Diamond Ring: The Four C's of Buying a
Diamond
By
Eriani
DoyelBuying a diamond ring can be a huge
investment and you want to get one with the perfect diamond in
it, so you may be intimidated if you are a first time buyer.
What do you look for? Is more expensive always the better choice
for your diamond ring? The quality of the diamond in the diamond
ring will make the difference in the luster and look of the
ring. Jewelers have come up with a system of 4 C’s (Cut,
Clarity, Color, and Carat) to help people understand the
different aspects of diamond quality. Before you go ring
shopping you should make yourself familiar with each of these
factors.
Cut: This is not the shape of the diamond in the diamond
ring. It actually refers to the angle at which the diamond is
cut to obtain the most brilliance. Sometimes a jeweler will cut
a diamond wider and flatter (shallow) in order to make the
diamond look bigger. This results in the light going straight
through the diamond ring rather than bouncing back to the eye.
On the other hand if the diamond is cut too deep (or tall and
narrow) the light will escape out the side of the diamond ring.
There are a couple of non profit certification systems (GIA and
AGS) which rate diamonds on a scale from Ideal to Poor. If you
get a diamond ring with a Good or Very Good rating you will
probably be very pleased.
Clarity: This deals with the amount of inclusions (or flaws)
in the ring-the fewer the inclusions the better. Although there
are a few flawless diamonds out there they are very expensive. A
rating of I1-toI3 will have visible flaws on the diamond, but
anything higher than that you will need magnification to see.
Color: A colorless or pure white diamond is very rare and
expensive. But many jewelers cannot even tell the difference
between a colorless and a nearly colorless diamond. White
diamonds are rated from D (colorless) to Z (light yellow). You
can also buy diamonds that are other more exotic colors like
pink or blue as well but you will pay more.
Carat: This is the size or weight measurement. One thing to
remember is that if you drop even a .10 down in size you will
save a lot of money and you won’t notice the size difference.
Take into account the recipient’s hand size when choosing.
Eriani Doyel writes articles about Jewelry and Merchandise.
If you would like to know more about a
diamond ring
visit flring.com
Article Source:
http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Eriani_Doyel
|
