Ask Dr. Barrett . . .

How do I know what kind of diamond I'm buying? Is it any good? How do I know that I'm not being cheated?

When discussing diamonds, we use four characteristics to grade them. These categories are so important, we call them the

4 Cs.

COLOR

Diamonds exist in the full spectrum of colors. The most popular, sought after color is "colorless" or as nearly colorless as possible. On the other hand, fancy intense colors are also desirable: canary yellow, cinnamon, champagne, cognac, pink, red, green, blue, gray, &. are highly valued

Colorless diamonds are the most popular because they reflect the most light. (The darker the stone, the more the light is absorbed; therefore, the less the light is reflected.)

The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) scale is the most widely used in the United States of America.

D

E

F

G

H

I

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

Y

Z

Colorless

Near Colorless

Faint Yellow*

Very Light Yellow*

Light Yellow*

Past "Z" would be the Fancy Colors.
* Could be any of the other colors listed above.

D

G

I

L

Z

CUT

Popular cuts are the Full Round Brilliant Cut, Marquise Cut, Emerald Cut, Princess (or Quadrilliant Cut), Oval Cut, and Heart Shaped Cut. Two other popular cuts for supporting diamonds around a main stone are the baguette shape and the single cut stone.

The CUT is the only one of the 4Cs affected by man, and it influences the fire and brilliance of the stone. Most of the above mentioned major stone cuts have fifty-eight facets, or cuts, while the supporting diamonds have thirty-two facets. Diamonds cut exactly at the ideal angles have a beautiful brilliance with the highest reflective and refractive qualities possible. If the diamond appears to be lifeless or seems to be dark in the center, it was probably cut poorly. The cut may be too deep or too shallow. (If it is cut too deep, light "leaks" out the bottom, and the brilliance is lost. The center of the stone appears dark. If it is cut too shallow, light "leaks" out the bottom, the brilliance is lost, and the diamond appears watery, glassy, and dark.)

CLARITY

Practically all diamonds have naturally occurring internal characteristics called inclusions. These may be in the form of carbon spots, bubbles, feathers, grains, &c.

Flawless (FL) FL	Internally Flawless (IF) IF	Very, Very Slight Inclusion (VVS) VVS1 - VVS2	Very Slight Inclusion (VS) VS1 - VS2	Slight Inclusion (SI) SI1 - SI2	Imperfect (I) I1 - I2 - I3
No blemishes or inclusions visible (by an expert) under 10X magnification	No inclusions and only insignificant surface blemishes visible (by an expert) under 10X magnification	Minute inclusions that are difficult to see under 10X	Minor inclusions ranging from difficult to somewhat easy to see, face up, under 10X	Noticeable inclusions that are easy (SI1) or very easy (SI2) to see under 10X. Clean, face up, to the unassisted eye	Obvious inclusions that are usually visible, face up, to the unassisted eye. Distinctions are based on durabiliby, transparency, and brilliance

CARAT WEIGHT

The word "CARAT" is from the ancient practice of weighing diamonds against the seeds of the carob tree. The system was eventually standardized, and one carat was fixed at 0.2 grams. One carat is divided into 100 points, so a quater-carat diamond is 25 points, or 0.25ct.

Although "carat" is a unit of weight, not size, the carat weight of a diamond has come to refer to a particular size. If properly cut, diamonds of the same weight should be about the same size. These sizes don't apply to other gems, since they have different specific gravities different than diamonds.

The moral of the story is . . .

De Beers, wielder of the majority of the diamond trade, suggests that the gentleman spend approximately two months of his salary on a diamond for his fiancee. (Less than this may result in her preceiving that he focused a little too much on economy and too little in matters of the heart. On the other hand more than two months salary may be more than he can afford that may plunge the future relationship into unfortunate, unnecessary hardship.)

Remember these tips:

• If it looks too good to be true, it probably is!
• The dealer should offer a seven day money back return policy and a thirty day exchange policy so that you have a chance to get a second opinion.
• make sure that the dealer gives you a written guarantee that the product is what he claims it is. (Have him write it down in a standardized scale, such as the GIA grading scale. One store's THREE STAR diamond may GIA's I3 diamond!)

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