Bridal Jewelry How to Select the Best Diamond
Whether you're looking to spend $500 or $500,000, spending your hard-earned money on a diamond is never simple. There are a lot of things to consider:
- Does she want or need a big rock? And if so what can I compromise on while still getting a quality stone?
- Which lab grades the best and how do I know the stone has been accurately graded?
- Am I purchasing this diamond under the assumption that it will be a good investment to sell later?
- How does diamond shape affect value?
- Should I buy online or in a store?
Let's go through these one by one:
1. How to Get the Biggest Rock for the Best Value
Never assume you can't afford a diamond of a certain size. There are a lot of variables that go into the valuations of a diamond. Clarity and Color are the two biggest factors that dictate the price. In a round brilliant diamond there are many more facets then say an emerald shape which help to conceal it's flaws. Similarly a diamond cut too deep will retain more color when viewed from the top then a well cut diamond of the same color. Thus it's "face up" appearance is less white. It's important to work with a jeweler that will examine a stone for you to identify if the flaws are visible or not and describe them, and tell you if the face up color grade is consistent with a well cut diamond. The best value comes when you shop right in the transitional grades from "eye-clean" to included clarity, and from "white" to "slightly yellow" color. Generally speaking a clarity grade of SI1 in fancy shapes and SI2 in rounds should look fairly clean face up. And a color grade of H, I, J or even K can look very nice face up. However this is not always the case and diamonds should always be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Some people detect color more then others and some cuts lend themselves better to certain shades.
In this day and age where diamonds are being sold more based on the specifications on paper rather then physical inspection, it's very important to work with a jeweler online you trust to get you a diamond that looks nice both in person and on paper. Those that simply drop-ship can never inspect your diamond therefor there's no way to know if you got a good value or not. This is especially important for the larger and rare, high end stones where variations can cause big shifts in price. We don't want to scare consumers from shopping online and comparing based on price, however shopping blind by price alone will never give you the best value, especially in the transitional grades as mentioned above where it's so critical to match the desired grading with the consumer's expectations.
2. Variations in Grading Reports
Wouldn't it be nice if all GIA graded "G" color diamonds were exactly the same? It would be nice as well if inclusions in all SI2 diamonds were exactly the same shape, location and transparency however this is never the case. Diamonds are created by nature and so no two are the same. Labs help us tremendously in sifting through all these stones but even the best labs do not always agree with each other and likewise you can send the same stone to the same lab and get different results. There will always be a borderline G/H color, or SI1/SI2 clarity stone.
So how do we know it's really G or H color or SI1 or SI2 clarity? How do we know which diamond is the best value and when it's been graded accurately? The top tier labs are GIA and AGS. EGL-USA (not to be confused with EGL-International) is also a very reputable lab but has been show to be less consistent at times compared to the first two. However GIA, AGS and EGL-USA are not always correct nor do they always agree with each other (refer to our 2007 Case Study for an example). If you search online for 1ct SI1 / G Round diamonds, get 500 matching results and sort by price, chances are 9 times out of 10 the cheapest ones are graded the softest, no dealer wants to buy them and so they sit on a list waiting for someone to come by shopping around for a diamond that looks good on paper alone in order to find a good home. Usually you can't go wrong with a GIA or AGS graded diamonds however every now and then a dud still pops up. It's always recommended again that you work with a jeweler you trust to ensure the diamond is graded accurately. Remember the labs do not guarantee the accuracy of their grading. Ultimately the jeweler is responsible and it's their reputation on the line. Working with a jeweler who guarantees their diamond grades and has the courage to accept back your diamond for a trade in assures you that the diamond is graded accurately and fairly.
3. Diamonds Purchased for Investment
Let's be honest here, diamonds appreciate but very slowly. Although they appreciate more then the rate of inflation (currently around 2.5%) for the most part they make lousy investments compared to stocks, bonds, mutual funds, commodities, etc. Even just putting your money in a 10-year treasury note will yield around 5% these days and there are a lot better ways to invest your money.
For diamonds, the general trend seems to be that the truly rare diamonds are getting more and more expensive at an increasing rate. Diamonds over 2 carats clean and white, or 1+ct flawless and colorless, or fancy yellow, pink and blues have risen at a sharp pace. Unlike the late 70's to early 80's when there was a boom in commodities prices and everyone was scrambling to invest in diamonds as well, the recent run up in gold, oil and other commodities have not translated into a larger demand for smaller stones. Diamonds under 1 carat are no longer considered true investment grade anymore, because they're just not very rare. And with the advent of synthetic diamonds poised to increase supply further, it's just not a good time to put faith in your small diamonds. Treated diamonds such as laser drilled, high pressure high temperature, etc. are some of the worst investments you can make in diamonds regardless of size because their resale value is very low and will continue to drop over time as technology increases.
If a rare stone is really something your heart desires, you will need a large clean white diamond, a fancy color, or perhaps consider getting a larger, clean pink or blue sapphire or other colored stones instead. These should appreciate well over the next few decades if they truly are rare stones now.
4. Diamond Shape and Value
Diamond shape plays a big role in a diamonds value these days. Just look at a marquise shape, a well cut 1 carat G/SI1 stone can fetch nearly twice the cost in a round shape instead of a marquise. Similarly, square-shaped diamonds such as princess, asscher and radiant trade less per carat then rounds. This can be very good for those that like fancy shapes. The trade off is that some fancy shapes are more bottom heavy then others or their shape just doesn't translate well to having a big rock. For example, a 1 carat round is typically 6.5mm, however the square varieties such as radiant, princess and asscher are only about 5.6mm. To get a 6.5mm square shape you need to get about a 1.5ct stone which of course negates the cost savings of getting a square shape. But if she wants a big "carat" size rock and she likes princess shape you're in luck. Marquise shape is a great value right now. A 1 carat marquise if made to a 2:1 ratio is typically around 11mm long by 5.5mm wide so they take up a lot of real estate on the finger and appear much bigger. This can be a great way to save money and more and more modern designs are being made in the marquise shape. Danhov's Meno line with the bezel halo is a great ring that really compliments this shape wonderfully to give a fresh modern look. The asscher shape has gained a lot of popularity in the past 10 years, and is something worth looking into as well. But in the end most women prefer round or princess shape diamonds.
5. Buying Online Vs. In Store
This is a very tricky question. If you had asked this 5 years ago the choice would have been obvious. Shopping online had previously been the best way to get the best deal on a loose diamond. In most cases it still is, but the retail world is changing due to the advent of the internet and traditional jewelry stores are slowly changing along with the times. The appeal of a store has a lot of positive attributes; the chance to build a relationship with a jeweler, to conveniently get cleaning and maintenance performed by the same company who sold and warranties the jewelry, etc, etc. However some jewelry stores just don't serve their customers well unfortunately whether it be with stale boring merchandise, or high inflated prices that magically go on sale yet still remain inflated compared to online prices, etc.
Luckily you've found us here at Adylon. We are happy to serve our local customers in the Burbank, CA area with our state of the art showroom, high end custom designs, and our prices are always fair and competitive. For our out of state and online customers, we are committed to bringing you the best jewelry the industry offers. Our lifetime warranty comes with no strings attached and we always stand behind our product quality. We strive to bring all the positive attributes that come with a local jeweler to our online customers and we are excited to welcome all to our family.
