DIAMOND CHARACTERISTICS

DIAMOND CHARACTERISTICS

Getting married is a really amazing experience because it gives one the opportunity to experience so many new things. One such new experience is choosing and buying the right engagement / wedding ring with the right diamond. Buying a diamond is a completely new experience for most young people, but it doesn't  have to be overwhelming or confusing. Understanding a diamond's characteristics, value and quality is fairly straightforward and is within the realm of everyone in the market to buy a diamond ring.

Below is an explanation about a diamond's characteristics and how each of those characteristics influence its value and appearance, as well as which of its characteristics are more important than the others. So, in just a few moments you'll know everything you need to know about diamonds in order to choose that perfect diamond for your loved one.

Cut, clarity, Colour and Carat are know as the 4 C's but if you haven't heard about them before,  I suggest you read some of my previous logs.  However, I need to throw you another curved ball and  it's called shape. Shape describes a diamond's form, when viewed from above. Diamonds come in several shapes and sizes amongst which are Round (RBC), Princess, Marquise, Asscher, Cussion, Emerald, Pear and Oval, all  considered to be standard for loose diamonds. They can range from tiny chips called  pavé, pronounced “pa-vay”,  to the gem-quality diamonds. The largest diamond ever found weighed in at 3106.75 carats. 

However, these diamond shapes have different attributes, and their sizes have different values but the overall beauty of the individual shapes and the size of the diamond is purely a matter of personal taste. Before we continue, let me say that the biggest factor to choosing the right diamond is to choose the right shape, so therefore before you can choose the right diamond, you need to be absolutely certain about which shape you prefer. The most common  diamond shape and most popular diamond shape favoured for engagement rings, earrings and accent stones is called round brilliant cut (RBC). Round cut diamonds are generally fiery and the luster of the gem produce appealing reflections due to their number of facets- normally 58.

The image on the top left is  a view of a diamond from the aove. The image on the left is a view of a diamond from below. The bottom image is a 3D view of a round brilliant diamond (RBC).
Note! All other diamond shape are also cut multifaceted but the brilliance and luster will vary because of its reflected light.

DIAMOND SHAPES

Princess Cut Diamond is normally a multifaceted square shape stone. Emerald shaped diamonds have step style facets. Cushion Cut diamond are either square or rectangular in shape with rounded corners and sides. Marquise Cut Diamond is very unique in appearance and have an overall oval shape with two pointed ends.
Pear Shaped Diamond is a cross between the marquise shape and the oval shape and somewhat  resembles a Teardrop. A Trillian Cut Diamond is a triangle with rounded sides and softly rounded corners. Oval Cut Diamond shape is much like a round cut diamond but elongated.  Each shape has a different luster which is dependent on its colour and clarity.

Physical diamond size is related to weight which is measured in carats. So it goes without saying that the larger a diamond the higher the carat and therefore higher the price. However clarity and colour takes preference over cut and carat. Clarity ranges in steps from flawless to I3. Flawless being the most expensive but diamonds graded I2 and I3 are the primary diamond grades you should consider because they are really good value for money. For example a 10 pointer flawless diamond with colour D would cost several times the price of a half a carat diamond graded I3 with colour K. For a more in depth colour grading tutorial, all about diamonds. Colour is a very important characteristic. The whiter the diamond the more pricey the diamond. Colour is graded from D - Z, D being the whitest and Z virtually yellow.

To sum up, the closer the diamond is to D and the closer it is to flawless the higher the price and conversely the closer the diamond is to Z and the higher the impurities the lesser the cost of the diamond. But regardless of how impure the diamond or how off-white or even how small the diamond is, it is a million times better than buying imitation,  synthetic, man made ‎Zirconium dioxide (cubic zirconias) aka "fake diamonds",  lab-grown diamonds, Russsian lab diamonds and other man-made diamonds. 

Moissanite  is another diamond simulants, pasted off as diamond, and eventhough  it is naturally occurring silicon carbide and is almost as hard as diamond, in no uncertain terms it is not a diamond - its a diamond simulant. Investing in Moissanite simulants equates to paying top dollar for semi precious stones like amethyst, citrine, aquamarine, amethyst, garnet, tourmaline.  Diamonds, sapphires, rubies and emeralds are the only precious gem stones worth investing in. The newest gem to take the market storm is Tanzanite which is a  rare blue gem and a popular alternative to blue sapphire. Diamond rings are often accented with Tanzanite which are really beautiful . What makes Tanzanite valuable is because it is considered to be a thousand times rarer than Diamonds. My implication if the Tanzanite mines run dry, the value of Tanzanite may even exceed the value of diamonds, so Diamond and Tanzanite jewelry is the way to go.