4 Terms You Need to Get Familiar with Before Shopping for Diamonds

Whether you’re trying to make a gift for someone very special in your life, mark a special occasion, or symbolize your union, going in to buy diamonds for the first time can be intimidating. And this is understandable considering how expensive they are.

The world of diamonds also has its own jargon, and unless you understand it, you’ll never truly be able to understand what a jeweler is saying. You cannot afford to go in misinformed or you run the risk of being taken advantage of or making a wrong decision that you’ll end up regretting for a long time. Here are 4 terms you will need to get familiar with before shopping for diamonds.

Cut

The first one we’re going to cover is cut. The cut of a diamond is very important and will not only affect the aesthetics of the diamond, but the price as well. The cut is what will dictate how much light the diamond reflects and will actually play more of a role than clarity in how the diamonds sparkle.

If the cut is too deep or shallow, it will not reflect light as much and might look cloudy even if the clarity is high. The quality rating of a diamond’s cut is made to reflect three characteristics: brilliance, fire, and scintillation. Brilliance is the amount of white light the diamond reflects. Fire is the width of the spectrum of color dispersed by the diamond’s light, and scintillation represents how intensely the diamond sparkles in movement.

Clarity

We mention this second, but in reality, clarity is the least important factor when rating a diamond. Clarity refers to the imperfections in and on the surface of a diamond. This might seem like a crucial thing, but these imperfections are invisible to the naked eye. So, don’t be too impressed when someone mentions very very slight inclusions (VVS) over VS. This is something that can only be seen when magnified, so you should focus on other things instead.

Color

Now, this one is extremely important when choosing a diamond. When it comes to diamonds, the less color there is, the more valuable the stone is. The highest-grade diamond is a D (colorless) and the lowest a Z (light yellow or brown). This means that you’ll have to pay more for a colorless diamond, but there are ways that you can work around this. For instance, you can go with a diamond with a slightly lower color grade, but get a premium cut that will allow it to shine more. There’s also nothing wrong with colored diamonds if that’s what you like. This is why we would suggest that you go with a jeweler that has a wide selection of diamonds and gemstones to choose from. Diamonds Forever are a perfect example. Not only will you be able to find a great stone, but they may be able to recommend something you may have not considered.

Carats

Last, but definitely not least, comes the carat weight. Don’t let the name fool you, however, this has nothing to do with the purity of the diamonds like with gold. Carats here are simply a measure of a diamond’s weight. Note that a bigger diamond will not always be more expensive or shine more. As a matter of fact, a lighter diamond with a better cut will often look bigger than a slightly heavier one with a low-quality cut.

These are the four main terms you need to know before you officially start your search for a diamond piece. Now, you’ll have a better idea of what you’re looking at and will be able to make a better decision.