Sunday 25 March 2012

Tips on choosing a diamond

Don’t worry it is not too complicated!

One can buy a diamond with a certificate or without a certificate.
Without a certificate you are relying on the vendor’s assessment of the stone or your own expertise. This could be dangerous since even small differences in quality can dramatically affect the price.
18ct Yellow Gold Diamond earstuds with 2x 0.83ct FVS2 Triple Excellent Diamonds
GIA Cert # 1106722380 & GIA Cert # 1126228742
(See below to view the GIA certificates)

It would be recommended if you are buying a large diamond, say over ½ct, you buy it with a certificate. Some shops will issue their own certificate; call me cynical but this is not as good as a certificate from a reputable independent laboratory. The most respected laboratory in the world for diamonds is the GIA.
"I would strongly recommend you purchase a diamond with a GIA certificate."

The Certificate confirms that:
  1. It is a Diamond
  2. The weight of the diamond. There are big price differences for small changes in diamond weight with price jumps at 1ct, 1.50ct etc
  3. The dimensions of the diamond 
  4. The colour, ie. how white it is. Colours D, E and F are termed colourless and these are the colours we recommend.
  5. The clarity, these are the natural imperfections in the diamond. We recommend VS2 and exceptionally good Si1 diamonds.
  6. For round diamonds, the cut grade. The cut grade is a measure of how sparkly the diamond is and takes into account the angles, dimensions, polish and symmetry of the stone.  We recommend 'excellent cut' diamonds.
You can view GIA certificates on the GIA website: http://www.gia.edu/reportcheck/
For example, you can look at the certificates for the Lucie Campbell diamond earrings shown above: here and here Please look at what a fantastic pair these stones are. We match not only the weights, colour, clarity, but also the diameters, depth, table and depth percentage to a ridiculous degree.
For cushion, emerald, oval, princess and all other non-round cut diamonds you really need to look at the stone to determine how much it sparkles. The certificate tells you the quality of the colour and the imperfections in the diamond but tells you very little about the sparkle and cut unless you are an expert. You must remember that the quality of the cutting, the angles, dimensions and polish etc determine how much it sparkles and not the colour and clarity. A poorly cut D Flawless diamond will not sparkle!

On the subject of ethical sourcing of diamonds our message is very simple: We only ever buy from the most reputable sources with whom we have a longstanding relationship and can therefore rely on their scrupulous work to assure us that their stones are sourced ethically. Approximately 50% of all diamonds are currently mined in central and southern Africa. Others diamonds come from Canada,  Russia, Brazil, and Australia. Indeed many of the stones we use are both mined and polished in Russia, free of the problematic history of conflict diamonds.

Buy from a reputable jeweller which not only stocks beautiful diamonds but also stunning jewellery because the most wonderful diamond in the world will not look good in an ugly ring!

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We hope you enjoyed our blog. Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Richard.