Most people love to look at diamonds, but how much do we really know about them? Considering how much they cost we should know what we are getting into before taking the plunge. Here is a primer on diamonds. The diamond grading system is referred to as the 4Cs – Cut, Colour, Clarity, Carat.
Cut – the actual angles and proportions that affect how a diamond shines, not the shape.
Colour – the rarest diamonds are colourless and are classified as DEF. The other colour classifications in descending order are GH, IJ, KL, M – Z.
Clarity – refers to the natural impurities of a diamond. The clarity grading system is based on a standard 10X magnification. FL is flawless and IF is internally flawless. These are extremely rare and valuable. VVS1 (very, very slight inclusions) and VVS2 (slightly lower quality than VVS1) are extremely high quality. The other grades in descending order are VS1 (very slight inclusions, grade 1), VS2 (very slight inclusions, grade 2), SI1 (slightly included, grade 1), SI2 (slightly included, grade 2), I1 (included), and I2-I3 (very, badly included).
Carat – the weight, not the size of a diamond, with 100 points equaling one carat. A diamond may look larger but be of lesser weight, depending on how it is cut.
Once you have made a decision on a diamond, it’s time to choose a metal for the setting. Gold and platinum are the most common. Gold is available in 18kt, 14kt, or 9kt and may be white, yellow, pink, or any combination thereof. The popular choice is 18kt gold.
Now it’s up to your personal taste and lifestyle. You should absolutely love your engagement ring. It should be practical and easy to wear because you are going to be wearing it every day. Make sure that you purchase your ring from a reputable jeweler so that you can be sure that you are going to get what you pay for.
Diamonds are a girl’s best friend!
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