IT’S NOT THE DIAMOND WEIGHT, IT’S THE SIZE

Shopping for Diamonds?

Good. But if you’re out there looking around, trying to get the perfect diamond or the best engagement ring, do me a favor…

Check the Size!

Not the ring size, the diamond mm (millimeter) size.

Because when it comes to diamonds, size matters greatly.

Here’s an example:

A customer comes into the store to compare 1.00 carat diamonds. He’s looking for an SI1, F (nice diamond quality)… No problem. We pull one out and show him a GIA certified (the best diamond report there is), with an ideal cut. It sells for $6,000 (Just like these diamonds here).

He’s floored at the price. He says that the jeweler down the street is selling a 1.00 carat, SI1, F, for only $4,000 (similar to these stones HERE).

So we ask him one simple question that he could not answer:

What’s the MM Size?

We explain to him that diamonds are just like people; of all different shapes and sizes. Two people can weight exactly the same, like 190 lbs, but one could be tall and skinny, the other short and fat. Will these two people look the same? Of course not (people analogy is a correlation that everyone instantly relates to and understands).

We tell the customer that many diamonds are cut poorly (which is usually the #1 reason why diamonds are sold cheaper), and these stones are either too deep (lumpy), or too shallow (spread , shallow, and weak), and neither extreme is good.

Because cut makes the biggest difference when it comes to beauty and sparkle in a diamond.

In fact, the better the cut, the better the diamond will dazzle and shine. A great cut bounces light through the diamond and back into the eyes of the viewer. It’s a breathtaking display of light and interaction.

And if you want to know if the cut is off (a poor make), just look at the mm size of that diamond. If the mm is not standard, then there is a good chance the rest of the diamond will be cut poorly too.

This mm size will be listed right on the diamond report.

The correct mm size for a 1.00 carat diamond is 6.5mm (do realize that you probably will never find a diamond that’s exactly 6.5mm, because nothing is perfect. But it should be very close. Within a mm or so… 6.4-6.6)

If the diamond is cut too deep, it will look dark in the center. If the diamond is cut too shallow, light will go right through and have very little sparkle.

In other words, the diamond will lack brilliance and look lifeless.

Which is sad, because sparkle and brilliance are why we love diamonds. A diamond that doesn’t have these qualities is pretty much a waste of money.

So the customer decides to go back to the other jeweler and find out. He comes back later, nodding his head. “It’s a 5.95 mm,” he says.

Our diamond is a 6.52 mm.

Their diamond, which is a 5.95 mm, will actually look smaller. More like an 80 point diamond (20% smaller than ours). And if you put their diamond side by side with our diamond, you’ll instantly see the difference.

Do you want a 1.00 carat that looks like a 1.00 ct, or one that looks like 80 points?

Good Question

Think about it. If you get a diamond that looks smaller, you may as well buy a smaller stone. Buy an 80 point instead and save the money. Right?

We show him an 80 point diamond against our 1.00 carat and he finally sees what we’re talking about. It’s not the carat weight, it’s really the mm size that matters.

The difference is very apparent.

And if he were to purchas an 80 point diamond (SI1, F), he could have bought one for $3,300 (like these diamonds HERE), and saved himself more money for a better looking diamond.

So size is ultra-important. Why own a 1.00 carat if it looks tiny?

It’s not good.

MM is crucial. Check the GIA certificate and see (actually called diamond reports). See if it’s close to the standard sizes for diamonds. If not, you’re buying a cheap cut.

Standard mm sizes for diamonds are shown below:

See the full standard diamond mm to carat weight conversion HERE)

Double Check Before You Buy!

And if you truly want the “best cut“, make sure that the diamond report is “triple excellent“; That’s an “excellent” grade for “cut“, and an “excellent” grade for both “polish” and “symmetry” as well.

That way, you’ll get a great looking diamond, one with tons of sparkle and brilliance, and one that will knock her socks off.

So what did the customer do?

He spent $2,000 more and bought an “excellent” cut diamond. The apperance and sparkle is well worth the money.

See more diamonds of this quality here:

P.S. Also make sure the diamond has NO (“none“) fluorescence. :)

Check out more incredibly awesome diamonds HERE at James Allen.

Cheers! :)