Without a doubt, diamonds are among the most exquisite stones in existence. This is mainly due to the colorless appearance, which is a combination of the diamond characteristics: cut, clarity, color, and carat. For years these core characteristics have help describe the beauty of a diamond.
The cut of a diamond is always the first to be considered—as it is considered as the most important of the characteristics. This is because the cut usually determines the value. For instance, a big or heavy diamond isn’t always valuable if the cut is poor. Although many refer to the shape of the stone as its cut, this term actually refers to the reflective qualities of a diamond. In layman’s terms, the cut determines the diamond’s ability to handle the light passing through the stone. The light that passes through the diamond should reflect back to the eye; with poorly cut diamonds, the light leaks out.
Meanwhile, the clarity of the diamond allows one to see the flaws of the stone. Clarity is rated from F (flawless) to I1 to I3 (the lowest of the grades). Experts do not suggest buyers get diamond with the last three ratings, as diamonds with these ratings have visible internal flaws (meaning the diamond is obviously of poor quality). Needless to say, buyers should opt for colorless diamonds, since this also means it is clear. The highest grade of diamonds is colorless. Next to colorless on the color scale is near colorless, faint fellow, and very light yellow. Diamonds with a light yellow color are of low quality.
The final characteristic is the carat, or the weight of the stone. A carat is 200 milligrams, although bigger doesn’t always mean more valuable. Good diamonds should always strike a balance between all four characteristics.
No comments:
Post a Comment