WHY IS THIS DIAMOND SO CHEAP?

Cheap?

Yes. This particular 3/4 carat diamond is only $1,240.

That’s normally the price of an average quality 1/2 carat.

Why?

I mean, it doesn’t face up badly. When you compare it to a 3/4 carat of the most popular color and clarity (SI1, E), it actually looks just fine.

Take a peek:

Can you figure out why the diamond is so much cheaper?

60% is a lot.

There are many reasons why. And if you just look a few of the 4C’s, you’re bound to miss much. You need to look at all of the diamond’s characteristics…

So let’s start with the full stats, so you can really see what’s going on:

CARAT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, POL, SYM, FLUOR	PRICE	VIEW
.72, I1, I, GOOD, VG, VG, MEDIUM	$1,240	VIEW
.75, SI1, E, EX, EX, EX, NONE	$3,090	VIEW

(Prices good at the time of this post.)

Now you get the bigger picture.

The specs are lower in every single field.

The carat weight is shy (called a light carat). It’s 72 points versus a standard 75 points.

The color is near colorless (I), and you can see it does have a slight yellow cast to the diamond.

The cut is “good” (which is not great). It doesn’t exhibit the brilliance and sparkle of the diamond next to it (which has an excellent cut).

The diamond on the left also has medium fluorescence, which can make a diamond appear odd or hazy under natural sunlight.

Plus, the clarity is I clarity

I clarity has eye-visible black carbon spots in the stone that you can see without magnification.

The other diamond is pure-white (ultra bright), SI1 clarity (no visible flaws to the bare eye), and has triple excellent grades in cut, polish and symmetry.

So when you compare everything, you’ll see why one diamond is priced over double the price over another.

Even certification matters

If one of those diamonds above was certified by IGI, you’d see even a bigger difference in both appearance and price (GIA is the best and most trusted diamond reporting company in the world. IGI is questionable).

Price is determined by: cut, color, clarity, carat weight, certification, polish, symmetry, and fluorescence…

As well as the visual appearance.

This is because some diamonds, even with the best grades, still don’t look as good as lower quality diamonds. Some just display better and have more brilliance and fire. It’s nature. It’s birthmarks. It’s just another way of identifying the stones.

So what you have to decide is, what are you happy with? Quality, or saving money? After all, you have to look at it for the rest of your life.

Most people are okay with any color (“near colorless” and “pure white” are normally found), and as long as the diamond doesn’t look totally yellow, people have no real issues with it.

Most are okay with any clarity as well, as long as the flaws don’t look too obnoxious or obvious, like this I1 clarity shown below:

CARAT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, POL, SYM, FLUOR	PRICE	VIEW
.90, I1, K, VG, VG, GOOD, MEDIUM	$1,700	VIEW

Those inclusions really stand out, don’t they?

Most people are also okay with any cut as well. Same with fluorescence, symmetry and certification.

Usually people are fine with a diamond, as long as it doesn’t have any glaring faults that take away from the beauty of the stone.

Sparkle is the #1 trait

Many diamonds, of any clarity or color can face up fine and have beauty and scintillation. Let your eyes be the judge.

To really see what’s acceptable, and what you’d approve of, compare diamonds side by side. That’s the best way to conclude if the added price is worth it.

If you don’t see a massive difference with your own eyes, then save the money and put it towards a stunning engagement ring setting instead (like a pave mounting or a halo mounting).

Like those two diamonds above…

Is the cleaner stone worth double the price?

Maybe. The cheaper diamond does have huge black flaws that are very visible when you tilt and rotate the stone. Does that matter to you? Possibly. But it will matter to your pocketbook.

Compare diamonds and see

Only you can establish if cheaper is better, because we all have faults, don’t we?

Take a look at diamonds at James Allen and compare them side by side.

It’s a great way to decide.

Cheers! :)