Cutting Through The Confusion About Diamonds To Help You Find The Best Engagement Ring

Diamonds are a must for engagement rings, but choosing the right diamond is not just a matter of picking something sparkly. Diamonds are categorized into four standards of quality known as the four c’s. They are carat, cut, color along with clarity. The consequent value and how much you will pay for a diamond are established on these features, which will in turn determine the final cost of the engagement ring.

The American Gem Society (AGS) has one a grading system to identify the level of the stone’s quality as decided by expert appraisers, and the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) ultilizes a different scale. Each provide grades to almost all of the characteristics of a diamond – cut, color and clarity. The AGS uses grades on a 0 to 10 scale. Lower numbers indicate a superior grade of diamond. The faultless diamond would require 3 grades of 0 in addition to a high number for the carats indicating weight. GIA scales for color range from D to Z, clarity start from FL to I3 plus cut from poor to excellent. Some jewelers will use either or both of the grading systems.

Color and clarity are both naturally occurring qualities of diamonds. The less color a diamond has, the lower the figure it is graded with, among engagement rings yellow or pink diamonds are growing in their commonality. Perfectly colorless diamonds on the AGS scale rank a 0, however the GIA’s scale has letter rankings with D as a diamond without color progressing up the alphabet to Z which denotes very colorful diamonds.

Clarity within a diamond identifies the number of flaws inherent within the rock. These are known as inclusions. The number of these along with how visible they are in the stone determine the diamond’s GIA and AGS grades. The alpha-numeric figures that determine clarity used by the GIA categorize those diamonds as best which are FL (flawless), VVS1 (very, very slight inclusion), VVS2, VS1 (very slight inclusion), VS2, S1 (slight inclusion), S2, I1(inclusion), I2, and I3. As is the case with the other grades ultilized by the AGS, the scale to determine clarity commences from 0 to 10 with 0 indicating a flawless rock and 10 denoting a diamond with a lot of imperfections.

There are several different diamond cuts exist, but not like the color and clarity, the cut has everything to do with the person cutting the stone. Due to the fact that there are several types of cut, you’ll find three quality rankings for a cut diamond by the GIA to rate the stone’s cut: total light if the diamond displays (brilliance), sparkle (scintillation), plus light dispersion (fire). Which facilitate the the most accessible grade from the GIA: excellent, very good, good, and poor. The AGS uses a grade from 0 to 10 with 0 the best and 10 a poorly cut stone.

The diamond’s carat in an engagement ring is a unit which determines the weight of the stone. Most engagement ring diamonds have a weight of under one carat that equates to 0.2 grams. Carat weight is universal therefore despite which rating system is used by the jeweler, the carat weight will be the same. In many cases, the bigger the diamond, the more expensive the subsequent engagement ring is likely to be.

You can have a smaller diamond within an engagement ring provided that you compensate with several other stones. The ring that your fiancée desires should be taken into account because a diamond is a girl’s best friend, although a few ladies desire them on their engagement ring far more than the rest.

This article was written by Michael Crane whom is a precious stone expert and past attorney. His store showcases some of the most beautiful jewelry in austin texas. He consults clients on one of the most incredible choices of their life.