Diamonds are known as a girls best friend and many believe that that bigger is better, but is that actually true? This post will look at the different aspects of a diamond which makes them valuable, we will also look at other qualities that diamonds possess.
Diamonds refractive index is 2.4175 in basic terms this means they are one of the most refractive materials know to man which means the sparkle A LOT! They also rank is 10 out of 10 on the Mohs hardness scale, this means they are the hardest material known to man. However, diamonds can still shatter this is something that you need to bear in mind when wearing diamond jewellery.
Next thing to consider when purchasing diamond jewellery is the 4 C's.
Cut
Colour
Clarity
Carat weight
The cut of the diamond is important for the proper refraction of light all facets need to line up nicely to ensure refraction of light is efficient.
Diamonds come in a variety of colours ranging from clear through to yellow pink etc. Some of these colour variations are extremely valuable such as Argyle pink diamonds which are mined in Western Australia. However, generally speaking a diamond should be colourless to have the highest value, even slight grey tones which are almost impossible to pick up with the naked eye can affect the value dramatically. GIA the body responsible for grading diamond has this scale for grading colour in diamonds (2018)
Almost all natural gemstone will have inclusions and veils that can affect its clarity, it is very unusual for a gemstone to be flawless. This is no different when it comes to diamonds most will have some sort of veil or inclusion. Many diamonds are described as eye clean. All this means is that you can not see these veils and inclusions with the naked eye. This is until you see the stone under magnification, which then all of a sudden your stone is riddled with them. These tiny imperfections can dramatically decrease the value of a diamond. Every inclusion and veil within a stone affects how it refracts light which means it will not sparkle as much as an almost flawless stone. GIA the body responsible for diamond grading state "
- Flawless (FL) - No inclusions or blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10× magnification
- Internally Flawless (IF) - No inclusions and only blemishes are visible to a skilled grader using 10× magnification
- Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) - Inclusions are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10× magnification
- Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) - Inclusions are minor and range from difficult to somewhat easy for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
- Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) - Inclusions are noticeable to a skilled grader under 10x magnification
- Included (I1, I2, and I3) - Inclusions are obvious under 10× magnification and may affect transparency and brilliance" (2018)
Most people believe that the major factor determining a diamonds value is it's carat weight or 'size' of the stone. This in the most part is true the bigger the diamond the more valuable it is within its own category an example would be a diamond with a G SI rating with a carat weigh of 1 would be more valuable than a G SI with a carat weight of 0.50.
with this information you are now prepared to make decisions on your diamond purchases you now understand that bigger is not always better. it may look more impressive however, we have established that a diamond with a colour grading of D, a clarity rating of FL and a carat weight of 0.40ct. Is likely to be more valuable than a diamond with a colour grading of U and a clarity grading of SI and a carat weight of 1ct