Quick and Easy Buying Guide

Carat weight: 1 carat = 200 milligrams = 6.5 mm diameter. Doubling weight doesn't double diameter.

Diamond clarity: FL/IF/VVS/VS = super expensive, near perfect. SI = best value if you can check a photo for obvious inclusions (defects).

 

Color: D-G = colorless, expensive, only if you have money to burn. H-J = best value. Can go lower in gold metal settings than white metal.

Cut: Better cut ratings let more light into a diamond, making it sparkle more. Very important property, don't skimp here.

Set a budget and minimum cut (Premium). Go J color for gold and I/H for white metals. Go searching for SI1/SI2 clarity diamonds at James Allen. Pick a diamond with small/no inclusions. Choose a ring setting and buy it risk-free (60-day returns).

Found today: a 1.71 Carat F Color VS1 Clarity Ideal Cut Round Cut Diamond

F color VS1 clarity - could you ask for any more? Not much I think, except perhaps a better cost, as there is an increased cost resulting from getting these nice qualities found in this stone.

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Better a diamond with a flaw than a pebble without. Chinese Proverb .

Do not neglect diamond characteristics outside the four Cs, such as girdle thickness - which can be important due to reasons outlined in the article on girdles on this website. VS stands for Very Slightly Included - this VS1 clarity diamond has some smaller inclusions which may or may not be easy to see under 10x magnification, but almost never visible with the naked eye - although it can occur sometimes. Think about whether you're entirely set on the 1.71 carat weight that this diamond is - perhaps you are able to extend a bit more to buy a larger stone. While not quite as perfect a cut as Hearts & Arrows, the Ideal cut of this diamond means it is significantly cheaper, because you're not paying a premium for a "perfectly" cut diamond. The difference between any adjacent colors in the D-E-F color range is only detectable in a lab, with the significance that this F color diamond is indistinguishable when compared with diamonds rated only one color grade differently.

For $23100, you should be getting a nice stone, so make sure you're harsh in your judgement as you look at this stone.

Shape: Round

Carat weight: 1.71

Cut: Ideal

Color: F

Clarity: VS1

Price: $23100

Certificate: GIA

Depth: 60.4%

Table: 59.0%

Polish: Excellent

Symmetry: Excellent

Girdle: Medium to slightly thick

Culet: None

Fluorescence: None

Measurements: 7.72*7.75*4.67

Item number: 1335218

Click here to see the diamond at James Allen.

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