Sparkling Diamonds for You
Diamonds are some of the most beautiful gemstones that exist. They also tend to be quite pricey, however, not all diamonds are automatically worth their hefty price tags, especially if they do not possess the four qualities which define a gem grade diamond. So when purchasing diamonds, there are four things that you need to consider, whether you intend to buy them for use as gemstones or investments. These four characteristics are carat, clarity, colour, and cut.
Carat is the weight of a diamond's mass, with one carat equivalent to 200 milligrams. If you will be purchasing stones that have not been set into jewellery, then the carat would be the measurement of its weight in mass. However, if you will be buying a piece of jewellery such as a necklace made of diamonds, it would be usually measured by its Total Carat Weight which consists of all the gems in that particular piece.
Clarity refers to the number of internal defects called inclusions which a diamond can have. These inclusions can be the crystals of a different material or the imperfections in a diamond's structure. The clarity of diamonds can range from being imperfect to flawless, and the appropriate grades are given by trained professionals who can spot the inclusions within a particular gem through magnifiers.
Colour can determine a diamond's value. The perfect stone is one that is completely transparent or colourless, since it is free from any defects or imperfections. However, certain coloured or fancy diamonds can also command high prices depending on the intensity and hue of their colourations. For example, a blue-coloured gem such as the Hope diamond is considered rare and, therefore, priceless. Pink diamonds, meanwhile, are prized due to their rarity, and tend to be very expensive compared to other coloured gems.
Cut describes the way in which a certain diamond has been formed or shaped then polished until it becomes a gem quality stone. Several kinds of cuts are used by diamond cutters such as the round brilliant, the princess cut, and the marquise cut. These cuts are used to maximise the brilliance and fire reflected by a diamond.
So when you are in a jewellery shop searching for a diamond to purchase, make sure that you consider these four characteristics in order for you to get the best one for your money.