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THE PERFECT DIAMOND

WANT TO BUY THE MOST PERFECT DIAMOND?

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Buying The Perfect Diamond

Do you want to buy the Perfect Diamond for an Engagement Ring?

Every guy does.

They not necessarily want to buy a Perfect Diamond with No Color, No Inclusions, Cut Perfectly and Sized Perfectly, but they really want to get the most perfect Diamond they can afford for their fiancee.

There are so many different Diamond factors that go into the perfect stone. And your description of perfection could be totally different than someone elses. “Perfect” to you could be the perfect price, or the perfect Carat Weight.

It could mean that all the flaws inside the stone aren’t visible to the naked eye. It could mean the perfect shaped stone, like a truly square Princess Cut Diamond (rare to find perfectly square).

With so many variables, how does one even begin to achieve perfection?

With the 4C’s of course!

Let’s take a closer look…

The Perfect 4C’s

The 4C’s are made up of Cut, Color, Clarity and Carat Weight.

To get a perfect stone, you’ll need to obtain a perfect grade in each of these categories.

The Perfect 4Cs

The easiest category to achieve perfection in is color…

The Perfect Diamond Color

Diamond Color starts with D (the best), and works its way down the alphabet to Z. Generally, on the market, you’ll find the top 2 ranges of Colors, which are “Colorless” and “Near Colorless“.

  • D-E-F are Colorless Grades
  • G-H-I-J are Near Colorless Grades

Take a look at them below…

Perfect Diamond Color

D,E and F are pure White stones, very bright, very white. They almost give off the appearance that a spot light is on them.

I love pure White Diamonds and highly, highly recommend them!

G,H,I,J are Near Colorless stones and to almost everyone, they’ll still appear white (especially in a mounting). They are more affordable than Colorless Diamonds, and this is the most popular range of Colors in stores today.

To get the Perfect Color though, you’ll need to go to the top of the list: D.

There is no Color Grade better than D (there is no A, B or C).

D is the top and if you want the Perfect Color, get D and your Diamond will be as white as white can be.

The Perfect Diamond Carat Weight

Carat Weight is all subjective. What is the perfect weight?

There is none!

To some, it could be 3/4 Carat. To others, 2 Carat. You could ask 100 people and you’d get numerous responses. No one can really say what a perfect weight is.(What’s the Perfect Weight in People?…. See!)

Usually, Carat Weight is as big as you can afford. It’s all based upon price! :)

If you get a perfect Diamond, of perfect Color, Clarity and Cut, then the only thing stopping you from getting a bigger Carat Weight is money!

The price of Carat Weights will double and triple as you go higher up the charts.

But, there are market averages that may help you. The average selling Carat Weight for a Diamond Engagement Ring is only 38 Points. While that Carat Weight may seem small, and may even look small, you also have to remember that many times this stone would be set with surrounding Diamonds, such as in a Wedding Set. Then, it wouldn’t look so tiny. The ring could be a One Carat Total Weight, and it could look awesome!

But you know what?

One Carat is the Ideal Carat Weight for Most.

Perfect Carat Weight

That One Carat mark is the goal of most women (the Dream Diamond). One Carat Diamonds LOOK Big! Carats of this size look stunning, beautiful (based upon quality of course), and they are the target to shoot for.

So, if I were to suggest a Perfect Carat Weight, One Carat would be it!

100 Points equals One Carat (1.00 ct).

Find a Diamond with 100 Points, and that’s as close to perfection that Carat Weight can get. :)

The Perfect Diamond Clarity

Clarity is basically how clean or how void of Inclusions and Flaws a Diamond has.

The fewer the flaws, the higher the Clarity Rating.

The best Clarity ratings are those where you can’t see any Imperfections in the stone just by looking at it (from all sides). You’ll need a Microscope to see them.

Clarity starts at the top with Flawless (FL) Diamonds (only 2% of the entire Diamond Market), and goes on down to the bottom grade called I3, or Imperfect Level 3 (lots of eye visible flaws).

See chart below…

Perfect Diamond Clarity

The popular range of Clarity sits around the SI1 range.

SI1 is a good Diamond Clarity to buy because it’s the first Clarity where all of the Inclusions are Microscopic (under 10x Magnification). Anything lower than SI1 will have eye visible Flaws! Plus, the price is right for SI1. You won’t pay an arm and a leg for a stone of this Clarity.

But personally, I like to step it up a notch. But then again, I’ve been viewing stones for over 23 years, and I do love a cleaner stone. My favorite Clarity is VS Clarity.

The Inclusions in a VS Diamond under a scope are much smaller than an SI and they don’t mask the beauty or sparkle of the stone. They just add enough minute characteristics to identify the stone for you to say “Yep, that’s my Diamond!” (you can’t do that in a Flawless stone).

Now don’t fool yourself. Most people think that if they can’t see any flaws in a stone under a microscope, that the Diamond must be Flawless (“I have a Flawless Diamond“), but that’s not the case. The only Flawless Diamonds are those with an actual Flawless rating (preferably by GIA).

Just because you can’t see any flaws or imperfections in the stone with your untrained eyes, doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

Flawless is Flawless and nothing less.

But, just to be clear… Flawless isn’t always Perfect!

Some Flawless stones still will have a flaw here and there. It could be a small pinpoint, a natural, it could even be a grain line across a facet… If the flaw is insignificant enough and small enough where it doesn’t detract or affect the beauty of the stone in the least, then it could still get a Flawless Rating.

To get a truly Flawless stone, check the GIA Diamond Reports (or Certificate as most people call them).

Look at the Plot (as seen on a full Diamond Report). If you see any Red Symbols (Internal Flaws), or Green Symbols (External Flaws), then it’s not perfectly Flawless.

Perfect Flawless Diamond

If the Plot is void of any marks, and the Comments section doesn’t list any attributes, then it’s safe to say, it’s as Flawless as you can get. :)

The Perfect Diamond Cut

Cut will mess you up.

There are a million ways to Cut a Diamond, and being the only ‘C’ of the 4C’s that is influenced by man, it is generally never perfect. The standard Cut of Diamond is the Brilliant Cut Diamond shown below…

Perfect Brilliant Cut Diamond

I guess you could say, it’s as perfect as man can make it. I have yet to see a Diamond that’s perfect proportions, with perfect symmetry, facets, depth and width. You can get close… but the most perfect you’ll probably find is a rating by GIA of Excellent.

GIA rates Cut (the Round Brilliant Cut because it’s the most popular Cut there is), in 5 different categories. And I talk mainly of GIA because GIA developed and devised the 4C’s of Diamonds!

The 5 GIA Cut Grades are:

  • Excellent
  • Very Good
  • Good
  • Fair
  • Poor

It’s safe to say that most Cuts of Diamond on the market are generally around the Good Cut. The middle of the road. Good Cuts give you decent sparkle and beauty (Cut is what makes a Diamond Sparkle or not).

But, if you want MORE Sparkle, Brilliance, and Fire (also known as Life), you’ll need to venture into the Very Good and Excellent Cut Grades.

Excellent is at the top! Excellent is the highest Cut Grade there is and it will give you the maximum amount of both Brilliance (White Light) and Fire (Colored Light) in your stone.

Look for an Excellent Rating on the GIA Diamond Report and you’ll end up with a stunning Diamond that sparkles like crazy.

Perfect Cut Grade

Now that’s a Diamond that will knock her socks off! :)

Beyond the 4C’s

There are a few more factors that I would point you towards in the quest for the perfect stone:

  • Fluorescence
  • Polish
  • Symmetry
  • The Mounting

The Perfect Diamond Fluorescence

Diamond Fluorescence is when a Diamond will glow in the dark under UV lighting (Ultra-Violet Light).

Some Diamonds do, some don’t. It’s a natural phenomenon and most people will never encounter it unless they go into a Fun House, Haunted House, or a Bar that has UV Lighting installed. You’ll look down and see that your Shoes, Shirt and Diamond are glowing! :)

Perfect Diamond Fluorescence

No Fluorescence, or None, is the best to get.

While Fluorescence sounds like a cool thing to have, it can cause some Diamonds (not all), to look foggy or hazy, regardless of the Clarity or Color Ratings.

You could have a perfect Diamond, but if it has strong Fluorescence, that Diamond could look milky, and very low quality, with no sparkle. Pity!

You won’t know it until you see it.

This is why I always advise against purchasing any stone with Fluorescence (even Faint), if you can’t see the stone in person to determine how it affects the Diamond in natural light.

Fluorescence is listed on a GIA Diamond Report. Look for it and look for it to say “None“. That way, you won’t have to worry about it.

The Perfect Diamond Polish

The way a Diamond is Polished can help or hurt the way a Diamond reflects light or sparkles.

A Diamond is cut with facets that make up the shape of the stone. Those facets are normally flat and perfectly smooth… like glass or a mirror.

But, sometimes the way a diamond is cut, and the way that the diamond grew a million years ago, can make polishing those facets a chore.

Like rings in a tree (or a knot), sometimes they leave grain lines or polish marks on the surface of the stone. Sometimes they’ll appear like tiny hairs, or even appear wavy, which can distort the diamonds appearance, and throw light off.

Most people would never notice the polish of a stone. But under a scope, and at the right angle, you should be able to tell. The easiest way to tell is to look for Polish on the GIA Diamond Report.

Perfect Diamond Polish

To get a perfect Polish, you’ll need a perfect rating, which is also “Excellent“!

Polish can be rated like Cut with 5 different ratings: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

Excellent is Excellent and it’s the the most perfect Polish you can get. :)

The Perfect Diamond Symmetry

Symmetry is all about balance and perfection. One Star Facet should be of equal size and shape as all the other Star Facets. Same way with all the different Facets of a Diamond, like the Upper Girdle Facets, Pavilion Facets and Bezel Facets. They should all be pretty perfect and all be exact to get a Perfect Symmetry score.

If you cut a Diamond into equal pie-shaped pieces, each segment should be identical to the next.

They should all match, like so…

Perfect Diamond Symmetry

Perfect Symmetry is what allows you to achieve those awesome Hearts and Arrows that forms inside a stone when viewed with A Special Diamond Scope.

Symmetry is what Dictates:

  • The Culet is in the exact center of the stone
  • The Table Facet is flat and level with the Girdle
  • The Facets are not warped, or askew
  • The Reflections are not Distored

The more Symmetrical a diamond is, the more beautiful and more sparkles a diamond can have.

To get a perfect diamond, you’ll need perfect symmetry, which is a GIA rating of: Excellent.

Symmetry is also made up of 5 different category grades like Polish and Cut: Excellent, Very Good, Good, Fair and Poor.

Look for an Excellent rating on the GIA Report under Symmetry.

Perfect Diamond Symmetry

It’s the perfect rating to get.

Lastly…

The Perfect Diamond Ring Mounting

I truly believe that the perfect mounting for a Diamond is the classic, simple, popular engagement ring mounting, or as most call it, the Tiffany Style Mounting.

It’s slim, thin, around 2.5mm wide and is the ultimate setting to show off the perfect stone.

I would advise you to buy a 4 prong head, so it shows off more of the diamond, and getting a metal of either 14k White Gold (more affordable), or Platinum (expensive, but more durable). Getting a white metal like this is great because it really makes a white diamond ‘POP‘ in the mounting, and it doesn’t add any color into the stone either (like Yellow Gold will).

See image below…

Perfect Diamond Mounting

You can’t go wrong with this simple, elegant look that never goes out of style.

Plus, this classic ring is the most affordable engagement ring mounting there is (at least in white gold), and it’s the safe mounting. Which means, if you don’t know exactly what type of mounting to get her, this is a sure and safe bet! :)

The Perfect Diamond Ring

So there you go.

Let’s sum it all up…

  • Color = D
  • Clarity = Flawless
  • Carat Weight = 1.00 Carat
  • Cut = Excellent
  • Fluorescence = None
  • Polish = Excellent
  • Symmetry = Excellent
  • Mounting = Classic Tiffany Style

And of course, to get all of this, you’ll need to make sure that you purchase a GIA Certified (Best in the business) Diamond.

The Perfect Diamond

That my friends, is the most perfect mounting, for the most perfect bride to be.

Take a look at some Diamonds as listed by James Allen that is about as Perfect as one could find on the web. Notice that James Allen doesn’t even sell Flawless Diamonds. They are that difficult to come by (Usually they are sold to Collectors before they hit the Market). The top Clarity they sell are Internally Flawless stones… The next best thing.

CARAT WT, CLARITY, COLOR, CUT, CERTIFICATE PRICE VIEW
1.13, IF, D, EXCELLENT, GIA $19,750 VIEW
.85, IF, D, EXCELLENT, GIA $9,220 VIEW
.68, IF, D, EXCELLENT, GIA $5,900 VIEW
.61, IF, D, EXCELLENT, GIA $5,090 VIEW
.50, IF, D, EXCELLENT, GIA $3,940 VIEW

Where can you Buy Flawless Diamonds at?

One of the only places on the net that I can find (and trust) that sells truly Flawless (FL) Diamonds is BlueNile.com. Take a look at their Perfect Diamonds, of course, with a Perfect Price. :)

Perfect Diamond From Blue Nile

Cheers! :)

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter 10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

Recommended Jewelry Supplies:

Ultrasonic Jewelry Cleaner Jewelry Steam Cleaner
Complete Jewelry Cleaner Kit Diamond Dazzle Stick
Gold Silver Jewelry Polishing Cloths Jewelry Making Supplies Kit
Gold Acid Test Kit Watch Tool Repair Kit
Ring Adjusters EMT Emergency Ring Cutter
10x Jewelers Loupe Jewelers Microscope

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