| Comparing
and selecting the very best diamond
value requires a complete understanding
of the elements of diamond quality
as well as a complete knowledge of
what diamond quality combinations
are the best at providing the the
most visual appeal in terms of size,
beauty and brilliance at the lowest
price. Below is a listing of the recommended
diamond qualities that provide the
very best diamond values.
Optimum
Quality Ranges For The Very Best Diamond
Values:
Celebrity
Grade Buyers:
- Cut:
Ideal
- Color:
D or E
- Clarity:
FL, IF, or Vvs1
- Carat
Weight: Largest Available At Best
Price (Must Meet Cut, Color,
Clarity Requirements)
Very
Quality Conscious Buyers:
- Cut:
Very Fine
- Color:
E or F
- Clarity:
Vvs2 or Vs1
- Carat
Weight: Largest Available At Best
Price (Must Meet Cut, Color,
Clarity Requirements)
Quality Conscious Buyers:
- Cut:
Very Fine - Fine
- Color:
G or H
- Clarity:
Vs1 or Vs2
- Carat
Weight: Largest Available At Best
Price (Must Meet Cut, Color,
Clarity Requirements)
Average
Buyer:
- Cut:
Very Fine, Fine, or Good
- Color:
H, I, or J
- Clarity:
Si1 or Si2
- Carat
Weight: Largest Available At Best
Price (Must Meet Cut, Color,
Clarity Requirements)
Selecting
a diamond that is slightly higher
than the recommended range of quality
above is acceptable, however the size
of the diamond will be slightly smaller.
Selecting a diamond that is slightly
lower in quality than the recommended
range is also acceptable. These diamonds
will offer larger size but a small
degree of beauty will be sacrificed.
Diamonds below the GIA color grade
I and the GIA clarity grade SI2 are
not recommended.
The
Very Best Diamond Value offers the
the best of the best by delivering
a diamond with the greatest visual
appeal based on size, beauty and brilliance.
Finding the very best diamond
value requires more than simply finding
the lowest price on a diamond of a
specific quality. For example, the
best diamond value could be finding
the lowest price on a certified flawless,
colorless diamond with ideal cut,
or it could be finding the lowest
price on the largest diamond available
with L color, average cut and imperfect
3 clarity grade. Both could be considered
the best diamond values in terms of
providing the buyer the lowest price
in a specific quality. When compared
to a quality that provides better
value in terms of more diamond beauty
& brilliance exhibited to the
eye, such as a E color, near ideal
cut and VS2 clarity, the D flawless
ideal cut would look significantly
smaller with little or no apparent
difference in beauty to the eye, and
the L color imperfect 3 would appear
larger in size but display little
beauty or brilliance because of deficiencies
in quality.
A
common mistake made by knowledgeable
diamond buyers is to select a diamond
that has a very high clarity grade
and a slightly lower color. An
example would be selecting a 1.00
carat diamond VVS2 clarity grade,
very fine cut and H color over a diamond
that is 1.00 carat with VS2 clarity,
very fine cut and D color. These two
diamonds could be purchased for the
same price. They are the best diamond
values available in their specified
qualities, and both diamonds can be
purchased for very close to the same
price. If you view these two diamonds
side by side, it is quite evident
that the diamond of higher color of
D is obviously brighter and more beautiful.
The
very best diamond value considers
the elements of quality in this order
of greatest importance. Elements
of quality that most effect
the beauty of a diamond under normal
wearing conditions are given higher
priority than those that can only
be seen under high magnification.
- Cut
- Color
- Clarity
- Carat
Weight
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