Originally Posted by
ik9000
Also: for all and future folk who may want it... the ik9000 learnings when he bought an engagement ring:
1) do not stress about sizes, and costs, and expectations of how much salary-wise a man should spend on said ring. It's is literally marketing BS invented by de Beers (diamond company) to boost sales in the 1920s/1930s. Set yourself a budget and do NOT shift from it.
2) size is not everything QUALITY is what counts. A large poor quality diamond is far worse, and far uglier, than a small good quality sparkler. (see below)
3) don't forget to consider other stones, friends have had sapphires, emeralds, etc as the primary set, and used very small diamonds around it to get a cracker of a ring at less than a single big diamond would have cost.
4) basically diamonds cost exponentially more with size - it is way easier to get no defects in smaller diamonds, because they can be cut-up to avoid the natural blemishes nature brings
5) look out for treated diamonds - some folk try to pressure impregnate fissures. This is not great, and always check it hasn't been done if you really care about the stone you're getting.
6) ok, so starting with diamond quality.... people talk about "the 4Cs"
they mean
i)carat weight (size or more specifically weight of the stone)
ii)colour (how clear is the diamond)
iii)clarity (how many natural flaws/defects does the diamond have)
iv)cut (how regular/irregularly shaped is the diamond)
These are not the b'all and end-all - to really get a stellar diamond you need to go a little deeper, but let us start with these (briefly - there are websites a plenty to go to muchos detail, this is intended as a summary only)
i) carat . Don't get hung up on this. Go for what you can afford, but try to drop just below a key boundary. You'll get better quality diamonds and also avoid the size premium. E.g. a .46 Carat diamond is virtually indistinguishable for a 0.5 carat diamond in terms of size. However, 0.5 carat carries a huge premium as it is one of the "target" sizes. 0.75, 1.0 carat similarly etc etc.
To get the monikar 0.5 carat, people are willing to cut the diamond at worse geometry (see below) giving duller sparkle etc, just to get a 0.5 carat diamond they can sell.
The result is a wide availability of 0.5 carat diamonds, most of which are, if you really want a firey sparkler of a diamond, not going to give it.
So by looking under the boundary, there are fewer stones, and most will be cut to a better geometry to start with.
ii) colour - how clear/"white" the diamond is. Natural impurities can produce a variety of coluors. Bright colours fetch a premium eg pink, yellow, blue etc Brown diamonds are cheaper, white diamonds more expensive. Most studies indicate people like diamonds at colour I or above. D being white, I slightly brown. anything less than I, avoid.
Now when we went to look at diamonds, anything D-F is fine. G and below against white flourescent paper slightly brown, below I we're talking gradual progression to coca-cola spill territory.
Stick a D next to an F on a white background, you can tell the difference, but when are you ever going to do that with rings on hands? You're not.
So sweet spot depending on your budget may be to start by going for an F colour.
FYI tiffanys use colour I upwards in their jewellery for exactly these reasons.
iii) clarity. Defects exist in a variety of forms. Mainly inclusions either on the surface or internally, but also banding, feathering, tears and pin-prick spatters of bubbles etc.
Scale is Perfect (P) aka Flawless (F) - internally flawed (IF) - Very very slightly included (VVS1), very very slightly included surface (VVS2), very slightly included (VS1), very slightly included surface (VS2), then slightly included SI1, SI2, then included I1, I2,I3 etc.
Do not even consider anything less than SI2. Jewellers I spoke to said SI1/2 can be ok, but it needs a careful choice, and sometimes careful mounting to conceal the bigger defects
VS2 and above needs a microscope to see the defect. I.e. JUST FINE. The bigger diamonds are less forgiving so need step up in quality.
VS-2 or better will be ok for less than 0.5 carat, VS1 or better for more than 0.5 carat, and really think about going VVS2 or higher for above 1 carat. If you're a millionaire and going 1.5 carat or higher you're on your own, but I imagine you wouldn't want to go less than VVS1, possibly IF...
NB clarity is talking about microscopic inclusions. For a given grade this could mean it has one big inclusion, or several little ones in a cluster. If on the wrong point of the diamond, eg a ridge, they can be noticable. This is why going VS2 is a better bet than SI1. Or VS1 better than VS2 etc. Each band places more restriction on location of defect, as well as total volume of said defects.
iv)cut - basically, how to standard is the cut. Many different shapes of diamond exist. Each shape has been studied and people have worked out via theory and consumer testing which geometries give the preferred sparkle, shimmer, coloration of refraction etc etc. edit:It also considers symmetry, and the pattern internally and externally of the diamond when viewed from certain angles. The GIA pdf wall chart link I give below explains this in pictures far better than I can do in words...
The best are rated excellent, then very good, good, average, and poor. IMO do not go less than very good. I'd rather have an excellent 0.43 carat than a good 0.5 carat diamond.
If you're going for some of the shapes with long edges and distinct symmetry eg pear shaped/tear drop, or oval then keeping above VERY GOOD is a necessity. I've seen stones at GOOD rating which are visibly asymmetric, used in a necklace and it ruins the jewelry.