QUALITY UNDER 1/3 CARAT DOESN’T REALLY MATTER
DON'T SPEND THE MONEY FOR QUALITY IN SMALLER DIAMONDS
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Here’s a big secret: If your Diamond is under 1/3 carat (that’s less than 33 Points), then you really don’t need to worry about Quality!
Period!
And it’s funny too, because 1/3 Carat is the average Carat Weight for an Engagement Ring! Sweet!
So why would I say such a crazy thing?
Because, for the most part, it’s TRUE!
When you get into smaller Carat Weights, like 10 Points (1/10), 20 Points (1/5), and 33 Points (1/3), then the Diamonds get so small visually, that the inside of the stone, or the guts of the stone, don’t really play an issue in beauty, because you can’t see them clearly enough with the naked eye (unaided eye).
Sure, if you grab a 10x Jeweler’s Loupe or a Microscope you’d probably be able to spot the flaws, but just by glancing at the Diamond, NOPE, it looks just as good as the higher quality stones.
Clarity becomes a non-issue!
That’s why most side stones in Engagement Rings, along with just about all Earrings, Pendants, and Bracelets (which all utilize smaller stones) are generally just SI2-I2 in Clarity. See below…
Unless you got really great eye-sight, or unless the Diamond has incredibly huge black spots in them, you won’t really see the imperfections.
And that’s good because it keeps the cost down!
The same is true with Color…
The smaller the stone gets, the less color is noticeable.
In a larger Carat Weight (like a 1.00 Carat Diamond), J Color is pretty obvious. But in a 1/4 Carat (25 Points), it’s hard to tell there’s any yellow tint in the stone at all.
Compare the I1, J, Diamonds below, it really shows what I’m talking about when it comes to Color and Clarity…
Cut is the same way!
You can’t tell if the stone is Shallow or Deep. You can’t tell if it has a large Culet, or even a thick Girdle. It’s too small to tell.
That’s why most small Diamonds (especially under 18 Points) are actually Single Cut Diamonds. They have less facets on them than a regular Diamond. See… You probably didn’t know that, or you couldn’t tell the difference.
Which just proves my point!
Why spend the money for something you can’t see?
Here are some Single Cut Diamonds in Jewelry today…
The Bottom Line is this:
Smaller Diamonds, unless they’re really Crappy, Cloudy, or have gigantic Black Carbon Spots in them, are fine. They’ll look good, sparkle enough, and save you lots of money.
But for 1/2 Carats or bigger, where quality DOES become an issue, then spend the money to get at least an SI Clarity and G-H Color, because in these, YOU WILL SEE A DIFFERENCE!
So Quality doesn’t matter (in some instances)…
But price does! :)
Check out these great deals on smaller stones at James Allen…
CARAT WEIGHT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, CERTIFIED | PRICE | VIEW |
.31, I1, H, EXCELLENT, GIA | $400 | VIEW |
.35, I1, J, GOOD, GIA | $420 | VIEW |
.30, SI2, K, GOOD, GIA | $420 | VIEW |
.32, SI2, K, VERY GOOD, GIA | $460 | VIEW |
.42, I1, J, VERY GOOD, GIA | $510 | VIEW |
.30, SI2, I, GOOD, GIA | $570 | VIEW |
.39, I1, H, VERY GOOD, GIA | $620 | VIEW |
.34, SI2, J, VERY GOOD, GIA | $630 | VIEW |
.30, SI2, H, EXCELLENT, GIA | $640 | VIEW |
Cheers! :)
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