The engagement ring; is there anything more romantic than a man on bended knee, a box with a lid open and diamond ring within? Women love it, but men are scared and confused. Which type of ring, what type of diamond, how many months salary?? This article helps to explain all about buying that all important diamond engagement ring.
Diamonds are measured by the four C's: their Cut, Colour, Clarity and Carat which is an international grading system developed by the Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
The Cut of a diamond
This is important because it determines the brilliance of the diamond. They are cut according to an exact mathematical formula and end up with any number of "facets", which are the small, flat polished planes that give it it's charismatic look. The more facets a diamond has the more light is dispersed and therefore more sparkle.
The cut also deals with the shape of the diamond of which there are six traditional: round, emerald, marquise, pear, oval and heart. The round brilliant cut has been designed to reflect back most of the light back through the top, or "crown", of the stone. These brilliant cut diamonds will have 33 facets above the crown and 25 below and will all have specific angles and proportions. For example, the pavilion facets (those below the crown) will be at a 40° angle to the girdle (the crown).
The Colour of a diamond
A diamond's colour is given a grade of a letter, from D, considered to be colourless, becoming more yellow as they reach Z. The amount by which a cut stone deviates from the whitest possible determines the grade. A completely colourless grade D diamond is rare, and this increases its value.
Some diamonds can have what's called 'fluorescence' and this can either enhance or detract from the colour. This fluorescence can mask faults within the diamond and therefore a professional diamond grader will need to test for this.
Diamonds can come in many different colours, the so called 'fancies': yellow, pink, red, green, blue and brown. These are valued for the depth of colour they contain in much the same way that white diamonds are valued for their lack of colour. Famous examples include the blue Hope Diamond and the canary Tiffay diamond.
The Clarity of a diamond
The clarity of a diamond is determined by the number of 'inclusions' (internal flaws), or external surface blemishes. They can include spots, bubbles, small cracks for inclusions, and scratches and small nicks as blemishes. The fewer of these blemishes and inclusions the more brilliant the diamond.
It is interesting to note that the inclusions within a diamond are the surest way to determine whether the stone is natural or synthetically produced.
The Carat of a diamond
This is diamond's unit of weight. It's derivation is from the use of the 'carob' seeds used to balance scaled in history. One carat is 200 milligrams and there are 142 carats to an ounce. The carat is then further subdivided into 100 points.
Size is always a trade off against brilliance. If size is the all important factor then your budget may need to reduce the clarity and vice versa.
So what's the advice? We would suggest going for brilliance and cut over size everytime. It's all very and good having a rock the size of a monkey nut on your finger but if it doesn't sparkle it won't look or feel like a diamond.
