Choosing Your Diamond
Firstly, you need to decide on the type of diamond jewellery you want - is it a ring, pendant, earrings or necklete you are after? Also consider the style you want and whether you are after gold, white gold, yellow gold, or a platinum setting.
Ask yourself how much you want to spend. It's not neccessary to spend a fortune to get the diamond that is right for you. Set your budget and stick to it!
Now you can choose the diamond itself. Often you find two diamonds that look alike have very different monetry values.
To understand this, familiarise yourself with the 4C's - Colour, Clarity, Carat and Cut. The mixture of these four characteristics determines the value, rarity and beauty of a diamond.
Colour
While many diamond do appear colourless, most contain at least some subtle tones of yellow or brown. The closer a diamond is to having no colour at all, the more expensive it becomes.
Colours of diamonds are graded from D, continuing through the alphabet to Z. Completely colourless diamonds (graded D) are extremely rare, but while still beautiful, lower graded diamonds are less rare and therefore less expensive.
Clarity
Most diamonds contain some inclusions - a natural identifying mark such as fractures. The fewer the inclusions the greater the clarity and expense of the diamond. Inclusions are normally invisible to the naked eye. However, in numbers, they can affect the flow of light through the diamond, causing some of the sparkle to be lost.
Diamonds with inclusions that you can see with the naked eye are graded I1 - I2. Those with small inclusions are graded SI1 - SI2, and those with very small inclusions are graded VS1 - VS2. Diamonds with very very small inclusions are graded VVS1 - VVS2. And those very rare diamonds with no inclusions are called flawless (FL) or internally flawless (IF).
Carat
The carat refers to the weight of the diamond, and so naturallyt its size! One carat is one fifth of a gram. In most instances, the larger the carat of the diamond, the more rare and valuable the diamond.
Cut
The cut is the actual shape of the diamond and refers to the proportions and angles. It is the cut that makes the diamonds use of light, allowing light to be dispersed and reflected. A well proportioned cut allows the most amount of light to be reflected.
How to Check Your Ring Size
What is a Diamond?
Choosing a Diamond
What Are Conflict Diamonds?
Engagement Rings from Here to Eternity
Gold Jewellery: a Prized Possession
Gold Jewellery - The History
Jewelry Throughout Time
Can Necklaces Mean a Pain in the Neck?
What Women Really Like About Jewellery
