diamonds

DIAMOND GRADING

Doctors "practice" medicine and lawyers "practice" law. After some basic training, we spend the rest of our lives learning and perfecting our trades. If ten of the worlds leading authorities on diamonds got together to look at stones, there would almost certainly be some stones that all of them could not agree on the grading. Grading diamonds creates a problem that is all too common. The stone is graded incorrectly (almost never in the customers favor). This can be done by a con man to increase his profit margin or by an honest man who doesn't grade enough diamonds to be professional about it. The result is the same, you will pay more than you should for the stone and the honest merchant must constantly try to compete against these dealers. A certificate created by the best grader in the world is not a guarantee that everyone will agree on his numbers, but it's usually far better than the best guess you can get on the street. Our non certified diamonds are graded by a large diamond supply house and we trust their grading. For stones over 1/4 carat, we strongly recommend buying a certificated stone. The grading on these stones is done by a professional laboratory. There is a fee for the testing on each stone. The cost will be slightly higher, but the peace of mind should be worth it.

CLARITY

IF = Internally flawless -- No flaws visible at 10 power magnification.
VVS = Very few and very small inclusions. Difficult to see at 10 power magnification. These are normally graded into VVS levels 1 and 2.
VS = Very small inclusions -- Difficult to find at 10 power magnification. These are normally graded into VS levels 1 and 2.
SI = Slightly included -- Small inclusions which are easily recognized at 10 power magnification. These are normally graded into SI levels 1, 2 and 3.
I = Included -- I level 1 have inclusions that can be seen without magnification, but do not diminish the brilliance.
I level 2 has larger and/or numerous inclusions, slightly diminishing the brilliance and recognizable with the naked eye.
I level 3 has large and/or numerous inclusions which diminish the brilliance considerably.

Note: Grade SI-1 (and some say SI-2) is considered to be eye clean. Above this the price goes up rapidly and may not be necessary for everyday jewelry.

COLOR

D = Blue/white -- the finest color
E = A slightly lower grade of Blue/white
F = Fine white
G = A slightly lower grade of Fine white
H = White
I = Weakly tinted white
J = A slightly lower grade of Weakly tinted white
K & L = Tinted white
M & N = Weakly yellow
O & P = Yellowish
Q & R = Weakly yellow (darker yellow than grades M & N)
S to Z = Yellow

NOTE: Good quality commercial jewelry uses G to I color diamonds and many use much lower grades. The color may not be quite as white but there are some beautiful J to M color stones. A stone with a higher color grade will show a little more brilliance. You can pay more for higher color grades and if money isn't a problem, then by all means go ahead. For the average buyer who wants the biggest stone for the available money, you don't need to buy higher color grades to have a good looking piece of jewelry.

Let us give you a price quote for your next diamond purchase.