Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
Diamond & Jewelry News, Advice and Prices for Consumers
September 26, 2010
My girlfriend and I are getting married. We are about to look for a diamond ring for her, but we are both clueless as to how to do that. Out of the 4 c's- color, cut, clarity and carat, which one is the most important?
November 30, 2010
This is a difficult question because so much that goes into choosing a diamond depends on your personal preferences and your price range. If you are aren’t Prince William and you don’t have a gorgeous family heirloom at your disposal, perhaps taking a few things into consideration will help you make the most economical decision. Each of the four Cs are essential for overall diamond quality. However, your ideal diamond need not be huge and flawless. You can educate yourself on the four Cs and decide on a diamond that is perfect for you! Carat weight is only going to influence the size of your diamond – if you are set on a huge stone, then there is no escaping the fact that carat is going to be your most important C. However, beware – the larger the rock, the more likely it is to have errors in clarity. Clarity determines the number of inclusions that are present in the diamond and the less there are, the more valuable the diamond. Even a diamond with flaws, though, can be cut in a way that will create greater brilliance in the final product. This is why most experts will say that cut is the most “important” C in diamonds as the cut can downplay many of the weaknesses that the diamond may have in its natural state.
November 1, 2010
This is subjective. I would say that you and your girlfriend need to decide which is more inportant to you, a larger potentially poorer diamond or a smaller diamond with better quality. Once you decide on this, you can either rule out carat size or you can rule out the other three. If you decide that you would rather have a smaller, but higher quality diamond, the choice becomes between clarity, which is how clear (or perfect) the diamond is, the color (the more colorless, the better) and the cut (which will determine how brilliant the diamond is). There is no clear cut answer to the question of which one of these 3 is more important. You wouldn't want a yellow diamond, but you also wouldn't want a diamond with no sparkle in it. I guess my answer is that cut and color are both quite important.
September 28, 2010
Your question is a moot point. Many people wonder (and disagree on) which C is the most important factor when creating a beautiful piece. Some would say that carat is the most important C, becasue carat=weight of the diamond. So it makes sense that evey milimiter in the diamond's size really affects its price. On the other hand, the way the diamond is cut determines its brilliance and how much light it reflects. For example, a diamond that is cut too shallow will not reflect much (or any) light. A well-cut diamond can even hide blemishes (the exterior defects on the diamond; the interior ones are called "inclusions"). On the other hand, a poorly-cut diamond will, no matter how clear it is, not be brilliant and lack fire. Color and clarity are, of course, also important when deciding on a diamond. Some buyers look for colored diamonds (gotta think about the price, too),while some care about the clarity since they cannot stand any inclusions or blemishes. You need to think which of the 4 c's is most important to YOU. When you choose the diamond, try different diamonds with each having different C values (some high in clarity, some high in cut, etc.) and then decide which C is the most important to you.
