Should you research before buying Diamonds?

December 13 2021

An item of diamond jewellery can last you a lifetime. These stunning pieces can't fail to add a touch of timeless elegance to any outfit and can be handed down through generations, never going out of style. When you invest in diamond jewellery, you'll want to make sure that it is as beautiful and lustrous as you can afford.

Though buying diamonds can be a daunting experience if you have little or no experience in such matters. No doubt you want to get the very best items you can within your budget. However, if you do not know what to look for, this can be difficult.

Metal Type

When shopping for diamond jewellery, you will need to decide which type of material or metal you want the diamond to be held in. There is a good range of choices available, with some of the most popular being yellow gold, white gold, rose gold, platinum and palladium. Yellow gold is a perennial favourite for diamond engagement rings (and wedding rings) because it is normally relatively low in price. However, white gold has become increasingly popular in recent years because of its stylish appearance. In addition, white gold can also be worn with silver or platinum jewellery.

Whether you intend to buy diamond rings, diamond earrings or anything else: you might be at an advantage if you know about the so-called 4C's. These are cut, colour, clarity and carat weight and between them, they are the factors that determine the worth of any given diamond.

Cut

The Cut is the way in which the gems are shaped and those responsible for altering the precious stones in this way follow a style or design guide. Different shapes include the pear, princess cut diamonds, oval gems and many more. However, the most popular version is the round brilliant. When diamonds are mined, they are dull and rock-like: It's the cut of the diamond that defines its shape and brilliance. In the unfortunate event that a diamond is cut poorly, it does not exhibit the same luminosity. Cut diamonds should perfectly reflect the light all over, creating an eye-catching sparkle. The higher quality and more intricate the cut is, the more expensive the diamond will be.

Colour

The colour is fairly self-explanatory; typically the clearer the gems are, the more valuable they are. When purchasing white diamonds, they should appear completely colourless with no inclusions. Completely Colourless diamonds will be the most expensive, while ones with a yellowish tinge should not be purchased. However, there are certain very rare and striking colours that raise the price of the items. Colours in the stones can be caused by chemical impurities.

Clarity

Clarity relates to the existence of any internal features called inclusions, as well as surface defects referred to as blemishes. The clearer the diamond, the more valuable it is. Because diamonds come from nature, it's impossible to find one that is completely flawless, but good quality diamonds should have as few flaws as possible. If a diamond has flaws that are visible to the naked eye, it should not be purchased.

Carat Weight

Carat Weight is a unit of measurement that refers to the mass of the stones and one carat is equal to 200mg. As a general guide, the more carats a particular diamond has, the more expensive it is. For budget-conscious buyers, smaller diamonds clustered together can offer the appearance of a larger diamond, at a fraction of the cost.

Armed with facts like this, you should find it easier to appraise diamond jewellery and other such items effectively. This is why it can pay off to conduct some research into the gems. As long as you know the basics when it comes to how the stones are classified and what it is that makes them special, you are much less likely to fall into such difficulties.

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