What happens when you google “what to know before you buy a diamond’? You will get plenty of information on the 4Cs (color, clarity, carat and cut), you’ll hear about the difference between natural and lab grown diamonds and you’ll see photo comparisons of some low versus high quality diamonds. Some of these articles will get into the nitty gritty of diamond terms, explain every aspect of a diamond’s grading report and give you the most thorough diamond education you can get without becoming a certified gemologist. But what do all those things really mean? Or, in other words, what are you really paying for?
We at Vanscoy, Maurer and Bash Diamond Jewelers in Lancaster, PA have plenty of experience combing through all those little details to know how certain diamond qualities affect the cost, but not the diamond itself. Below, we’re sharing three of our most valuable diamond-buying tips that will get you the diamond of their dreams. Curious yet?
Buy with your eye.
Don’t get us wrong, a diamond’s report is important; it tells you the specs of the diamond, verifies its origin, and adds value. But they can hide more than you might expect. For example, while the diamond color grade always starts at D and ends in Z, the standards on which diamonds are given a color changes from diamond-grading lab to diamond-grading lab. What is an H diamond to one lab is a J to another. Also, diamonds are graded on one color - yellow. The report won’t tell you if it has a brown or gray shade to it. Another factor is fluorescence. This measures a diamond’s natural ability to glow in the dark. A mild fluorescence, which can cast a blue tone on a diamond, can cancel out some of a diamond’s yellow color and give it a whiter appearance. However, strong fluorescence can create cloudiness. Given that it is one of the least described parts of a lab report and is not factored into a diamond’s clarity, color twinges, shade and fluorescence is proof that buying with your eye is the unrivaled way to go.
What’s a diamond without its sparkle?
The single most-influential factor in giving a diamond its renowned sparkle is cut. Ranging from poor to excellent, cut is the quality you want to prioritize when purchasing a diamond. Why? As we described above, looks matter. And a poor cut diamond just doesn’t look good. It can make the highest clarity and color diamond look dull and dark. However, its cut can also make a lower range diamond look like it’s worth a million bucks (the good news is that it’s not going to cost you that!).
It won’t stand alone.
You can’t wear a loose diamond. The goal of your diamond-buying adventure is always to set it into something, whether it’s a ring, a necklace, earrings, etc. Keeping your end goal in mind will keep you on the right track when buying the perfect diamond for you or your partner. Do they want a yellow gold engagement ring? A warmer tone diamond will match the rich yellow of the ring’s metal better than a colorless one. Do they want a bezel? Bezel settings will naturally make diamonds look larger, so you can go down a few carat points and still get the same appearance as a larger one. Looking for a diamond pair for earrings? Since they’ll be in your ear and not subject to close inspections like rings, lower clarities and colors are perfect for studs. How about a necklace? Same as earrings! Context matters when picking a diamond, so don’t forget to think ahead just a bit.
Now would this really be a diamond-advice article if it didn’t end with us advising you to come in for a chat and to learn more? Of course not! So here it is! We always recommend coming in person to see our selection of stunning diamonds and to talk with one of our diamond experts before making a final decision. You heard all about it, but now let us show you how much bang you can get for your buck ;)
