How to choose diamonds?

Prior to shopping, you need to understand the diamond basics - most important diamond characteristics — cut, color, clarity, and carat weight, so you can select your diamond based on the same criteria jewelers use to grade them.

The most important step in choosing a diamond is get accustomed with diamond certification and reviewing the diamond certificate, referred to by diamond grading labs as a grading report. A grading report documents the characteristics of a diamond, like the four Cs - cut, color, clarity, carat weight. Before purchasing a diamond, review a copy of its grading report, as this is proof that it has undergone a professional examination.

Diamond cut

The cut of a diamond determines its brilliance. Most gemologists consider cut the most important diamond characteristic because even if a diamond has perfect color and clarity, a diamond with a poor cut will have dulled brilliance.
The width and depth can have an effect on how light travels within the diamond, and how it exits in the form of brilliance.

Too Shallow: Light is lost out the bottom causing the diamond to lose brilliance.
Too Deep: Light escapes out the sides causing the diamond to appear dark and dull.

Polish and symmetry are two very important aspects of the cutting process. The polish grade describes the smoothness of the diamond's facets, and the symmetry grade refers to alignment of the facets. With poor polish, the surface of a facet can be dulled, and may create blurred or dulled sparkle. With poor symmetry, light can be misdirected as it enters and exits the diamond. More detailed information you can find at the GIA or AGSL diamond grading report. For the most beautiful diamond, look for a symmetry grade of excellent (EX), very good (VG), or good (G) for a GIA graded diamond, and ideal (ID), excellent (EX), very good (VG), or good (G) for an AGSL graded diamond. Avoid diamonds with symmetry grades of fair (F) or poor (P), as the alignment of their facets may misdirect light so severely that it affects the brilliance of the diamond.

What diamond color is about?

Diamond, like a prism, can divide light into a spectrum of colors and reflect this light as colorful flashes called fire. Just as when looking through colored glass, color in a diamond will act as a filter, and will diminish the spectrum of color emitted. The less color in a diamond, the more colorful the fire, and the better the color grade.

There are three main diamond color groups: the finest, graded D-J - colorless or near-colorless; noticable colored - graded K-M and N-Z.
Diamonds graded better than J are colorless or near-colorless — their color is typically undetectable to the unaided eye.
The color in diamonds graded K-Z detracts from the beauty of a diamond. It's especially noticeable set in platinum or white gold.

Does diamond clarity matter?

Yes, absolutely.
Diamonds may be absolutely clear but have inclusions — scratches, voids - trace minerals or other tiny characteristics that can detract from the pure beauty of the diamond. Review the GIA and AGSL system of rules and standards to summarize the number, location, size, and type of inclusions present in a diamond.
Below is a chart for diamond clarity crades:

Diamond carat weight

The carat is a unit of mass used for measuring gems and pearls, and is exactly 200 milligrams.
Large gems are discovered much less frequently than small ones, which makes large diamonds much more valuable. In fact, diamond prices rise exponentially with carat weight. So, a 2-carat diamond of a given quality is always worth more than two 1-carat diamonds of the same quality.
To choose the right carat, consider the style, the size of finger, the size of setting, and your budget.

Diamond certification

A diamond certificate, also called a diamond grading report, diamond dossier®, or diamond quality document, is a report created by a professional gemologists who evaluated and measured diamond using eyes, a jeweler's loupe, a microscope, and other industry tools. A completed certificate includes an analysis of the diamond's dimensions, clarity, color, polish, symmetry, and other characteristics.

There are two main standards in grading diamonds: the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) or the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). These two laboratories are among the most respected laboratories in the diamond industry, and are known for their consistency and unbiased diamond grading systems. Diamonds that are accompanied by these grading reports are the most highly valued in the industry.