SDG TUTORIAL

With proper education, buying a natural polished diamond will be less complicated. These preliminary guidelines are designed to advise the end customer in purchasing a natural polished diamond comprehensively.

Natural Polished Diamonds are characterized by the so called 4 Cs; Color, Clarity, Carat and Cut. In addition, a 5th C representing Confidence, is key in buying a Natural Polished Diamond.

01. COLOR

Diamonds are naturally found in a wide range of colors, the two broad categories of colors include:

-01. Colorless to Near Colorless: These diamonds range from Exceptional Whites (D to G colors) to Faint Yellows (S and Z Colors)

The color spectrum of the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) is as follows:
D and E = Exceptional White
F and G = Rare White
H = White
I and J = Slightly Tinted White
K and L = Tinted White
M, N, O, P, Q, and R = Tinted Color
S and Z = Faint Yellow

In general, colors F, G and H are the most sought-after colors as they combine whiteness and affordability.

-02. Fancy Colors: Fancy Color Diamonds can be almost any color; yellow, brown, pink, green, blue, red, to name just a few. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA) designates the corresponding color of the diamond in their certificates along with the intensity grade of the color. The intensity and vibrance of the color plays a key role in the value of the diamond. The GIA fancy colors grades are as follows:
- Fancy light
- Fancy
- Fancy intense
- Fancy vivid
- Fancy dark
- Fancy deep

In general, Fancy Intense and Fancy Vivid graded diamonds fetch the highest prices

02. - CLARITY

Clarity grade relates to the presence or absence of inclusions. Natural Polished Diamonds may show tiny traces of other minerals trapped inside the precious stone during the crystallization process that take millions of years to develop in mother nature. These impurities are usually small dots that are only visible with a 10x magnification loupe. When inclusions start to be seen with the naked eye, i.e. without a loupe, then light will have difficulty to properly pass and reflect through the diamond and hence negatively affect its luster and value.

As a standard grading practice, Clarity is graded with a 10x magnification loop. Flawless and Internally Flawless diamonds are the cleanest form of diamonds. At the other extreme are diamonds that have impurities that are easily visible even to the naked eye. The clarity of most diamonds available on the market usually fall within the table shown below.

FL-IF

Flawless & Internally Flawless.
No inclusions visible under 10x magnification.

VVS1-VVS2

Very, very slight inclusions. Hardly found under 10x magnification.

VS1-VS2

Very slight inclusions. Found under 10x magnification.

SI1-SI2

Small inclusions. Noticeable under 10x magnification.

I1-I2

Flaws are big enough to be visible to the naked eye.

03. CARAT

The Carat is the weight of the diamond. One carat is the equivalent of 0.2 grams. The weight of a
diamond is determined with a special highly sensitive electronic balance.

04. CUT

The Cut corresponds to the shape of the diamond. There are two main categories of diamond shapes, Round Brilliant Shape and Fancy Shape. Round Brilliant diamonds follow strict guidelines to optimize the light reflection inside the precious stone. Brilliant cut round diamonds always have 58 facets all well-orchestrated to optimize the luster and fire of the stone.
As shown in the table below, a well-cut and well-proportioned diamond allows the maximum amount of light to enter into the stone, reflect between the different facets, and return to your eye bringing with it all the luster and fire.
Any variation of these optimal parameters will cause a light leakage, which would lead to a stone with diminished luster, and therefore a diminished value.

All non-round shaped diamonds are called Fancy Shapes; examples include Pear, Marquise, Princess, Oval, Emerald Cut, Asscher, Radiant, Baguettes, Heart, Cushion, Kite, Hexagon, and many others. Although there are general guidelines and preferences in the cutting process of the different Fancy Shapes, there are no specific set of rules or ideal parameters in cutting a Fancy Shape Diamond. This is why grading laboratories like the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the HRD do not provide a grade for the Cut of the diamond and limit their grading to how well is the final polishing of the diamond, and its overall symmetry.

05. - CONFIDENCE

Always deal with a trader or jeweler who has a long-standing clean track record. Stay away from flashy promotions and amateur traders who are new to the business. Most unethical trades are done by such people. Stay away from worthless synthetic diamonds. Unlike the false marketing carried out by some traders, these synthetics are very easy to distinguish from the natural diamonds using specialized machines and tools. In terms of value, synthetic diamonds have close to zero intrinsic value. In any case, always ask for a Natural Polished Diamond certificate issued from an internationally recognized institution, and be sure that the certificate number is engraved on the girdle of the diamond. There are several organizations that specialize in issuing certificates, the best two are:

-01. The Gemological Institute of America (GIA).
Established and headquartered in 1931 in the United States of America, the GIA is one the leading institutes in the domain, rendering services worldwide. GIA is the creator of the famous 4Cs of diamond value (color, clarity, cut, and carat weight). It is also the corporate birthplace of the International Diamond Grading System™.

-02. The Hoge Raad Voor Diamant (HRD).
Established and headquartered in Antwerp, Belgium, the HRD’s standard matches those of GIA. Both institutions are highly professional and provide a spectacular service, in other words, they have stood to the test of time.