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Diamond Guide

A Certified Diamond is one that has been graded by an self-governing laboratory. The benefit of a certificate is that the grading is done by a qualified, independent, third party who is neither buying nor selling the stone. This insures no difference of interest.

Here at Gold in Art, we prefer to buy diamonds certified by E.G.L. and G.I.A. because they remain to the highest standards of the four C's: carat, cut, clarity and color.

Carat

Carat is the weight of the stone, and so can only be determined accurately before the stone is mounted. Portions of a carat are called points, 100 points = 1 carat. For example, a diamond that weighs 75 points is a ¾ carat diamond. Diamonds are priced on a "per carat" basis, with the "price per carat" varying based on the size of the stone. For example:

A diamond that weighs 0.95 cts. (95 points) may cost $2,000 per carat for a selling price of $1900 (.95 x $2000)

A 1.05 ct. diamond with the same color, cut and clarity may cost $2,400 per carat for a selling price of $2520 (1.05 x $2400)

This is because the "price per carat" goes up when the weight goes up.

Cut

The term cut is sometimes puzzling because it has a variety of meanings. Jewelers use it to refer to:

The shape of a gemstone (e.g. round, oval, or marquise)

The cutting style (e.g. brilliant or step cut, single or full cut)

The proportions of a stone (e.g. big or small table facet, deep or shallow pavilion)

The finish of a stone (e.g. polishing marks or smooth flawless surface, misshapen or symmetrical facets)

Discuss the details regarding the cut of your diamond with your jeweler while you are deciding which diamond to buy.

Clarity

The universally accepted clarity grading scale is shown below:

FLAWLESS
VVS1-VVS2	Very, Very Slight Inclusions
VS1-VS2	Very Slight Inclusions
SI1-SI2	Slight Inclusions
I1-I2-I3	Imperfect

Inclusions can be crystals, clouds, black spots, white spots, and sometimes even look like cracks. Only diamonds falling in the defective category should have inclusions that are visible to the naked eye. This rule holds true for any diamond that does not weigh more than a carat. All other inclusions are based on looking at the diamond during 10 power magnification.

Color

The universally accepted color grading scale is shown below:

D-E-F
G-H-I-J	Colorless
K-L-M	Near Colorless
N-O-P-Q-R	Faint Yellow
Faint Yellow	Very Light Yellow
S-T-U-V-W-X-Y-Z	Light Yellow

This grading scale is based on subtle difference. Therefore, color is impossible to judge without having two stones side by side.

Gold In Art Jewelers specializes in designing custom jewelry using high quality diamonds and colored gemstones set in gold and platinum.

Glossary

RB	-	Round Brilliant Cut
OV	-	Oval
PS	-	Pear Shape
PR	-	Princess Cut
MQ	-	Marquise Shape
TR	-	Trillion Shape
HS	-	Heart Shape
EC	-	Emerald Cut
TB	-	Tapered Baguette Shape
SB	-	Straight Baguette
cttw	-	Total Carat Weight of Diamonds
Ct.	-	Carat
Mel	-	Melee - smaller diamonds surrounding center stones