Diamond Buying Guide

 

 

The diamond is nature's hardest substance, resistant to both fire and steel, This invincible strength, and its rarity, have made it an extremely coveted material, symbolic of wealth, power, magic, and love. The word diamond stems from the Latin diamas, meaning the unconquerable.

Diamonds were first discovered in India where they were valued more for their magical powers than for their beauty. The first recorded account of a diamond used in a wedding ring was in 1477 by the Archduke Maximillian of Austria in his proposal to Mary of Burgundy. This began the tradition that remains with us today.

The discovery of a large mine in Africa in 1870, lead to the availability of the diamond on a much larger scale. The gem that was exclusively worn by kings and noblemen became accessible to the public. This resulted in greater experimentation in the cutting and polishing of diamonds that allowed a diamond's truly unique beauty to shine above all other gems.

Diamonds in the Rough

A diamond's journey starts at the mine, and travels to many places and through many hands before it reaches the person who finally wears it. Diamond are mined in various places around the world including, Australia, Zaire, Botswana, Russia, Namibia, Brazil, and South Africa.

Diamonds in their rough form look like dirty pebbles and do not resemble the cut and polished gems we are accustomed to. It is the skill of the diamond cutter that unleashes the fiery brilliance that is the beauty of a diamond. The skill of diamond cutting is passed from generation to generation through apprenticeship and rigorous training. There are four diamond centers internationally, Antwerp, Tel Aviv, New York and Bombay.

The 4 C's

The 4 C's are four variables that are used to calculate the value of a diamond.

Clarity
Color
Cut
Carat Weight

Clarity describes the clearness or purity of a diamond. This is determined by the

number, size, nature and location of the internal (inclusions) and external (blemishes).

The clarity scale is broken down into the following grades:

IF	Internally Flawless	Free from all inclusions or blemishes.
F	Flawless	No inclusions visible at 10x magnification.
VVS1	Very Very Small Inclusion #1	Inclusions that are extremely difficult to locate at 10x.
VVS2	Very Very Small Inclusion #2	Inclusions that are very difficult to locate at 10x.
VS1	Very Small Inclusion #1	Minor inclusions that are difficult to locate at 10x.
VS2	Very Small Inclusion #2	Minor inclusions that are somewhat difficult to locate at 10x.
SI1	Small Inclusion #1	Noticeable inclusions that are easy to locate at 10x.
SI2	Small Inclusion #2	Noticeable inclusions that are very easy to locate at 10x. Some inclusions may be seen with the unaided eye.
I1	Included #1	Obvious inclusions. Somewhat easy to locate with the unaided eye.
I2	Included #2	Obvious inclusions. Easy to locate with the unaided eye.
I3	Included #3	Obvious inclusions. Very easy to locate with the unaided eye.

Two methods used to affect the clarity grade given to a diamond are lasering and clarity enhancing. Lasering of diamonds is the process in which a laser is used to drill a tiny hole into a diamond and the black of the imperfection is then removed. This is a legitimate and widely accepted treatment. The second treatment is called clarity enhancing. This method is widely disputed because a foreign element is injected into the diamond. This method is not permanent and therefore not recommended. All clarity treated diamonds must be disclosed as such prior to sale.  Beeghly and Keim Jewelers does not sell clarity-enhanced diamonds.

Color describes the amount of body color the diamond contains. This can range from colorless to yellow with slight tints of yellow, gray or brown. Colors can also range from intense yellow to brown, blue, green, pink and red. These fancy colors are rare and therefore more valuable.

Cut refers to the proportions, finish, symmetry and polish of the diamond. These factors determine the fire and brilliance of a diamond. Well-cut diamonds show the true beauty of the stone while poorly cut diamonds do not.  We pride ourselves in representing only finely made diamonds.

Carat is the unit of weight for the diamond. A carat is further subdivided into 100 points (0.01 carat = 1 point). One carat is equal to 0.20 grams. The greater the carat size of the diamond, the greater its worth.

The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) offers diamond certificates in which the 4C's are analyzed and certified. These certificates are used widely for insurance purposes and for verification of authenticity. Beeghly and Keim Jewelers  highly recommends these quality certificates for larger diamonds.