Tips for First-Time Diamond Buyers

Size

The weight or carat of a diamond is often the first thing people think about when diamond shopping. While size does matter, it doesn’t necessarily tell the whole story. A diamond can be massive, but if it isn’t cut to the right dimensions or has too many inclusions, it won’t catch the light in the same way as a smaller, higher-quality diamond.

Color and Clarity

Diamonds are rated according to their colorlessness, with D being completely colorless and Z being quite yellow. Colorless diamonds look better against white gold, and you can get away with a little more color with yellow or rose gold settings.

Clarity refers to the inclusions or imperfections found within the stone. More imperfections can take away from the appearance of the diamond, and the clarity scale ranges from Flawless to Included, with sub-ratings in each category.

Shape and Cut

Diamonds come in many different shapes, with round, square, marquise, heart-shaped, pear-shaped, rectangular, and a few others being the most popular. Cut refers to the ability of the stone to reflect light based on the dimensions and facets of the individual stone. Diamonds are typically rated from Excellent down to Poor. If a diamond is too deep or shallow, it won’t have the same level of sparkle. You can also find specialty diamonds with even more brilliance, like the passion cut diamond with its 81-facet arrangement. If you want your diamond to sparkle like fireworks on the 4 ^th of July, one of these might be the right stone for you.