Buying a Diamond

 Establish a comfortable budget
How much should you spend? Most of you have an idea as to what is comfortable for you. Be sure that whatever that amount is, you get the best diamond for your money. Whether you're spending one thousand dollars or ten thousand, make the most of your investment. You will find that for the same amount of money you can buy a smaller but nicer cut diamond with better clarity and lots of sparkle and fire or a larger diamond that is poorly cut or that may have many inclusions that are visible without magnification.

Select your jeweler
A good jeweler should be both knowledgeable and generous with advice. They should take the time to carefully explain and guide you through the 4 C's (carat weight, clarity, color and cut) which most of you are familiar with, plus the fifth C (cost) -see 5Cs of Diamonds for more information. It is absolutely essential to remember that no two diamonds are identical and weight is just one aspect in calculating the value of a diamond. Decide on which characteristics of a diamond are most important to you keeping in mind the following when you set out to find the diamond that is perfect for you.

You may choose to economize on color, clarity or size, but to ensure that you have the most brilliant diamond possible, you should never compromise on cut. You wouldn't compromise by buying a nice looking house with a cracked foundation or a car that looked great on the outside but needed major engine repair so don't do the same when buying a diamond.
The Four C's of Diamonds

Cut
Many people confuse cut with the shape of a diamond. The shape you select is a matter of individual taste, and today your choice is only limited by the skill and imagination of the craftsmen. It is their expertise during every stage of the fashioning process that reflects the maximum amount of light back to the eye. Most round, brilliant cut or fancy shaped diamonds possess 58 carefully angled flat surfaces, called facets. It is the precision of each facet's placement that will affect the amount of fire, brilliance and ultimate beauty of your diamond.

Color
The most prized diamonds are colorless diamonds, because their beauty depends entirely upon their remarkable optical properties. In such diamonds, all the colors of the rainbow are reflected back to your eye. While the majority of gem diamonds appear to be colorless, others can contain increasing shades of yellow to brown, some of which are referred to as champagne diamonds. Other diamonds of exceptional color, red, blue, green, pink, and amber are known as "Fancies".

The color grading scale varies from totally colorless to light color or tinted. The difference between one grade and its neighbor is very subtle. Experts never try to remember color; they use a master set of diamonds of known color for comparison purposes.

Clarity
Because of their unique optical properties, diamonds, more than any other gemstone, are capable of producing the maximum amount of brilliance. While minute crystals of diamond or other minerals are contained in almost all diamonds, a diamond that is virtually free of inclusions and surface markings will be judged as flawless. In these diamonds, nothing interferes with the passage of light nor spoils the beauty. But these diamonds are extremely rare and will command a high price.

FL: Flawless: No inclusions visible under 10X magnification

VVS1 and VVS2: Very, very slight inclusions: Inclusions are minute and extremely difficult to locate under 10X magnification

VS1 and VS2: Very slight inclusions - Inclusions are minor and difficult to locate under 10X magnification

SI1 and SI2: Slight inclusions - Inclusions are noticeable and relatively easy to locate under 10X magnification

I1, I2 and I3: Imperfect - Inclusions are obvious under 10X magnification and are visible to the naked eye

To determine a diamond's clarity grading, it must be examined under a 10X magnification by a trained, skilled eye. What minute inclusions there may be make every diamond unique. These are, in fact, nature's fingerprints and do not mar the diamond's beauty nor endanger its durability. Without high magnification, you may never see these inclusions. However, the fewer there are, the rarer your diamond will be.

Carat
As with all precious stones, the weight and therefore the size of a diamond is expressed in carats. One carat is divided into 100 "points" so that a diamond of 25 points is described as a quarter of a carat or .25 carats. Size is the most obvious factor in determining the value of a diamond, but now you know that two diamonds of equal size can have very unequal prices depending on their quality. However, remember that diamonds can be found in all size ranges.

Cost
Most of you are familiar with the four C's, but at Richards Jewelers we've added an extra "C" because we understand that there is more to deciding on a diamond that is perfect for you. We can show you the difference between various qualities of diamonds and how these differences affect the price you pay. We can help you select the very best your money can buy. Quality and value for money are more important now than they have ever been when it comes to the important things we buy. We will do our absolute best to guarantee that savings are passed on to you.

When you are ready to choose your diamond, please consider Richards Jewelers. As established jewelers, we prize our good reputation and know that you are making one of your most important purchases. We are both knowledgeable and generous with advice and help.