Why Aren't All Diamonds Cut to be Superior
Both the cutter and the seller usually have a strong financial incentive to offer diamonds with inferior cut. Why is this? When a rough diamond is cut to superior standards, about 50% of the stone's original weight can be wasted in the process. This is because diamond cutting to achieve a superior cut is governed by very strict mathematical formulas and measures.
The depth, width at the top and at the waist, the number of facets or surfaces, and other cut features all must be according to a precise table and formula in order for the resulting cut stone to be categorized as a superior or higher cut. More importantly, these are critical for the stone to have the maximum fire and brilliance that sets a diamond apart from other gems. By cutting a diamond that is too deep or too wide, a piece of rough uncut stone can yield a “bigger” diamond of greater carat weight than the same rough which is cut to yield a superior cut diamond that is a smaller carat weight. The poorly cut bigger diamonds are always dull, milky, or dark in appearance compared to the superior cut stone but, unfortunately, retailers will never show you a side by side comparison for you to judge. At Diamond Jewelry Masters we do business differently. We want you to know, to see, and to judge for yourself in finding your perfect diamond.
Choosing the Right Color
The finest diamonds are colorless, rare and expensive. On the GIA grading scale below, D-F are considered colorless, G-I near colorless and any grade J or below shows an increasingly yellowish tinge. Beyond the preference for a whiter stone, however, the color of a diamond does not affect its brightness or sparkle.
Fast Fact: Most experts agree that, when mounted, diamonds in the "G-H" range appear colorless, and represent a much better value than "D-F" stones which command significantly higher prices.
Choosing the Right Clarity
Diamonds with fewer internal flaws (inclusions) are rare and therefore more highly prized. In many cases, these flaws don't detract from the beauty of the diamond because they are invisible to the naked eye. The following chart shows you the range of clarity in a diamond, from flawless (IF) to obvious flaw (I3).
Fact: Any grade "SI2" or better could have inclusions that are "eye clean", or not visible to the naked eye. An "I1" grade can be an excellent value, particularly if the inclusion is on the outer edge where proper setting will conceal it. "I2" grades will still exhibit a fair degree of fire and light whereas "I3" grade diamonds are noticeably more opaque or dark to the naked eye.
So what does this mean to you? If you are planning to buy a diamond purely as an investment to be locked away for a future day when you will sell it, you likely will want to buy a truly colorless stone in the IF or VVSI category. But if you are like most people we know, and probably 99% of everybody who buys a diamond pendant, ring or earrings, you can get a whole lot more value for your money by selecting a stone of less than colorless quality and SI1 or SI2 clarity, and consider focusing your budget on the Cut, the most critical feature that gives you the best diamond value possible.
How to Buy the Superior Diamond
More than any other attribute, it is the Cut of the diamond that makes a diamond brilliant and beautiful. A diamond that is well cut reflects light internally and displays a dazzling shower of light back through the top of the stone.
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Excellent Cut: Light enters, bounces and returns to the viewer's eye |
Poor Cut: Light enters and
leaks out of the bottom |
Fact: Diamonds from Diamond Jewelry Masters are carefully inspected to represent the best cut standards for the price. When viewing a diamond, look directly into the center: if there are dark facets in the center or a dark ring around the center, or if the diamond appears opaque rather than clear, it is probably due to poor cut.
About 75% of all diamonds sold at retail fall into the fair to poor cut category. Nearly all of the diamonds sold at Diamond Jewelry Masters are rated "very good", "excellent", or "ideal" Cut and display a dazzling shower of light back to the viewer's eye. These are the top 25% of all diamond cuts. Even our lowest priced diamond necklaces are rated "good" for cut grade, but still represent an excellent value with lively brilliance, compared to the "fair" and "poor" cut grades sold in retail stores. We invite you to Learn The Secret of a Brighter Diamond so you will know how to choose the perfect diamond that is within your budget and is still the best value for the money.
We Offer Only Certified Diamonds
When it comes to judging a diamond, your best assurance of quality is a certificate from an independent gem laboratory.
Our certified loose diamonds come with a grading report from an unbiased third party who has carefully examined and recorded the cut, color, clarity, and carat weight of your diamond. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is regarded as the foremost authority on diamond grading and education and at Diamond Jewelry Masters, all of our expert staff are GIA Graduate Gemologists.
Beauty vs. Cost…the Right Balance
We sell loose diamonds in the “good” to “Excellent” quality range and wide price selection and we can assure you there are ready buyers for every diamond we have. But making a sale is only a part of doing business. Making happy owners of our diamonds is what good business is built upon and to succeed in this, we have developed a real soft spot for finding you the best value possible in your diamond choice.
For those who can afford it, we recommend an excellent cut diamond of G-H color and "eye-clean" clarity. This is a moderately priced diamond, but diamonds of this quality will produce the same dazzling shower of light as those costing thousands of dollars more. There are three simple reasons that this is so: First, it is the excellent cut that breathes life and sparkle into a diamond. Second, most experts agree that a G-H color appears colorless when put in any setting, so spending more for D-E-F color diamonds isn't necessary to get a colorless appearance. Third, a diamond of SI2 clarity is "eye-clean", meaning it has no flaws visible to the naked eye, and it costs a lot less than the higher clarity grades.
While a piece of diamond jewelry may be viewed fairly close up (an admirer may look at the diamond from a few inches away), diamond jewelry is usually viewed from a foot or more away, meaning that even a slightly visible flaw would rarely be detected.
Excellent loose diamond bargains with only a slight compromise in beauty can be found in the I1 Clarity range as well, as long as the cut is at least "Good" and the color is in the G-H range.
For those who are on a tight budget, don't be embarrassed to buy a diamond of a lower quality. All diamonds sparkle when they are worn around a woman's neck or wrist, or on her hand or ears, and let's face it: for the same price, many women would rather wear a 1 carat of a lower quality than a 1/2 carat of a higher quality.
What is the Right Diamond Shape?
The answer to this differs for each person and is based on a variety of factors. Without question, the shape and cutting style that is most brilliant and fiery is the round brilliant diamond. This is probably the single reason why round diamonds outsell other shapes by a factor of about 7 to 1. Diamond shapes other than round are referred to as fancy in the trade. If your preference leans toward a fancy shape diamond, there are a few factors to keep in mind.
- Emerald cuts have a sleek elegant look but are among the less brilliant shapes in terms of fire and return of light to the viewer’s eye. In addition, flaws in an emerald shape stone are much more noticeable. Due to the way the diamond is cut, an internal flaw in an emerald shape will be reflected and amplified to look like worse than it really is.
- Princess cuts are perhaps the best choice among fancy cut diamonds for overall brilliance and fire. The facets in a princess cut diamond are very similar in arrangement to those in a round cut stone.
- Marquis cuts can vary greatly in their length to width ratio. When viewing a Marquis cut, look straight into the table of the stone and see if you can identify a black bow-tie image directly at the center of the stone. Many Marquis suffer from this bow-tie effect and it detracts from the overall brilliance of this shape.
- Asscher cuts as well as Radiant and Cushion cuts require close evaluation. In particular, the Asscher can be a beautiful and brilliant cut but, along with the Radiant and Cushion cuts, all are rare and unless they are cut to correct proportions, they can be dull and lifeless.
- Pear and Oval cuts are usually reserved for stones over two carats. These do not display the fire and brilliance inherent in the brilliant round cut and the selection available is usually quite limited.
Trilliant, Heart and Baguette cuts are usually used as side or accent stones in a fancy solitaire setting.
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