Should you buy a certified diamond?

It is important to buy a diamond with a certification so you know exactly what you are getting. When selecting a diamond, it allows you to compare stones and decide which is the right fit for you. The certificate can be helpful when obtaining jewelry insurance, and to help identify your stone.

A certification confirms the quality of the diamond by grading the 4 C’s. The 4 C’s are also used when pricing diamonds.

Color – Diamonds can come from the earth in a variety of colors! However, most diamonds fall in a range from colorless to light yellow, brown or grey. The scale for color starts from D to Z..

Clarity – Clarity refers to the inclusions and other characteristics (or lack thereof) that are visible under 10x magnification. Many factors effect the clarity grade including the size of the inclusions, where they are located, how many there are, how visible they are in color and if they effect the structure and durability of the stone.

Cut – There are many different cuts of diamonds but the most common is the round brilliant. Other styles are referred to as fancy cuts which include Oval, Emerald, Radiant, Pear, Princess among others. The cut grade takes into account a round diamonds proportions, symmetry and polish.

Carat – This is the weight of the diamond. There are 0.2 grams in 1 carat, or 1/5 of a gram per carat. Although this is the most common diamond characteristic people know, there can sometimes be too much emphasis on carat weight. See my blog post on “Why carat weight isn’t everything!”

I typically sell diamonds certified by GIA (Gemological Institute of America) however there are other laboratories including EGL (European Gemological Laboratory) and IGI (International Gemological Institute) among others.