Loose Diamonds

What’s so special about a diamond, anyway? A diamond speaks about a lot of things – beauty, wealth, good taste and elegance. That is why diamonds are highly-valued. Thus, buying a diamond is something that requires a lot of thought and research, since it costs a lot and will most likely be used in something valuable to you, like an engagement ring. You just don’t go out and buy any loose stone that takes your fancy. If you do that, chances are, you will come away with a less-than-ideal bargain. So when you are thinking of buying a diamond, arm yourself with information about the cut, the carat, and all the other things that one should know. That way, you are more confident in making your decision and you are well on your way to selecting the loose diamond that is perfect for you – and your pocket.

The first question is, what is a loose diamond and why buy one? A loose diamond is a diamond that has not been set into a ring, a necklace or any other piece of jewelry. You usually buy a loose diamond when you have a special design in mind, when you don’t want to just pick up a piece of jewelry at the store but would rather provide your creative input into the piece. With loose diamonds, you can select the kind of metals to use, as well as the other stones that may be incorporated into your design.  Also, buying diamonds before these are set in stone will help you determine its true value. Once it’s set into a ring or any other piece of jewelry, other elements such as the intricacy of the design and the metal used come into play when the jeweler determines the price tag. 

Next up, get the right tools – you should use a 10X loupe to view the diamond. There are also specially design microscopes that are used to examine the precious stones. The next thing you should know is what to look for. To an untrained eye, a diamond is a diamond is a diamond. But when you know the things that determine the quality of the diamond, you’ll have an easier time of getting it right the first time. So what do you need to look at to determine a good diamond when you see one?

To help us, let us look at the different parts of the diamond:

- Girdle: this refers to the diamond’s outer edge. It plays a large part in determining how the diamond will look. The diamond with a girdle classified as “medium” (M, MD or ME) is usually the best looking.

- Pavilion: This is the part just below the girdle. The height of the pavilion determines how brilliant the diamond is. A diamond should just have the right pavilion height – if it is too deep or too shallow, the light that comes into the stone will not be reflected properly, thus decreasing the stone’s brilliance.

- Culet: This is the point at the bottom of the diamond

There are actually a number of criteria used to determine a loose diamond’s quality.  Width refers to the average width of the girdle of the diamond while depth determines the diamond’s brilliance. A diamond is also graded by its polish and symmetry.  Of course, the most important aspects of the diamond is found in its four Cs – color, cut, carat, and clarity.  Color refers to the hue the diamond shows off – most of the more valuable diamonds have a distinct colorless hue.  Cut refers not just to the shape of the diamond (whether it is round-cut, pear-shaped, marquise-shaped and so on) but also to how light is reflected by how the stone is cut.  A well-cut stone will reflect almost all of the light that goes into it.  The cut include the diamond’s pavilion depth, roundness, and girdle width, as well as how the facets are positioned. The clarity of the diamond refers to the number of inclusion or lack thereof.  If the number of microscopic cracks, markings or mineral deposits is almost nil, this will yield a perfect diamond, one dubbed as “Flawless”. This, naturally, is the most expensive kind.  Lastly, you should, of course, look into the number of carats the diamond has.  Carats refer to the diamond’s weight.  Remember, the larger the diamond, the more expensive it is.