DiscountDiamondRingsOnline - Diamond Buying Guide

Diamond Buying Guide

Cut
The proportions, angles, and symmetries of a diamond affect its brightness, fire, and scintillation.

Color
Diamond colors are graded from D to Z. D grade indicates that a diamond is completely colorless, which is very rare. E and F grades have almost no color and are classified as colorless. G, H, I, and J grades appear colorless face up, but have slightly detectable color when viewed face down. K, L, and M grades have a faint visible yellowness in both face up and face down positions, but smaller diamonds of these grades appear colorless when mounted. Beyond the Z grade, diamonds have very noticeable color and are classified as fancy-color.

Carat
A carat is a unit of weight equal to 200 milligrams. Diamonds are weighed to a thousandth carat precision, and the weight is rounded to the nearest hundrendth.

Clarity
A diamond's clarity is judged based on how visible the inclusions and blemishes are. A small inclusion that gets reflected in the pavillion can diminish a diamond's clarity rating more than a similar one that is not reflected. Darker inclusions tend to be more visible than lighter ones. Position matters a lot. Inclusions right under the table are the most visible.