A helpful way to learn the basics of choosing a diamond jewelry piece like an eternity ring is this guide to understanding diamond quality. Learning about diamonds can be confusing for consumers new to jewelry shopping, and this information can make the process easier.
If you're new to jewelry shopping and asking yourself "What is a diamond?", a diamond education page is an excellent resource for beginners. A diamond clarity chart and other special sections and visual aids make these pages worth a look for more experienced shoppers as well. Most retailers will have a good quality page of this type, and it's a good idea to check it out to learn all about the 4 Cs, just to brush up on the differences between diamond clarity grades, and see what diamond-related knowledge they bring to the table.
Diamonds are a distinctive converted form carbon atoms take due to intense natural heat and pressure applied when the material is buried deep in the earth over a long period of time. There are many special traits diamonds have that make them so prized; in addition to their obvious beauty, the diamond is the hardest natural substance on Earth.
Diamond cut is the most important factor of all. A poorly planned or executed cutting technique can permanently ruin a top-quality diamond, and conversely a lower quality diamond can be exponentially improved by cutting the stone very well. Cut is often confused with shape, the form into which the diamond is cut.
The next, color, is one of the more detectable features of diamonds for non-jewelers to observe, although it is difficult for even the most skilled eye to distinguish between loose diamonds fewer than two color grades apart, or three grades apart for a stone that has been set. This is why diamond colors are often given as ranges.
clarity is the evaluation of a diamond's internal and external flaws. Generally speaking, flaws inside a stone are called inclusions while flaws on the surface are known as blemishes. However, for the purposes of grading, gemological labs refer to all diamond flaws as inclusions.
Carat weight, the last of the four Cs and the trait that almost anyone can spot immediately, is the unit of measure applied to diamonds and other gems. You may have noticed that pricing for diamonds of comparable cut, color and clarity grades increases exponentially rather than proportionally with the carat weight of the diamond. This is because finding large, good quality diamonds is less likely than finding small diamonds, or large diamonds that need bad areas cut away to form multiple smaller gems, so the value of a gem increases as the supply of gems like it decreases.
If you're new to jewelry shopping and asking yourself "What is a diamond?", a diamond education page is an excellent resource for beginners. A diamond clarity chart and other special sections and visual aids make these pages worth a look for more experienced shoppers as well. Most retailers will have a good quality page of this type, and it's a good idea to check it out to learn all about the 4 Cs, just to brush up on the differences between diamond clarity grades, and see what diamond-related knowledge they bring to the table.
Diamonds are a distinctive converted form carbon atoms take due to intense natural heat and pressure applied when the material is buried deep in the earth over a long period of time. There are many special traits diamonds have that make them so prized; in addition to their obvious beauty, the diamond is the hardest natural substance on Earth.
Diamond cut is the most important factor of all. A poorly planned or executed cutting technique can permanently ruin a top-quality diamond, and conversely a lower quality diamond can be exponentially improved by cutting the stone very well. Cut is often confused with shape, the form into which the diamond is cut.
The next, color, is one of the more detectable features of diamonds for non-jewelers to observe, although it is difficult for even the most skilled eye to distinguish between loose diamonds fewer than two color grades apart, or three grades apart for a stone that has been set. This is why diamond colors are often given as ranges.
clarity is the evaluation of a diamond's internal and external flaws. Generally speaking, flaws inside a stone are called inclusions while flaws on the surface are known as blemishes. However, for the purposes of grading, gemological labs refer to all diamond flaws as inclusions.
Carat weight, the last of the four Cs and the trait that almost anyone can spot immediately, is the unit of measure applied to diamonds and other gems. You may have noticed that pricing for diamonds of comparable cut, color and clarity grades increases exponentially rather than proportionally with the carat weight of the diamond. This is because finding large, good quality diamonds is less likely than finding small diamonds, or large diamonds that need bad areas cut away to form multiple smaller gems, so the value of a gem increases as the supply of gems like it decreases.
About the Author:
DeBebians has the halo diamond engagment ring you dream of. Theirprincess cut with halo engagment rings means retro glamor for the modern woman.. Also published at Understanding Fine Jewelry Purchases: The 4 Cs Simplified.
