Diamond Rings : A Short Guide
If you are contemplating purchasing a diamond ring, the most critical element in your decision, is the cut of the diamond. When comparing two diamonds that are priced equally, unless you know the rating of the stone’s cut, there is no way to really know which is the better deal. A diamond’s brilliance is determined by the way it refracts and reflects light, therefore, the meticulousness of every cut made in a diamond, carries great weight. Failure to reflect light back to the surface of a diamond is caused but cuts which are too shallow or too deep, thus allowing light to escape the opposite side or the bottom. These are marks of a poorly cut diamond. A diamond that is well-cut, which is one with the correct number of facets and precision angles in good proportions, will allow light to bounce off all if its sides without losing any of it, before finally reflecting it back through its top.
When people say that diamond rings have ‘good’ color, it is not the same as the bright, bold, colors that you might think of. The most desirable diamond rings are actually referred to as being colorless, but these are both very rare and very expensive. The opposite end of the spectrum is home to the more ordinary and inexpensive known as yellow diamonds. The clarity, or inner characteristics of a diamond, can only be established with a jeweler’s microscope. Within diamonds there are minute specks, ripples and indentations, and these imperfections are known as inclusions. A diamond that has less inclusions will be more expensive, but, if you choose a stone with a good color and cut, a slightly included stone will look just as attractive as a diamond that has no imperfections at all.
Diamond weight is calculated in points and carats, with 100 points making up a carat. When determining price, a single stone of one carat is far more expensive that several stones with a combined weight of one carat. Knowing the “per carat cost” of a diamond will give you the true diamond price and a high carat weight diamond may appear impressive. However, only after considering the cut, color and clarity can true value be determined.
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