BLOG

A diamond can stay with you forever, but not all diamonds are worth keeping. When selecting diamonds for engagement rings, earrings, necklaces or other jewellery, you need to choose one that meets a certain criteria and really gives you the best value for your money.

Buying the perfect diamond takes more than just going into a store, picking the one you like and paying for it. Although you can do this and you may choose well, to have the perfect diamond this simply won’t work. Further scrutiny of the stones in a jewellery store is extremely necessary. The same thing goes for gold and south sea pearls in Australia. To really get your money’s worth, you must be willing to invest time and effort to make sure you buy one that’s of the highest calibre you can afford.

Cut, Carat, Colour and Clarity

These are the four things that you should examine when choosing a diamond, and to help you do that take note of these tips:

Cut

• Avoid diamonds with cuts that are too deep or too shallow as this will affect its brilliance and sparkle, resulting in the stone appearing dull or lifeless.
• Choose one that has a proportional amount of bright and dark areas. This means that the diamond has a top grade cut.
• Consider the cut grade of the diamond when comparing two stones. If they have an identical cut grade, you can look deeper into their symmetry, polish, culet size, girdle width, and table and depth percentage.

Carat

• Never prioritise size over beauty. A diamond with a large carat is not always more valuable and more beautiful than the one with a small carat.
• Always evaluate the carat in relation to the other Cs.
• Although you may hear about carat first when talking about diamonds, consider this last when choosing what to buy.

Colour

• Not all white diamonds are the same, as some of them have a tinge of yellow. If you want a pure white colour for your stone, pick those within the D, E and F colour range.
• Compare a diamond to a colorimeter or master set when determining its value.

Clarity

• While Flawless (FL) is the ideal diamond to buy as it has no blemishes and inclusions they are extremely rare and can fetch twice the price of an equivalent stone of a lower clarity grade, diamonds which fall under the clarity grades of Very Slight Inclusions (VS) and Slight Inclusions (Si1) are also excellent choices.
• Some Si1 clarity grade diamonds may have slight inclusions visible to the naked eye. Make sure you get quality grade diamonds of this grade and consult an expert before buying them.

Diamond Certification

The most important element that can determine the value and authenticity of your diamond is its certification.

Even after a seller gives you his word regarding the excellent cut, colour and clarity and the exact carat of your diamond, this should not be enough. Make sure that reputable laboratories have examined the diamond and provided their identification report on it. Among the world’s most trusted grading and identification laboratories are Gemmological Institute of America (GIA), International Gemmological Institute (IGI), and Diamond High Council or Hoge Raad voor Diamant (HRD).

At Jewels of the Kimberley, we want our clients to make the right purchase, especially when it comes to their diamonds. In remembering these tips, you can confidently choose the perfect diamond that will stay with you for years.

Aside from diamond engagement rings, we also have exquisite Australian pearl jewellery, including pearl drop earrings, bracelets and pendants. You can choose from our gallery of beautiful designs or have one custom made for you. Call us now and our friendly team of experts will be glad to assist you with any queries.