WHY CERTIFICATION OF LOOSE DIAMOND MATTERS?

Diamonds are priceless and are valued much for their worth and excellence Loose diamonds are available in a variety of shapes. Whichever shaped diamond you buy it is very significant that the diamond be certified by an independent gemological laboratory like the International Gemological Institute (IGI), Gemological Institute of America (GIA); the American Gem Society (AGS); the European Gemological Laboratories (EGL) and GemEx Systems. Respected grading labs to not sell diamonds since that would be a conflict of interest.

While buying diamonds, certification is a prerequisite and the name of the laboratory that examined your precious stone is extremely important. Although these stones look the same on the surface they may not be of the same quality. The certification is a written proof of the quality and attributes of the diamond. Without certification, there is no assurance that the diamond you are buying is of the quality you’re paying for.

From the prospect of investment also the diamond certification is very important. Your diamond will be easier to sell if it is properly certified. Uncertified diamonds can be certified by sending them to an independent gemological laboratory for examination. In case you loose your “diamond report” you can always get a copy of your certification from the gemological laboratory where you had it examined. It is the pedigree that goes with the diamond and becomes a valuable document in case of loss because it will ensure that your insurance company will replace your stone with another certified stone of same quality. Certificates are not appraisals since they do not contain any information regarding the value or price of a diamond.

One of the important advantages of getting your diamond certified is that you will know the precise grading of yours stone’s precious 4Cs i.e. carat, weight, cut, color and clarity. Your diamond certification also arms you with the information you need to assess your precious stone’s fair market value. Another thing your certificate empowers you to do is to make an intelligent comparison with other diamonds – in the same jewelry store or in another. Thus it is always in the favor of the buyer to get their diamonds certified.

Diamond Blemishes and Their Types

While judging the quality of a diamond, several things have to be considered including its Four Cs. Among them, the clarity feature determines the purity of the stone. Diamonds with lower clarity have impurities which may be either inclusions or blemishes. This classification is based on the position of the impurity i.e. internal or external. Internal impurities are referred to as inclusions in the diamond, whereas external impurities are blemishes.

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Diamond blemishes could either be naturally present or occur when the diamond is cut or polished and also when worn. The different types of blemishes are Scratches, Nick, Pits, Naturals, Polishing lines and Extra Facets.

Scratches: It refers to fine lines on the diamond surface. They can occur when the stone is accidently or purposely rubbed against harsh materials. They can be easily polished away.

Nicks: They are the cuts or chipped away section of the diamond. They are mostly found near the girdle of the stone. They are usually introduced when the diamond is set in jewelry and stress is applied on it. Nicks can be repaired by polishing and creating extra facets. But too many extra facets spoil the overall appearance of the stone; hence nicks should be taken off the diamond with real care.

Pits: They refer to the holes on the surface of the diamond. They aren’t usually noticeable but if they appear on the diamond table, then it could be visibly clear. If the pit is too deep then it could be difficult to get rid of it but shallow pits can be polished away easily.

Naturals: They are those sections of the diamond which are left unpolished. They are usually left near the girdle. If naturals are found on the girdle then it doesn’t affect the quality of the stone. However, if it is extended towards the pavilion or crown then they can be noticed easily and hence degrades the diamond.

Polishing Lines: They are marks which appear on the surface of the stones. They are usually the result of cutting and polishing process.

Extra facets: Sometimes the diamond is cut to remove certain blemishes on the diamond. This cutting process results in creation of extra facets spoiling the diamond’s look.

Usually minor blemishes do not have any effect on the diamond value or appearance, since they are moreover unnoticeable to the naked eye. But while buying the diamond, the buyer should be informed about any kind of presence of blemishes.

Princess Cut Diamond – The Unique Shape

After round brilliant, princess cut is the next most preferred diamond shape. This unique cut has been liked highly because of the brilliance it emits. This shape is moreover chosen by buyers who prefer unique looking jewelry especially unique engagement rings.

Princess Cut Diamond

This shape is simply a square shaped diamond with sharp corners and high amount of brilliance. This brilliance is the result of extra faceting and an attempt to create something similar to an upside down triangular pyramid. The princess cut diamond has wide pavilion facets at the culet and narrowed ones towards the girdle. It was created in the 1960s and became popular in the 1970s. It is also recognized as square modified brilliant since it consists of the sparkle of the round brilliant cut and the shape of a square. However the princess cut has a lower amount of brilliance as compared to the round shape in order to gain its square shape.

The setting of the jewelry should be such that the corners of the diamond are protected from any kind of damage. Minimum of four prong setting is required to hold this diamond safely. The sharp corners can get chipped or scratched with a slight hit or smack. To avoid this, many jewelers or manufacturers “chamfer” the corners such that the shape doesn’t change or create “clipped corners”.

The price of princess cut diamond is lower than that of round brilliant ones. Reason behind this being that in princess cut moreover the original rough diamond is retained since this cut doesn’t need to be smoothed to gain attractiveness unlike the round shape.

While choosing a princess cut diamond, the color and clarity features have to be taken care of. The ideal color for this cut would be above I whereas if you are looking out for an affordable diamond color, then H or I would be the ideal choice. For a decent clarity, VS2 or SI1 can be chosen comfortably.

American Gem Society (AGS) Laboratories

Many gemological laboratories provide certificates which prove the authenticity of a diamond and specify its minute facts and characteristics. One such laboratory is the American Gem Society Laboratories (AGSL). This laboratory provides diamond grading services to jewelry industry only, which means that they accept diamonds only from jewelers and manufacturers.

AGSL is known for grading the diamond cut including the Ideal Cut. It is also known for grading the fancy cut diamonds like Emerald, Oval and Princess cut. According to this laboratory, the most important among the four Cs of a diamond is the Cut, because this feature determines the amount of refraction or reflection of light.

The AGS Laboratories offer various reports depending on the type of diamond information required. The most preferred among them is the Diamond Quality Document (DQD) which includes the complete analysis of the four Cs of the diamond: Color Grade, Cut Grade, Carat weight and Clarity grade.

Image Source: http://www.agslab.com/product_diamond_quality_document.php

AGS Diamond Grading System

Grading is allotted in numerical form from the range of zero to ten. For Diamond Cut, zero means the best cut (Ideal cut) and ten indicates the lowest one. In the Verbal form, cut can be classified as AGS Ideal or Excellent or from Very Good, Good to Fair or Poor. The same numerical form goes for the Clarity feature of a diamond. The verbal descriptor for indicating the clarity of the diamond is same as that of GIA (Gemological Institute of America). For Diamond Color, zero indicates colorless and ten indicates light yellow or light brown.

AGSL provides easy-to-read grading scale hence making it easy for the consumers to evaluate and verify the quality of the diamond they have purchased.

Heart Diamonds – The Fancy Cut Diamond

Heart diamonds are the ultimate gift for Valentine’s Day. A Sparkling heart shaped diamond helps you to express your love for your special someone with grace, elegance and romance.

Although they are hard to find, because of their increasing popularity, retailers and manufacturers are giving them more importance and trying to bring them in large numbers.

This fancy-cut diamond reveals the bow-tie shadow effect although high quality stones exhibit this effect minimally. They typically contain 59 facets.

When fixed in prong setting they look more marvelous than in any other jewelry setting, since the beauty of the shape gets noticed easily with this setting. Usually five prongs would be required to hold the stone. Two prongs will hold the lobes, another two to hold the sides and a V-shaped prong holding its pointed tip.

They are moreover popular with solitaire rings and solitaire pendants. They also look stunning in stud earrings and as diamond ring side stones too. Check out some of the different types of jewelry adorned with a heart shaped diamond:



Solitaire Ring:

Image Source: http://ringoblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/10/heart-solitaire-ring.jpg


Solitaire Pendant:

Image Source: http://www.overstockjeweler.com/images/I/overstockjeweler_1943_52309453.gif

Side stone Ring:

Image Source: http://www.ritani.com/productimages/1237819700_1RZ1235AAHP.jpg


Stud Earring:

Image Source: http://www.rothemcollection.com/pc/catalog/heart_diamond_earrings_w2_870_general.jpg

Identifying the right heart-shaped diamond:

The brilliance of these diamonds differs on their depth. Deeper the diamond, the more brilliance it has. Diamond with more depth although sparkles with brilliance, but may look smaller than its ideal size. Flatter diamonds have lesser brilliance and radiance. Hence heart shaped diamonds should be chosen carefully.
Also, while purchasing heart shaped diamonds, one must be sure that the top lobes of the stone are even.
The two halves should be well-defined and should look symmetrical at least for a naked eye.
The color of the diamond should be given special attention while choosing such diamonds. If it has low-quality color, then it may be noticeable from the corners of the cut.