How To Buy Diamond Jewellery: The 7 C’s of Buying a Diamond

When you’re looking to buy diamond jewellery, such as an engagement ring it helps to know about the 7 C’s of diamonds.

You might already know about the 4 C’s of diamond buying, but our buyer’s guide expands more on this subject. We will go over everything you everything you need to know about the 7 C’s of buying a diamond.

Let’s get started!

“I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number you get in a diamond.” Mae West

The cut of the diamond refers to a lot more than just the shape it has been polished into. It is actually the most important factor for determining a diamond’s sparkle and light dispersion.

When it comes to cutting a diamond, it is a very precise process that requires laser precision. The type and quality of the cut will ultimately determine the brightness and sparkle of the diamond.

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. This is different from carat’s used for precious metals, such as https://www.theweddingringscompany.co.uk/product-category/yellow-gold/gold, which refers to purity. Carat is used as a measuring scale for how much a diamond weighs.

For example, 1 carat = 0.2 grams, so 0.5 carat = 0.1 grams and 5 carats = 1 gram. The higher the carat, the larger the diamond.

The colour of a diamond determines its grade – the less colour (white or colourless), the higher the grade of a diamond. This grade is measured using a colour scale from D to Z, with D being the “most desirable”.

Completely colourless diamonds are much rarer, therefore they are more expensive than lesser grade diamonds.

When buying a diamond, make sure that it has been certified by a recognised laboratory. Diamond certification will provide you with important information, such as a diamond’s technical characteristics, its value and origins.

Here at The Wedding Rings Co. we only use diamonds certified by GIA – a leading grading body in the diamond industry.

The way diamonds are formed deep underground under tremendous pressure and heat, chances are they will have some sort of an imperfection in their crystal structure. This can easily happen as minerals can become trapped inside the diamond during its formation process. The level of such impurities will determine the clarity of a diamond and therefore its price.

Diamond clarity is graded using a scale that starts from Flawless / Internally Flawless (FL/IF), Very Very Slightly Included (VVS1/VVS2), Very Slightly Included (VS1/VS2), Slightly Included (SI1/SI2) to Included (I1, I2 and I3).

The contour of a diamond refers to its shape. The round shape is perhaps the most popular diamond contour – but there are many more! Diamonds can be cut into many different shapes, suited for each individual taste.

The most popular diamond contour’s include Round, Princess, Cushion, Oval, Pear, Heart, Radiant, Asscher, Marquise, Trillion and Emerald shapes.

When it comes to the price of a diamond, you must consider all of the above listed factors first. But perhaps the most important factor for determining the cost of a diamond is the carat weight. The larger the carat weight, the higher the cost of a diamond.

You can compare the cost of diamonds using price per carat – simply divide the cost of the diamond by its carat weight. Keep in mind that larger sized diamonds are rarer and therefore they are usually sold at a premium price.