It has been said that diamonds are a girl’s best friend. If you’re planning to present the lady in your life with a piece of fine diamond jewelry, it is a good idea to make sure you educate yourself about diamond quality before you go shopping.
First, you should know that all diamonds have flaws. Clarity refers to the number of inclusions or flaws that can be found in the diamond. As a result stones are rated according to a grading scale. Flawless stones receive a FL rates while stones which have only minor surface inclusions receive an IF rating. Very, very small inclusions are graded from VVS1 to VVS2 while very small inclusions are rated VS1-VS2. Diamonds with inclusions that are visible to the naked eye receive a rating of I1-I3.
You will also need to give some thought to the color of the diamond. While at one time, the old adage was the clearer the better, this isn’t necessarily the case anymore. Colored diamonds are becoming increasingly fashionable. Whether you’re looking for something unique for an engagement ring or just a special piece of jewelry, this can help to set your gift apart.
Carat, of course, is also of importance. This refers to the unit of measurement for the stone. A one carat diamond is measured as 100 points and is 6.5mm in width. Remember that carat weight and total carat weight refer to two different matters. Total carat weight refers to the total weight of all the stones in the jewelry.
When you are ready to begin shopping around for an engagement ring or other piece of special jewelry, shopping online can provide a number of important benefits. Not only are you able to view a wider selection of diamonds in a shorter period of time but you can also take advantage of tremendous savings not typically offered in retail jewelry stores.
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