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).
This Morning's Find: A 0.81 Carat G Color VS1 Clarity Ideal Cut Round Cut Diamond
When stepping up to get such good properties - the G color and VS1 clarity - don't let yourself down by choosing poorly with regards to the diamond's cut grading.
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Shape: Round Carat weight: 0.81 Cut: Ideal Color: G Clarity: VS1 Price: $3670 Certificate: GIA Depth: 62.4% Table: 57.0% Polish: Excellent Symmetry: Excellent Girdle: Medium to slightly thick Culet: None Fluorescence: None Measurements: 5.94*5.98*3.72 Item number: 1314156 |
Click here to search for other diamonds at James Allen.
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond. Mae West .
Girdle thickness (for this diamond the girdle is "Medium to slightly thick") can play an important role in the size presented by the diamond, which is detailed in my article about girdle thickness. Typically VS1 clarity diamonds are the most affordable "safe" clarity grading for buying online without a photo - you can go to a lower clarity grading but then you need to see a good quality photo of the diamond to analyze the defects for yourself. While not quite as perfect a cut as Hearts & Arrows, the Ideal cut of this particular diamond means it is significantly cheaper, because you're not paying a premium for a "perfectly" cut diamond. This G color diamond is less colored than the lowest normal color gradings of J and below, which means it's a a balance-point between quality and budget, enabling you to get more in the other Cs of diamonds such as carat size.
This diamond's $3670 price is a major investment for a lot of people, but it does lead to a nicer and bigger stone than if you were to only spend a few hundred bucks. If you look at this 0.81 carat stone and think to yourself, "that stone is too small", ponder whether it's possible to compromise by lowering another property, for example color or cut in order to go for a larger diamond.