In my previous article, I mentioned that I wanted to explain just how diamonds are classified by the GIA. The different classification each diamond undergoes helps to determine just how much the diamond is actually worth, as well as to protect both the buyer of the diamond from getting a phony or a bad diamond at a good diamond’s cost. It’s good to know these things when you’re shopping for a diamond. I’m not saying that all diamond sellers are untrustworthy or out to swindle you out of your hard earned cash, not at all. I am saying though that once you’re looking at the diamonds, understanding their ratings will help you to understand if they are giving you a good price, and what ranges of classification you want for the diamond to buy.

There are four basic areas that professionals look at when they are inspecting a diamond to determine it’s grade. One of them, diamond clarity, is something that I discussed in greater detail in my previous article, What is a Diamond Clarity Scale? I was going to do an article on each of the other three classifications that a diamond is given, but have decided instead to simply cover the rest of them in this article.

So, for just a quick overview of yesterday’s post, diamond clarity is basically a measurement of how clear the diamond is and if it is free from any kinds of inclusions or other blemishes that take away from the natural beauty of a diamond.

Diamond Carat

If you really don’t know anything about diamonds, then first off you should probably understand what a carat is. It’s not a vegetable that grows in the ground loved by the famed Bugs Bunny. A carat is a unit of measurement that professionals use to classify the weight, or size, of each diamond. For those of you who love trivia, a carat is actually 1/5 of a gram and 1/142 of an ounce.

Diamond Cut

The diamond cut is another important aspect in classifying a diamond. Don’t misunderstand, I’m not talking about the shape a diamond is once it’s cut. Princess cut diamonds are not more or less valuable than round cut diamonds. The diamond cut tells us about the shape and proportions of a diamond. The way that is it cut is essential to how beautiful the stone is. If the cut is poor, the diamond will lack any sparkle.

Diamond Color

When I was growing up, I thought that all diamonds were white and clear, but I was wrong. Not all diamonds are colorless. As diamonds are being formed in the earth, they become colored when certain elements or chemicals mix with the carbon. Colorless diamonds are actually pretty rare (making them ultra-expensive). Like the diamond clarity scale in my previous article, diamonds are placed into grades for the amount of color being in each one. Each diamond is ranked by letters depending on their colors as follows: letters D-F are considered colorless making them expensive and rare. Then, the letters go all the way down to Z, which is a visibly tinted diamond of really low quality.

Once you get an idea of what kind of diamond you can afford and what kind of diamond you want to buy for your engagement ring, then it’s time to start shopping. As you’re shopping always be sure to ask for the different grades of the diamond while you are looking.

Tags: diamond cut, diamond grades, engagement ring, Engagement Rings