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Diamond Guide
Diamond Guide
A Certified Diamond is one that has been graded by an self-governing laboratory. The benefit of a certificate is that the grading is done by a qualified, independent, third party who is neither buying nor selling the stone. This insures no difference of interest.
Here at Gold in Art, we prefer to buy diamonds certified by E.G.L. and G.I.A. because they remain to the highest standards of the four C's: carat, cut, clarity and color.
Carat
Carat is the weight of the stone, and so can only be determined accurately before the stone is mounted. Portions of a carat are called points, 100 points = 1 carat. For example, a diamond that weighs 75 points is a ¾ carat diamond. Diamonds are priced on a "per carat" basis, with the "price per carat" varying based on the size of the stone. For example:
This is because the "price per carat" goes up when the weight goes up.
Cut
The term cut is sometimes puzzling because it has a variety of meanings. Jewelers use it to refer to:
Discuss the details regarding the cut of your diamond with your jeweler while you are deciding which diamond to buy.
Clarity
The universally accepted clarity grading scale is shown below:
| FLAWLESS | |
| VVS1-VVS2 | Very, Very Slight Inclusions |
| VS1-VS2 | Very Slight Inclusions |
| SI1-SI2 | Slight Inclusions |
| I1-I2-I3 | Imperfect |
Inclusions can be crystals, clouds, black spots, white spots, and sometimes even look like cracks. Only diamonds falling in the defective category should have inclusions that are visible to the naked eye. This rule holds true for any diamond that does not weigh more than a carat. All other inclusions are based on looking at the diamond during 10 power magnification.
Color
The universally accepted color grading scale is shown below:
| D-E-F | |
| G-H-I-J | Colorless |
| K-L-M | Near Colorless |
| N-O-P-Q-R | Faint Yellow |
| Faint Yellow | Very Light Yellow |
| S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z | Light Yellow |
This grading scale is based on subtle difference. Therefore, color is impossible to judge without having two stones side by side.
Gold In Art Jewelers specializes in designing custom jewelry using high quality diamonds and colored gemstones set in gold and platinum.
Glossary
| RB | - | Round Brilliant Cut |
| OV | - | Oval |
| PS | - | Pear Shape |
| PR | - | Princess Cut |
| MQ | - | Marquise Shape |
| TR | - | Trillion Shape |
| HS | - | Heart Shape |
| EC | - | Emerald Cut |
| TB | - | Tapered Baguette Shape |
| SB | - | Straight Baguette |
| cttw | - | Total Carat Weight of Diamonds |
| Ct. | - | Carat |
| Mel | - | Melee - smaller diamonds surrounding center stones |
