A diamond can be worth thousands. It has the power to express everything about your love for your partner when you present them with one studded on their engagement ring. It also talks about your class, sense of fashion, and outlook in life. It will be disappointing to arouse so much excitement only for the recipient or an admirer to realize that the diamond you gave them was a fake.
Just like all other important decisions in your life, you must perfect the art of buying diamonds to ensure you get a genuine precious stone. Do not be frightened into thinking that you now have to shop around with carat measuring equipment. However, it will be more pleasing to get the sterling silver diamond ring you want instead of wasting away in remorse that you never got value for money.
Buying genuine diamond jewelry is a simple yet complex affair. When you get it right the first time, it will be easier to buy diamond jewelry in the future. However, you must realize that you will be looking for a different item each time you go shopping for jewelry.
To ease your search for the perfect diamond when buying jewelry, here is a guide that will help you identify genuine diamonds and ensure that you get value for money every time you shop for them.
Know the 4 Cs, that is Color, Carat Weight, Cut, and Clarity
You may not need any other tip if you know the 4Cs. They form the basics of evaluating the genuineness and price of a diamond. Since these 4Cs are crucial, they deserve more attention. A look at each individual “C” will provide you with a better idea of what they represent.
Cut
Cut refers to the shape of the diamond you choose and will affect how much the stone sparkles. Think of the shapes like square, round, hexagon, etc. The cut is graded using terms such as poor, fair, good, and excellent. An excellent cut will allow the gemstone to reflect light efficiently and will help you determine how much sparkle you can expect to see from the diamond you look at.
A polished cut will give you an idea of the quality of a diamond. It makes the stone elegant and the resulting jewelry admirable. The cut also affects the shape of the gemstone. You should find a jeweler who can deliver the shape you desire while ensuring that it is elegantly polished.
Color
The grading of color refers to the presence or absence of color. The rating is done from D to Z, D being colorless and Z being colored. Colorless stones are graded between D and Fand require a trained eye or a gemologist to distinguish between them. Grades between G and J are near colorless. You may be deceived into believing that it is colorless. The other color varieties are faint color, very light color, and light color.
Colorless diamonds are more expensive because they maintain their sparkle. The faint to light-color in a diamond can also be seen with the naked eye. The colorless and near-colorless diamonds are generally mounted in gold or platinum. This may affect their price.
Clarity
Clarity refers to the number and size of imperfections in a diamond. These tiny imperfections are call inclusions. Diamonds with the highest clarity rating will always have a good sparkle. Flawless diamond stones are denoted as FL. This is a rare stone and could cost you a fortune. On the opposite side of the spectrum are I2 and I3. The inclusions can be seen with the naked eye but have minimal interference with the sparkle.
The best choice is a stone with fewer inclusions. It saves you money while still allowing you to enjoy the prestige of owning a diamond. If it is flawless, you must be ready to pay the highest price.
Carat
Carat refers to the weight of the stone. Diamonds that have a smaller carat weight will appear larger when cut. The increase in diamond will result in an exponential hike in price. The relationship between carat weight and size may mean that the cheaper stones will not be as visible. Still, a small stone of a higher carat quality may sparkle more than a large stone of a lower carat weight.
Other Factors to Help You Find Genuine Sterling Silver Diamond Jewelry
The technical elements of grading diamonds may be confusing. Still, other friendlier tests the rely on observation could help you buy the best diamond jewelry. Here are simple tests to make diamond buying easier.
- Where is the diamond stone set? The setting affects the overall price. Precious metals like gold and platinum will inflate the price. You should be cautious of settling for jewelry made of plated metals because the coating can chip away easily.
- Test the stone in water. Drop the stone in a glass of water at room temperature. Genuine diamonds sink to the bottom because they have higher density. If it floats, you are holding a fake stone and should run out of the shop.
- Refractivity test – the sparkle of a diamond arises from the ability of the stone to bend light. The refraction of light results in brilliance. Any stone that is not a diamond will not refract light. In case such substances as Cubic Zirconia bend the light, its brilliance is diminished.
- Other tests– other tests include reading a newspaper through the stone and the dot test. If you can see through the stone, it is most likely fake because a genuine diamond does not allow you to see through the crystal.
The uncertainty about buying genuine sterling silver diamond jewelry can be eliminated by buying from a credible jeweler. This gives you the advantage of getting a guarantee as well as enables you to avoid buying conflict diamonds. These tests ensure that you get value for money and the pride of owning genuine diamond jewelry.
