How to Buy Diamond Jewellery Online OR Offline
Your jewellery collection is incomplete without diamond jewellery. The sparkling diamonds are good for all occasions – social gatherings, a dinner date, evening out with friends, and even a day at the office. Diamond jewellery will never go out of style, and that’s the best part. So, you can safely make this investment, whether it’s a classic stud, an elegant drop earring, exquisite solitaire ring, a gorgeous diamond pendant, or a bracelet.
But before you go out to make that first purchase of diamond jewellery, you should know about the 4Cs of diamonds.
Tips to Buy Diamond Jewellery – The 4C Guide
The best diamond jewellery is a premium product, and it’s good to stay informed about the 4Cs of diamond. After all, we don’t buy diamond jewellery every day!
If you didn’t know already, the 4Cs are
· Cut
· Colour
· Clarity
· Carat
1. Cut
This is the most important factor you must consider when buying real diamond jewellery. That’s because, it is the cut that determines the brilliance of your diamond. Simply put, the better the cut, the more it will sparkle. Gemologists suggest that you should always go for the best cut grade within your budget.
When your diamond is well-cut, light will enter it from the table and travel to its pavilion. It will seem as if your diamond is shining from within and reflecting light back to your eyes. But in a poorly-cut diamond, light seems to be leaking out from the bottom and sides. If it has been cut poorly, your diamond may seem to be dull, even if it has perfect colour grade and clarity.
2. Colour
This is the second most important factor that determines the quality and diamond jewellery price. It’s important to know that colourless diamonds are the best ones because they allow the maximum refraction of light or sparkle. So look at the lack of colour when you are buying diamond jewellery online or otherwise. The more colourless a diamond is, the better will be its quality.
The colour is graded on a scale of D to Z. Diamonds between D and F is colourless, and those between G and J are near-colourless.
3. Clarity
Rarely will you find a perfect diamond because almost all of them have inner flaws that occur during their formation process. The number of these flaws, their size, and how visible they are determine the clarity of a diamond.
These imperfections are sometimes called inclusions. Diamonds with the highest clarity grades have the smallest and least inclusions. Go for an eye-clean diamond, which means the inclusions cannot be seen with the naked eye.
4. Carat
Carat weight is the most misunderstood aspect of a diamond. Many believe it refers to the size, but actually this is a measure of the diamond’s weight. One carat is one-fifth of a gram or 0.20 g.
So don’t always go for size. Bigger is not always better. A well-cut diamond with good clarity and colour, but one that is smaller in size could very well be better than a larger stone that has mediocre clarity, cut, and colour.
There’s no dearth of good diamond jewellery in India. But make sure to check out the 4Cs before you buy diamond jewellery – cut, colour, clarity, and carat.
Diamond Grading Certificate- the 5th C
Yes, a diamond Grading Certificate is often called the fifth C for diamonds. It is an evaluation by a third-party and thus independent report about the quality of diamond and all the 4Cs. So, ask for grading report when buying a diamond. Some of the well known grading agencies are- Gemological Institute of America (GIA), American Gemological Society (AGS), European Gemological Laboratory (EGL), Diamond High Council (HRD), International Gemological Institute (IGI), International Confederation of Jewelry, Silverware, Diamonds, Pearls, and Stones (CIBJO).
Know the Diamond Seller well
As you will be investing a lot of money to buy diamond jewellery, research extensively about the jeweller or the online diamond store. For how long they are in business? What does the reviews of company say? is their transaction secure? Are the online sales representatives helpful? What is their return policy? Are they members of jewellery industry groups and professional associations? Answers to such questions will help you buy authentic diamonds from a trusted jeweller.
If you keep all the above points in mind while buying diamond jewellery, there’s no reason why you should not get an authentic real diamond.