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IS THIS A GOOD DIAMOND?

HOW DO YOU KNOW IF THE DIAMOND IS GOOD?

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Is this a Good Diamond?

Often customers who have little Knowledge about Diamond Quality will ask the salesperson who’s showing them a Diamond Ring “Is this Diamond a Good Diamond?

Of course the salesperson is going to answer “Yes, it’s a Good Diamond!

What do you Expect?

They may even bring up a Few Points to Highlight the Diamond’s Features (never mentioning the Low Quality Stuff), to assure you that it’s a Good Stone to Purchase.

This Diamond is Pure White

This Diamond has very good Sparkle and Brilliance

This Diamond is Guaranteed for lifetime

This Diamond is on Sale

But the truth is, this is NOT the way to judge Diamond Quality and whether it’s Good or not…

Every stone will have Strengths and Weaknesses. If all they tell you are the couple of the strong points, you’d be led to believe that the Diamond is “GOOD“.

More than likely, it isn’t!

Don’t be Fooled!

Learn what makes a “Good Diamond” good, and you’ll keep yourself from buying a Low Quality Stone.

The point is, everyone can be tricked if they don’t take the time to learn and the effort to understand.

Ready?

Good… let’s look at what makes “A Good Diamond Good“…

Is This A Good Diamond

P.S. Do note that Quality is Highly Subjective, and different people will have different meanings of “Good“. These are just my Personal Opinions from working in the Jewelry Industry for over 23 years. Let’s begin…

Diamond Color

To get a Good Diamond, you’ll need a good Diamond Color.

The main 2 Color Ranges on the market are Colorless Diamonds and Near Colorless Diamonds. Take a look at the Color Grades below…

Diamond Color Grades

Colorless Diamonds are the BEST to get since they are Pure White. But this Color Range also commands a much Higher Price.

A Good Diamond generally means a good Color which falls more in the Near Colorless Range (G H I J).

I would plant “Good Color” right in the center of the Chart and call a Good Colored Diamond H or I Color.

This is a Safe Color Zone to be in and most people won’t see any of the Color in the Diamond.

Now you can go Higher or Lower than this Range, but if you want a Nice Diamond that doesn’t look Yellow, Gray or Brown, then I would stick with at least H Color or higher.

Good is Good, but Bad is really Yellow!

Diamond Clarity

To me, what separates “Good” Diamond Clarity from “Bad” is whether or not you can see the Inclusions with your naked eye (without a 10x Jewelers Loupe).

If you can see Black Spots or Clouds or Cracks in your Diamond, then to me, that’s what I’d call a bad stone.

I’m sure you’d get a lot of opinions about this, and a lot of people don’t mind a little speck or so, but personally, I’d rather not see any Flaws just by looking at my Diamond.

I prefer these faults to be hidden, or Microscopic Only!

That dividing line falls in between SI2 and I1 Clarity!

Any Diamond SI Clarity or higher (Eye-Clean Stones) is what I would call “Good“, and any Diamond Clarity lower than that is “Bad“.

(Again, this is just my own Opinion!)

Take a look at the Clarity Diagram below…

Diamond Clarity Diagram

Keep in mind, that almost every Diamond you see has Inclusions. It’s just the Size of these Imperfections that Distinguishes Better Stones from Worse.

When you get up into Great Clarity, you get into the VS and VVS Clarity Diamonds (and higher).

And any stones I1 Clarity or lower, you will be able to see Flaws in them (some much more obvious than others).

SI2 Clarity is the border line Clarity. Some stones will look more like SI1’s, while others will look more like I Clarity. They have to be judged independently to see if the Flaws in the stones are visible or well masked. Some are, some aren’t!

To be safe, you should stick with SI1 Clarity or higher. That way you won’t have to worry about spotting a Flaw later that you didn’t see in the Jewelry Store, and then having to look at this Flaw For the Rest of your Life! :(

Once you see a Flaw, you will always be staring at it!

Fluorescence

There’s nothing wrong with a Diamond having Fluorescence, as long as the Fluorescence doesn’t affect the beauty of the Diamond in natural light.

Fluorescence is when a Diamond will glow in the dark under UV lighting (Black Lights are Great for this). It’s a Cool Phenomenon that some Diamonds have. It’s just a Quirky Trait of nature that some Diamonds have and others don’t.

It’s not Good nor Bad, it’s just another way of Identifying the Stone. But, if that Natural Fluorescence makes the Diamond look Foggy, Cloudy or Milky, then Yes, I would have to say this is BAD!

No one wants to pay for a High Clarity Diamond that looks Foggy and Dull, with no Brilliance or Sparkle! What’s the Purpose?

So, NO Fluorescence is “Good“, that is no Fluorescence that’s visible in natural light. If your Fluorescence only shows under UV light (think Fun House, Haunted House or the Dance Bar down the Street), that’s fine. It’s Good, Fun and Cool…

But not if it Clouds up your Diamond like so…

Diamond With Strong Fluorescence

Fluorescence is listed on a Diamond Report. Make sure you look for it.

Cut – Polish – Symmetry

The Cut Grade, Polish Grade and Symmetry Grades are all listed on a GIA Diamond Report as well. GIA Grades these characteristics in 5 Different levels:

  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor

It’s safe to say what rating “Good” gets…

But, I wouldn’t stop there…

Why?

Because Cut, Polish and Symmetry do more to a Diamond’s Beauty and Sparkle than any other 4C.

This is why I say to get a “Good” Cut, Polish or Symmetry, you should strive for a rating of at least “Very Good” or higher.

It makes a BIG difference! Trust me!

Shoot for Excellent if you can, you won’t regret it. But “Very Good” at the minimum!

Your Diamond will Thank You! :)

Very Good Cut Grades

A Good Cut can overcome a lot of other faults, like a low Clarity, or a low Color…

Cut Kicks Ass!

If you want your Diamond to Sparkle like crazy, get “Very Good” in all 3 Categories: Cut, Polish and Symmetry, as shown above.

They’ll Knock her Socks off! :)

Diamond Warranty

The last thing that makes a Diamond Good…

The Warranties, the Store, the Service, the Plans and the Price!

These all roll nicely into a great package. They help seal the deal!

Compare Diamonds. Compare Warranties. Compare Price.

Compare Finance Plans and Trade Up Policies as well. These things help Diamonds become better deals. Is the Diamond Guaranteed? Does it have an Exchange Policy? Is the Mounting covered under a Service Plan? Do they offer Insurance?

I would also make sure that the Diamond is Certified (By GIA or AGS).

Make sure that the Diamond gets insured as well. Add it to your Home Owners Policy just to be safe. You never know what will happen in the future.

One last Tip…

Make sure the Diamond comes with a Full Appraisal and a Full Money Back Guarantee (Return Policy). Just in case…

Your definition of “Good” may vary slightly from mine. It may even vary a lot.

These are my tips. Follow them if you want, but I do my best to steer you in the right direction.

A Good Diamond is a Good Diamond to keep!

An example of a “Good” Diamond is here:

CARAT WEIGHT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, CERTIFIED PRICE VIEW
1.00, SI1, H, VERY GOOD, GIA $5,550 VIEW

An example of a “Great” Diamond is here:

CARAT WEIGHT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, CERTIFIED PRICE VIEW
1.04, VS2, F, EXCELLENT, GIA $7,640 VIEW

See, it’s all Good! :)




Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter 10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner
Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit
Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter
10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

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