Diamond Cut

What makes one diamond sparkle while another looks lifeless and dull? A well cut diamond is dazzling, romantic and priced according to quality. The most important factor is the grading and evaluation of a diamond’s cut.  

Diamond Color Overview

Color is the second most significant grading aspect of buying or selling diamonds. Diamonds are graded based on their overall body color, on a scale developed by the GIA. This scale runs from "D" to "Z". Note in the charts below how the difference between any two colors can be very subtle.

To achieve the highest degree of accuracy, diamonds must be color graded loose and with the proper equipment. 

Colors D, E, F

The D-E-F colors are known as the colorless grades. Grade "D" is reserved for larger diamonds whose colors can be more accurately graded due to their size. Diamonds less than .50 carats usually receive a top grade of "F" due to the greater difficulty of precisely grading a small diamond.

Colors G, H, I

These are known as the "face white" or "face up colorless" grades because they appear colorless when viewed through the "face up" position or through the table, but show a slight tint of color when turned upside down for proper grading. This is due to the brilliance of the stone masking this very slight tint when viewed through the table.

Colors J, K, L

This grading range offers some nice diamonds if they are proportioned properly. A well cut diamond of the K-L color range will still appear mostly colorless and can save you a good deal of money over a color grade of a higher range. Again, the cut is the key to keeping the stones of slight tint beautiful.

Colors M to Z

The lower colors "M" through "Z" have an increasing amount of yellow tint, ranging through the off colors and ending at the end of the scale, beyond which diamonds are considered to have a fancy yellow color. Be wary of jewelers offering fancy yellow colored diamonds, however. Sometimes they grade off color yellows as fancies without a proper gemological evaluation by a recognized gemological laboratory. The term fancy beside any diamond color imparts a higher value and higher price to the stone. Do not accept the term fancy for any diamond you purchase unless it is accompanied by an origin of color report and a diamond grading report from a recognized gemological lab that identifies the stone as being of natural color origin and truly fancy in color.

Diamond Clarity Grading

The least important diamond grade is clarity. Unfortunately, it is what many jewelers claim is most important, because it is the easiest to demonstrate. Anyone can put a diamond under a microscope and see if it has inclusions. It takes gemological knowledge to cut and/or color grade a diamond. Jewelry merchants with little or no formal gemology training often resort to a quick demonstration of clarity, which has made it the most important grade to many consumers. This could not be further from the truth.

By definition, any grade diamond of SI2 and above requires magnification to see the inclusion. How often do your friends look at your diamond under a loupe? Since any diamond of SI2 clarity and up is considered "eye clean," meaning you must have magnification to see any inclusion, why worry about clarity above the SI2 range? Of course, if you are told you are getting a VS1 you want make sure you actually are. But you can save lots of money by buying a diamond that is well proportioned, with good color, but is in the SI1 or SI2 clarity range. To put it another way, a perfectly cut diamond of D color and SI2 clarity will look the same to everyone around you as a perfectly cut diamond of D color VS1. However, the SI2 diamond could save you thousands of dollars.

Explanation about Each Clarity Grade

Below is a breakdown of the diamond clarity grading scale. Be aware that these are only used to demonstrate the general level of inclusions that qualify a diamond to fall into any one grade. The study of diamond clarity is lengthy and involves many types of inclusions. Please note that the red colors indicate internal features, while green colors indicate surface or surface breaking features.

Many jewelry stores only promote the clarity and color grades, in that order. This is not the proper approach. Diamond values are set more on cut and proportion than on clarity and color. Cut and proportion determine a diamond's value and should be considered first when buying a diamond. Leave clarity for last. It’s the one area where you can save a lot without giving up beauty.