clarity, an IF (internally flawless) is hardly necessary for anyone. In choosing a diamond with negligible inclusions, such as a VS2, you will have a diamond that appears to be just as clean and pristine as an IF stone. The inclusions in such a diamond can be seen only under a 10X loop, and a good setting can make them virtually imperceptible even under such magnified examination.

Cut

With a diamond's cut, it helps to choose a diamond that simply looks beautiful to you. There is no need to seek out the ideal cut, as the setting and the ring's band can greatly affect the final display of the diamond. In addition, there are many shapes of diamond, of which each have a complementary set of cut proportions.

Color

The factor of a diamond's color also presents you with an area of tremendous savings possibilities. Completely colorless, or white, is not necessary to have a beautiful diamond. The color of the diamond's setting and band will also come into play, as each can affect the color of the diamond. By sacrificing slightly from the highest grade in each of the 4Cs, you can have the diamond you want, and save money while you are at it.

We hope you have enjoyed the basics of our diamond education.

Avoiding Mistakes

There are some basic mistakes that many people make everyday when looking for diamonds. We have put the 4 most common together, so that you need not repeat the mistakes of others.

• Over-Weighing Weight!
  Many people automatically assume that a bigger diamond is better. This is not true! While carat weight plays a great part in a diamond's cost, this will not assure you of an attractive diamond. A .95 carat diamond with remarkable cut, clarity and color, will be far more pleasing to the eye than a 2 carat diamond with poor cut, clarity and/or color.
  

• Ignoring What She Wants!
  When a man is obtaining the diamond, he can too often forget the person for whom he is acquiring it for. When looking for a diamond, always keep the receivers desires at the uppermost of your mind. Knowing what they like will allow you to get them something she will enjoy. If she doesn't like the shape or color of the diamond you choose, she will not likely enjoy it and, therefore, will not be likely to wear it.

• Not Knowing Her Size!
  Just like clothing, diamonds must fit properly in order to look good on an individual. A diamond with an enormous carat size may be impressive, but if she has small hands and fingers, it will probably look absurd. In the same manner, a tiny solitaire could look rather foolish on a large hand with large fingers. You wouldn't get a dress for her that was too small or too large, and this is important to consider with diamonds as well.

Paying Full Retail Cost For Diamonds!

Too many people pay the full retail cost for their diamonds. Not only does this cost you money you could spend elsewhere, or just save, but it will also, more than likely, force you to settle for l ess than what you would like. With Sapna Jewels you will find the quality that you want at a savings far below f ull retail expense. If you don't need to spend so much, why would you?

Diamond Cost Evaluation

The cost of diamonds is greatly influenced by a diamond industry paper named the Rapaport Report. This is a trade cost evaluation report that was created by Martin Rapaport. What it essentially does is provide dealers and those within the industry with a market cost listing for diamonds, based on where the diamonds fall within various grade levels. The Rapaport Report cannot be ignored, but neither should it be viewed as a simple-to-use tool for the consumer.

Utilizing clarity, color and carat, the Rapaport Report provides tables and cost estimations from which dealers and other diamond industry people assess the approximate cost of a given diamond. The cut of the diamond is the final determinant of the diamond's cost, as a good cut can raise the diamond's value above the Rapaport Report cost assessment, while a poor cut can lower it. The cut is not included in the "Rap" Report, and is evaluated by the individual seller. The price of diamonds is only increasing; therefore, it is important to be decisive in the purchasing process to capitalize on the current prices. Also, due to the structure of the diamond pricing if a diamond has a large discount off of the norm there is something negatively affecting the diamonds visual appeal, whether it be a large inclusion or hazy fluorescence.

Diamond Distribution

A diamond goes through a number of stages before it can sit on your finger. It begins with the owner of the mining site from which the rough diamond is pulled from the earth. DeBeers is the largest of these mine owners, and so have enormous control over diamond production. These diamond mine owners offer "site holders" or diamond manufactures the opportunity to obtain the rough diamonds at auctions. In turn, these site holders then offer certain quantities of their rough diamond holdings to cutters, who are the people who actually cut and shape the rough diamonds into the final product. Finally, the cutters then offer these finished loose diamonds to diamond merchants, such as Sapna Jewels, who offer the diamonds to the public.

Money Saving Tips

There is a simple fact that will help you to save money when you are looking for your diamond. Diamond grades have points at which the cost of the diamond can rise or decrease precipitously. These points have been determined by the Rapaport Report, which is enormously responsible for the final cost of polished, loose diamonds. The areas in which this notable cost change occurs are found in carat, clarity and color. Utilizing the information of where each of these cost points is located will help you to find your diamond, and save some money while you are at it.

• Carat: When looking at carat weight, be aware that there are cost points at various increments which indicate increase in price per carat. By choosing a diamond that falls just below these cost points, the cost per carat of the diamond will lower dramatically. Example: a .99ct will vary greatly from 1ct of the same quality by $800/ct.
  
  
• Color: In color, the most dramatic cost point is located just beyond the grades of D, E and F. In addition to this, there are cost points at each new color grade level. For example, a diamond with a grade of F will be less expensive than a diamond graded as E, but the cost difference will not be as significant as the difference between an F and a G. This is because the grades of D, E and F are all grouped together. Cost points are found at each new grade level of 'colorless', 'near colorless', 'slightly colored', etc.
  
  
• Clarity: With clarity, the main cost point jumps occur beyond the grades of 'FL' and 'IF'. Beyond this first segment, the next dramatic cost points are found between grades, such as VVS, VS, SI, rather than within grades. Within the grades, such as SI, which has 2 or 3 sub-grades, there is less dramatic change in costs between the higher and lower sub-grades.

By choosing diamonds that fall just below the cost-point changes in one or more of the above three categories, you can shift your demand for perfection onto other aspects of your diamond. This approach will give you quality at a tremendous savings.

Carat

All precious commodities have a system for giving the weight of the items, and this is no different for precious gems such as diamonds. While the cut of a diamond arguably has the greatest impact on the overall desirability of a diamond, the carat has the heaviest impact on its pricing. This is due to the fact that carat refers to the actual weight of the diamond and it is a diamond’s weight that is one of the primary indicators for how rare a diamond is. Simply stated, the heavier a diamond is, the more rare it will be and thus the more expense.

It is important to be aware that while the term carat refers to a diamond’s weight, it does not refer to its dimensions or shape. The carat weight of a diamond can have an effect on its dimensions and shape, but neither the dimensions nor the shape is wholly dependent on the carat weight. For example, you could find yourself looking at two diamonds that look equal in size as you look down upon them. This does not mean that they have the same carat weight, however. A diamond can be cut to look larger than it is, through increasing its diameter and decreasing its depth, or through other cut techniques. The term carat is used to reference the diamond’s actual weight, nothing more and nothing less.

Be also aware that while a diamond is priced in great part based on its carat weight, it is not simply priced on the whole diamond weight. Diamonds are priced on a per-carat pricing system. This means that if a diamond is 3 carats, the cost of the diamond is based on the cost of each carat in the diamond added together, also known as the total carat weight. The cost per-carat is not stationary as you go up in carat size either. For example, if a one-carat diamond were priced at $7500 a carat, its total carat price would be $7500. One might think that a comparable diamond of two carats, with all other factors being equal, would also be $7500 per carat, with the total carat price being $15000. This is not the case. A diamond’s per-carat price goes up exponentially based on the carat cost points on the diamond pricing report.

The exponential rise of the per-carat price in the diamond is a result of the fact that the rough for the heavier diamonds is rarer than the rough for smaller diamonds. Due to this, the heavier a diamond is, the exponentially greater the per-carat price will be. The aforementioned one-carat diamond might be priced at $7500 per-carat, whereas the comparable two-carat diamond could be $10000 a carat, or $20000 for the whole diamond. Meanwhile, a three-carat diamond of comparable characteristics could have a $15000 per carat price or a total carat weight price of $45000 for the entire diamond. It is for this reason that oftentimes if you are looking for a large total carat weight for the diamond piece, such as a diamond engagement ring, the best choice might be to have a multiple stone setting, as each stone has its own per-carat price.

Clarity

Clarity is the measure of how clearly a diamond is able to allow light to pass through it, reflect off of it, and refract within it. This light quality is determined by a number of factors, one of which is the level of flaws, both internal and external. The internal flaws are referred to as inclusions, and the external flaws are known as blemishes with inclusions more often being the more detrimental of the flaws.

All diamonds contain features, or flaws, such as mineral inclusions and fractures, and most flaws can be so slight as to have no effect on the diamond’s ability to transmit and scatter light. However, larger flaws, and large groupings of flaws, can diminish the ability of light to pass through the diamond unimpeded. The location and coloration of the flaw has tremendous impact on the overall impact on the diamond’s clarity. If a flaw is located near the center of the diamond, and is dark in color, it will often be more detrimental to the diamond’s clarity than a clear flaw closer to the diamonds edge.

Clarity is the one area where you will find that you can sacrifice a certain measure of perfection for the sake of cost, and still have a diamond that you will love and cherish. Clarity has tremendous impact on the final cost of the diamond, as it is one of the 4 Cs taken into account with the assessing of a diamond’s characteristics, as well as determining a diamond’s monetary value. A scale for clarity is used to assess exactly where a particular diamond stands within the world of diamonds. The grading system has been devised to measure the amount of imperfections within diamonds, based on size, location, quantity, color and nature of the inner flaws, or inclusions, when viewed under a magnification of 10X.

Inclusions need not be looked upon with disgust, however, as small inclusions, which detract negligibly from a diamond’s clarity and brilliance, can serve as distinct markers for an individual diamond, as no two diamonds share the same inclusions or inclusion patterns. It is for this reason that it is important to become familiar with the inclusions within your diamond, as they serve as the diamond’s fingerprint. Knowing your diamond’s distinct characteristics will allow you to properly identify your diamond should it leave your person, whether to be cleaned, to be appraised, or for any other reason.

The scale that is most commonly used to determine a clarity grade for diamonds is the GIA clarity grading scale. This grading scale runs from F to I. All diamonds of gem quality need to be graded on this scale in order for the diamond’s value to be assessed properly. The scale runs as follows:

• FL: Flawless
• IF: Internally Flawless
• VVS1 and VVS2: Very, Very Small Inclusions (two separate grades)
• VS1 and VS2: Very Small Inclusions (two separate grades)
• SI1 and SI2: Small Inclusions
• I1, I2 and I3: Inclusions Visible

There is also a grade of SI3 (Small Inclusions 3), but this is used primarily by the EGL (European Gemological Laboratory), and is not recognized by the GIA (Gemological Institute of America) or the AGS (American Gemological Society).

The actual names of each grade are simple to understand. They simply reflect the amount of internal flaws (inclusions) and external flaws (blemishes or occlusions) visible to a trained professional diamond jeweler under a 10x loupe or magnification.

Color

Diamonds are normally thought of as sparkling, scintillating, colorless gems. It is this colorlessness that allows for the incredible and breathtaking play of light that we all have come to associate with the diamond. As you are probably already aware, the color of diamond is primarily dependent on inclusions and foreign matter within the diamond’s crystalline structure. This foreign matter absorbs light, rather than allowing it to pass through unimpeded, thus giving some diamonds varying degrees of color.

In the normal range of the diamond color-grading scale, the more colorless a diamond is, the higher it is graded on the scale. In terms of pricing, diamonds with a higher grade will be more costly, while diamonds rating lower on the scale, thus having more color, will normally prove to be less costly. However, when a diamond has a great deal of color, or extremely high color saturation, it may rate the grade of FA, or Fancy. These are the fancy grades of diamond color, and with these the cost of the diamond may actually go higher than the finest of the D grade of diamonds.

In order to establish which diamonds are which colors, diamond color-grading scales have been created. Most of these color-grading scales were not founded with any measure of scientific rigor, however, and so are no longer used. Today, there are far fewer diamond color-grading scales in use, with GIA’s being the most used and well respected, allowing anyone to view the results of rigorous testing for color-grading in a written report for a particular diamond. GIA’s grading scale ranges from the colorless D to the highly colored Z. It is important to be aware that while most diamonds are graded on a scale measuring the varying degrees of their lack of color, or whiteness, this is not the only sought after type of diamond. There are those diamonds in which various colors are prominent enough to arouse desire for their rarity and distinguished characteristics.

Cut

There are many aspects of a finished diamond that are dependent on the diamond cut, and one should be somewhat familiar with these. The most important of these include: brilliance, fire, number of facets or proportion, symmetry, polish, desired weight, and the diamond's final shape.

The cut of a diamond is, to be blunt, the approach and results of cutting the raw, rough diamond into the polished, shining stone that most of us are familiar with. More specifically, cut refers to the effectiveness of a diamond in reflecting and refracting light.

The diamond certificate can be your best friend in your quest for the right diamond. The certificate is simply a report that has been prepared by professional, experienced gemologists who have given their expert opinion, using a battery of technical tools, as well as their own experience, on the various qualities of a given diamond. They do not assess monetary value, but monetary value for the seller is often founded, in great part, based on the certificate. Be aware that diamond certificates are only of value when issued by a respected independent gemological laboratory.