Diamonds as Status Symbols

As a status symbol few things can equal a diamond. A big diamond is the best way to show the world that you have the money and you know how to spend it too. Most of the times, these pieces of jewelry are safely tucked away and rarely seen. How many times have you seen the Esther Williams famous Champagne ring or the Taylor Burton pear shaped diamond?

If you want to go about purchasing a diamond, the best way to do that is to find a good jeweler. You must also know about the grading system of diamonds. Different articles already present on the internet will help you in understanding the basic 4 ‘C’s of diamond grading. After reading up on the fundamentals, you jeweler might throw some more light on the issue.

The most widely known and respected grading laboratories in the world are the American Gems Association (AGS), the Gemological institute of America (GIA), and the International Gemological Institute (IGI). These three laboratories have joined hands and developed common nomenclature for identifying the 4 ‘C’s of diamonds. These stand for Carat, Color, Clarity and Cut.

A carat is 0.2 grams or 200 milligrams. It is always referenced within 2 decimal points. Just to get an idea of the system, the Golden Jubilee, the largest faceted diamond weighs at 545.67 carats. On the other hand, the Taylor Burton diamond stands at 69.42 carats. This scale is very accurate in predicting the weight or size of the diamond. But it is not possible to apply a value to a diamond using this alone.

The next thing to consider while buying a diamond is the color of the diamond. A white diamond is not white but the one that has no color. Colors in diamonds are because of impurities that get trapped in the diamond, while it is formed. A white diamond is rare and is given the grade (D). A pale diamond, on the other hand is given the grade (Z). Diamonds of a grade higher than (Z) are considered fancy diamonds.

Clarity grading is very tough to master and it usually requires gemologists’ years of education and practice to master. While performing clarity grading, the number and nature of defects in a diamond are taken into account. To this end a diamond is looked at from under a 10X magnification lens.

Finally, the cut of the diamond is another factor that determines the price of a diamond. The cut has nothing do with the shape of the diamond. A good cut will make the diamond shine and sparkle brightly and the best cut diamonds reflect the incoming light best.