| Diamonds |
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Selecting
the perfect Diamond -
The irresistible beauty
of Diamonds, its purity and durability
makes them the most sought after.
Diamonds have been used for centuries
and are known to be the ultimate
gift.
It’s always advised before
making a purchase that you have
the basic understanding of the points
to consider when buying a Diamond.
The Su-Raj Diamond Buyer’s
Guide simply defines the four C’s
that Diamond professionals and connoisseurs
the world over believe in which
is – Cut, Color, Clarity and
weight of Carat.
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| Color |
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Colorless
Diamonds are quite hard to find.
They are beautiful and highly
prized amongst connoisseurs. But
for an untrained eye, most diamonds
look white and for a professional,
there are differences that only
they can identify.
The diamonds have an almost unperceivable
tint of colors. The various degrees
of color tint seen are assigned
a letter from D-Z, denoting its
position on the Diamond color
scale. This scale shows the purest
white color of D, to the yellowed
tints of Z.
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• D, E, F. These purest tints
are rare and comparatively
expensive. Their rarity color
assigns them a higher market
price. |
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• G, H, I. Often offering much
better value, to the untrained
eye they seem the exact same
color as the more expensive
D, E and F colors. |
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• J, K, L. Discounted for their
barely perceivable yellowish
tints, Diamonds in this range
offer excellent value. |
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• M - Z. Further discounted
for their more distinct yellow
hues. |
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| Cut
& polish |
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The
Round Brilliant Cut Diamond Accounts
for over 80% of diamond sales
worldwide. Although the Diamond
appears round, there are many
other beautiful Diamond cuts that
warrant serious consideration.
The eight most popular diamond
cuts are displayed below
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Popular
Diamond Cuts |
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Emerald
Cut |
Heart
Cut |
Marquise
Cut |
Oval
Cut |
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Round
Brilliant Cut |
Pear
Cut |
Princes
Cut |
Radiant
Cut |
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Diamonds
are cut, shaped and proportioned
to a remarkably uniform ideal. Marcel
Tolkowsky, in 1919 - published his
opinions of what Diamond proportions
result in the optimum balance of
Brilliance and fire. The detailed
review of Tolkwosky’s proportions
is outside the scope of this guide,
which obviously will be a lot to
read if a buyer wished to improve
his knowledge on Diamonds. However,
Diamond graders do take these proportions
into account when evaluating the
cut of a Diamond. Some of the other
attributes that need to be considered
include:
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| Symmetry |
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The
cut should exhibit good facet symmetry.
Facets should be aligned straight
in relation to the Diamond’s
girdle and also to each other.
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| Polish Condition |
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The
facet polish condition should be
good. Surface pits and polishing
lines should not be visible.
Diamonds are cut in a variety of
cuts. Although not superficially
visible as Colored Gems, but can
be recognised from many of the shapes
listed below. The outlines and the
crowns may look the same, with the
exception of an Emerald Cut Diamond;
the pavilions of diamonds usually
resemble those of a Round Brilliant
Cut Diamond.
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| Other
Diamond Cuts |
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| Carat
weight |
| The
weight of Diamond is measured in
Carats. The unit of measurement
originates from the traditional
use of carob seeds to weigh Gemstones.
Carob seed were used because of
their consistent size and shape.
The term carats is often confused
with “Karats”. “Karat”
is a measurement of purity of Gold.
Diamonds are cut uniformly to ideal
maximum Brilliance; Sparkle, and
Fire. With this uniform cutting
and proportions, we can very conveniently
and accurately equate Diamond Carat
Size with their millimeter weight.
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| Round
Brilliant Cut Diamond |
| 1 mm |
2 mm |
3 mm |
4 mm |
5 mm |
6 mm |
6.5 mm |
7 mm |
7.5 mm |
| 0.01 Ct |
0.03 Ct |
0.10 Ct |
0.25 Ct |
0.50 Ct |
0.75 Ct |
1.00 Ct |
1.25 Ct |
1.65 Ct |
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| The price of the Diamond
increases with its Carat weight. Large
Diamonds are always rarer than smaller
ones, so Carat prices rise considerably.
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| Clarity |
| Inclusions
in the diamonds are tiny natural features
within the body. Nearly all Gemstones
contain some inclusions, however many
are microscopic and can only be glimpsed
under magnification. If inclusions
do not interfere with the Brilliance,
Sparkle and Fire seen by the passage
of light through the Gem, they do
not affect the beauty or value.
Clarity
in Gemstones is determined by judging
both the amount and location of
inclusions.
Clarity affects both the beauty
and value of the diamonds. The higher
the clarity grade assigned from
the list below, the higher the value.
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| Diamond Grade |
Appearance Of The Gem To
The Naked Eye |
| Flawless |
Internally and Externally
Flawless |
| IF |
Internally Flawless |
| VVS1 |
Very Very Slightly
Included Inclusions not visible
to the naked eye and difficult
to detect with a 10x loupe. |
| VVS2 |
| VS1 |
Very Slightly
IncludedInclusions not visible
to the naked eye whilst comparatively
easy to see with a 10x loupe. |
| VS2 |
| SI1 |
Slightly Included
Quite easy to see with the
close naked eye, large and/or
numerous with a 10x loupe. |
| SI2 |
| I1 |
IncludedModerate effect
on appearance or durability. |
| I2 |
IncludedSevere effect on
appearance or durability. |
| I3 |
IncludedSevere effect on
both appearance and durability. |
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