The cut of a diamond is the most important factor to consider when determining which diamond ring to buy. Essentially, the only way to determine which of two identically priced diamonds is the best bargain is to know the rating of each stone’s cut. A diamond’s brilliance is determined by the way it refracts and reflects light, therefore, the meticulousness of every cut made in a diamond, carries great weight.A poorly cut diamond, which is one cut too deeply or too shallow, will allow light to escape through the opposite side or through the bottom of the diamond before it can reflect the light back to the surface. The objective is to prevent any light from being lost, as it bounces off all of the cut sides of the diamond, and eventually reflects back through the surface, and this is accomplished when the proper number of facets and precision angles are cut in the proper proportions, as in a well-cut diamond.
When people talk about something having a ‘good’ color, they normally think about bold, and vivid ones, but this is not true with diamond rings. The most desirable diamond rings are actually referred to as being colorless, but these are both very rare and very expensive. The opposite end of the spectrum is home to the more ordinary and inexpensive known as yellow diamonds.A diamond’s inner characteristics are referred to as its clarity, and a jeweler’s microscope is necessary to make a proper inspection of them. Flaws within a diamond and known as inclusions include specks, ripples and indentations. The fewer inner imperfections a diamond has the higher its value, but you can buy a diamond with slight imperfections that can appear as beautiful as a flawless diamond, if the cut and color are of a high quality.
Diamond weight is calculated in points and carats, with 100 points making up a carat. Diamond prices for a bunch of smaller diamonds equaling one carat, will be much less than the price of a single stone weighing one carat. Knowing the “per carat cost” of a diamond will give you the true diamond price and a high carat weight diamond may appear impressive. The clarity, cut, and color of a diamond will have to be analyzed in order to determine a diamond’s actual value, with a large carat weight being of secondary concern.