When you go to buy a diamond, whether it is a loose diamond or one that is set in a piece of jewellery it pays to try and buy the best quality diamond on offer. The quality of diamonds can differ greatly between retailers and it is important to get as much information about your prospective purchase as possible. If you want to buy the best quality diamond jewellery make sure you visit a reputable jewellery store that can give you advice about your purchase before you buy!

Diamonds like other gemstones are all graded according to certain characteristics and the qualities of these characteristics have a bearing on the overall price of the stone. The quality of a diamond is classified according to the four C’s. These are more commonly known as clarity, cut, colour and carat.

All gemstones are classified according to carat weight and diamonds are no different. Like gold or other precious metals carat weight indicates the weight of the stone in carats, rather than actual physical weight. Generally, the heavier the carat weight the higher the quality of the stone and the price.

The
cut of the diamond is also important and makes the diamond perform to its full potential. Diamonds and other gemstones can be fashioned as emerald cut, oval cut, pear cut, round cut, marquise cut and the list goes on. The important factor here is the depth of the cut. A diamond with an ideal cut refers to the depth of the cut. Ideal cut diamonds allow as much light as possible to pass through the diamond and the same amount of light to be reflected back out from the stone. This ensures that the stone sparkles and glimmers to its full potential, as no light rays are lost.

Another characteristic is clarity and this refers to the clearness of the stone. Some stones may have tiny inclusions which are invisible to the naked eye but will be a factor when it comes to pricing the stone. Lastly, the colour of the stone must be considered. Near colourless diamonds are the best quality, rarest and most expensive. The colours of diamonds are set down on a scale by the jewellery industry and range from colourless to near yellow. Generally, most people aim for somewhere in between. Taking into account all these factors should ensure that you buy the best quality diamond on offer.