Buying Diamond Jewelry

Diamonds in jewelry are the most popular of all gemstones. Their price and rarity is carefully monitored by the major diamond cartels. As a result the price of diamonds in jewelry is pretty well standardized to size and quality of the stone.

The range of diamond prices can be dramatic depending on the size and quality. For example a half caret brilliant cut round diamond of K color and I1 clarity would cost about $2000 per caret or $1000. But a D color and IF clarity diamond of the same size could cost over $7,000 a caret or $3,500. However, three caret diamonds of the same quality would range from $7000 per caret to $35,000 per caret, 5 to 7 times the value per caret of the smaller diamond.

Diamond color grades range from a "D" (colorless) down to "Z" and along the line they move into a colored diamond range, and become more valuable as the color becomes more intense. Fancy (naturally colored) diamonds are rarer and more valuable than the white variety. Along about "R, S, T" you get a nice champagne color and then a golden brown called a cognac color diamond, both of which can be very attractive and are available at a good price. It is rare to find a D, E or F diamond used in jewelry as the cost is very high and the difference from an H diamond very slight.

The clarity grades range from "FL" (flawless), to "IF" (internally flawless), through "VVS, VS, SI" (slightly included) to "I" where you can see an inclusion, like a piece of carbon, with the naked eye if you know how to look for it. Some of your nicest diamonds at a good price have a J-K color with an I clarity and a good cut giving a lot of sparkle and fire which is the play of colors through the stone. A good cut with the proper ratio of crown to pavilion and proper faceting is vital as it brings the stone alive with sparkle and fire. A bad cut can make a flawless D color stone look dull and uninteresting. About 40% of a stone’s value is in the cut, often ignored by uneducated diamond buyers.

It might be interesting for you to click here Loose Diamonds for an idea of prices of various grades and sizes of diamonds.

With a 10 power diamond loupe, a gauge, the proper light and some experience you may be able to approximate the size and quality of a diamond. There are old time diamond merchants and jewelers who believe they can accurately tell a diamond’s size and quality with only a loupe, but we have found that they are often wildly off in their estimates.

It really takes a GIA Certified Gemologist with the full range of proper equipment to give an accurate diamond description. This is your best guarantee that you are getting your money’s worth when buying diamonds. A Diamond Grading Analysis Certificate from a major gem lab comes with all the diamonds we sell over 1/2 carat.