How to Pick the Perfect Diamond for Jewellery

Diamond, which is the birthstone of April is the most popular gemstone in the world. It exists in both coloured and colourless avatars, including the black diamonds that I discussed recently. In India, a diamond is considered as the vajra –  the thunderbolt of Indra. Much has been written about how diamonds are formed and what are the things to keep in mind while buying a diamond. While diamond jewellery is not as rare as it once was, buying a diamond, particularly a solitaire is a prestige. Diamond jewellery is a status symbol and a marker of taste. Diamonds are a girl’s best friend. So let me elaborate on How to Pick the Perfect Diamond for Jewellery in this post.

How to Pick the Perfect Diamond for Jewellery

Buying a perfect diamond for jewellery requires a carefully thought-out strategy. Think of your budget and the criteria that you want to achieve within your budget. While you may crave the perfect cut, colour, clarity and carat you may not be able to achieve all of that within your budget. So whether you are buying natural diamonds or lab-grown diamond jewellery, prioritise what you want in terms of the 4Cs.

Diamond – 4Cs

As we all know, what determines the quality and value of a diamond are its 4 C’s; Cut, Colour, Carat and Clarity.

Cut

The word “cut” not only defines the shape of a diamond but also gauges the quality and the precision of the cut which gives it its fire. The flash of colour in a diamond is called Fire and the play of darkness and light is referred to as scintillation. The most popular type of cut is Round brilliant which gives maximum sparkle. Other popular cuts include trillion, princess, table cut, rose cut, Asscher cut, and cushion cut. When it comes to cut quality, look at how brilliant and well-proportioned a diamond is. Common diamond shapes are round, oval, marquise, heart, baguette, pear, and square. To help you decide, below are some suggestions.

• Round – a shape that emphasizes a diamond’s brilliance best.
• Oval – perfect for rings worn by people with long, lean fingers.
•  Princess – characterized by a flat-top, broad, and pyramidal shape that creates the illusion of a larger stone.
• Emerald – comes with large facets that showcase superb clarity.
• Cushion – a vintage, predominantly square cut that has rounded corners.
• Marquise – has a long, tapered look that maximizes a diamond’s carat size.
• Pear – a hybrid of round and marquise cuts that look extra delicate when set on a thin and light band.
• Asscher – a square-shaped emerald with an art deco design.

Pro Tip: If you’re having diamond jewellery customized, you can use builder tools or augmented reality tools available on the websites. You can compare how different diamond shapes will look when set in jewellery before you buy.

Colour

Though most diamonds look colourless, there are many subtle shade differences. The more colorless a diamond the more valuable it becomes. The ones with D+ or E rating (given by GIA – Gemological Institute of America) are exceptionally white. Diamonds are graded all the way down to Z, which is visibly yellowish. G to I grades look white but cost a lot less than a D-grade diamond. But also rare are diamonds with a strong pure colour such as pink, yellow, blue, green, or black. These are called Fancies. Fancy coloured diamonds have a different price range and grading system altogether.

Carat

A diamond’s carat refers to its size or weight. Dravidians (Indians) first measured diamonds against carob seeds in 700 BC. Since then Diamonds have always been known by their carat or unit weight. Each carat is a standard metric weight of 0.2grams, and each carat is divided into 100 cents. So for example, a quarter of a carat is 25 cents, written as 0.25.
The average diamond weight for an engagement ring is about one carat, equivalent to 200 milligrams. Rounded carat values such as 1C, 1.5 C are more expensive compared to 0.96C or 1.34C. To the naked eye there will not be much difference in size but there will be a substantial difference in price.

Clarity

Tiny black or white marks which could be minute traces of other minerals trapped during the crystallization process are called “inclusions” or nature’s fingerprints. The number, size and position of any inclusions determine the clarity of a diamond. The fewer the inclusions the rarer it will be, so making it more valuable. FL- Flawless and IF-Internally Flawless are the most expensive followed by VVS1-VVS2- Very, very small inclusions, Very, very slightly included. I3 is the last grade of quality diamonds known as Included3.Diamonds set in older jewellery could also have deepened feathers, fractures and other clarity characteristics due to wear and tear. While buying such diamonds, look for those stones that are “eye-clean” or those that look like they don’t have any inclusions when viewed with the naked eye.

Beyond the 4Cs – the Perfect Diamond for Jewellery

Diamond jewellery is not only about the 4cs. Think about what kind of design and look that you want for your piece. If it’s a finger ring or earring then setting is very important. Not all shapes and cuts will work with all settings. Also, the metal in which the diamonds are set and colour of the metal may completely change the look. When sacrificing sparkle for the size of diamonds, choose a round brilliant stone and set it in a gold setting. If you want an understated look but do not mind spending more then go for an emerald cut in white gold or platinum. Ask yourself what purpose will the diamond jewellery serve. Is it an investment, an heirloom piece or fashionable adornment? If it is the former two, then go for classic cuts in solid settings. While choosing an earring or pendant with different sizes of diamonds, the bigger sized diamonds must be of higher clarity and as colourless as you can possibly afford. The remaining smaller diamonds, especially if they are tiny diamonds known as melee can be of a lower grade.

Finally, verify the authenticity of diamonds before purchase. Consider buying only AGS or GIA certified diamonds. Forever mark is another quality certification that you can look for as well. Deciding on a diamond for a piece of jewellery may seem complicated but at the end of the day, you must be happy with your purchase. A piece of jewellery becomes special only if it puts a smile on your face.

I hope you found it interesting
Cheers