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Diamond Grading Simplified
On these pages you will learn the fundamentals of diamond grading and how to find the best diamond bargains as well. This is vital to know if you want a good looking diamond at a good price. The key money saving points are in bold type.
Diamond grading starts with Color, the first of the "4Cs", Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat.
Diamond color grading ranges from D-F (colorless) through G-J (near colorless), K-M (faint yellow), N-R (very light yellow) down to S-Z (light yellow).
In the K-R range you sometimes get a very light brown called "champagne" and a darker brown called "cognac", both very attractive. Even when a stone has a visible tint, such as an M color, it can still be very lovely if it has been well cut.
Near colorless diamonds (G-J) will look colorless in the right setting and will save you a lot of money.
Diamonds also come in a wide variety of other colors, including red, blue, green and a bright yellow known as "canary." These are graded as Z+ and are known as fancy diamonds. Ones with good color are very rare and can sell for much more per carat than white diamonds.
(Find more info on the Color Grading page by clicking on this link.)
The next "C" in Diamond Grading is Clarity.
It is very common for diamonds to be formed in nature with imperfections. These are known as inclusions and can come in many forms, including tiny white points, dark dots of carbon, or feathery cracks.
The fewer inclusions, the more the stone is worth. A diamond's clarity ranking is determined by the number, size, type and placement of the inclusions.
The diamond clarity grading ranges from FL (flawless) through VVS (very, very slight imperfections), VS (very slight imperfections), SI (slight imperfections), I1 (imperfect, can be seen with the naked eye) to I3, commercial or industrial grade.
Down to SI-2, the inclusions are not visible to the naked eye and are not large enough to reduce the brilliance (sparkle) of the diamond.
(For more info on Clarity grading, click on this link.)
Diamond Grading's next "C" is Cut Grading.
If cut properly a diamond reflects the light back up through the center of the stone to give its characteristic sparkle. A poorly cut stone looks flat like a piece of glass.
The quality of the cut is call the "make", and it ranges from Class 1-Ideal or Premium Cut, Class 2-Well Cut, Class 3-Average Cut to Class 4-Below Average Cut.
There are six factors that determine a diamond's class, the most important being table width percentage and depth percentage. They need to be understood because diamond reports (certificates) give these factors but do not classify them.
For most diamonds, get at least a Class 2 stone or, better yet, a Class 1 to get maximum Brilliance. We give charts that show you how to grade a diamond's Class.
(More on Cut Grading and charts to determine their grading classification is found with this link.)
Most diamonds 1/2 ct and above come with a diamond report from a gem lab. Often they are fancied up and called "certificates" for marketing purposes, but--no matter how important they look--they are just educated opinions from trained gemologists.
The most accurate certificates come from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the European Gemological Laboratory (EGL). Most others like IGI are used to sell the junk diamonds found in the mall stores.
Photographs of diamonds are far from accurate as they need to be enhanced to look good. If you want to save money by buying on-line, learn to read a grading report from a reputable gem lab like GIA or EGL.
An I color, SI-1 clarity diamond with a Class 1 cut will give you a great looking diamond at a bargain price. It will look colorless in a setting, have no inclusions visible to the naked eye, and have maximum brilliance.
To get the rest of the important data on Diamond Grading, go next to Diamond Carat Grading.
To better understand Diamond Grading use the form below to do a trial search of our 60,000+ Diamond Listing and compare the pricing of various diamond grades
If you have any questions, email them to us at Diamond Search , or telephone 800-498-7302.
Search Instructions:
1. Click on a diamond shape.
2. Adjust the bars with your cursor or type in the high and low ranges for price and desired characteristics below.
3. Click "Search".
4. If no results or too many results, re-adjust price and/or characteristics ranges.
5. If having trouble,email Diamond Search, or telephone 800-498-7302.
