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Diamond Buying Guide

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Diamond Buying Guide SELECTING A DIAMOND PROTECT YOUR DIAMOND OUR GIA GEMOLOGIST DISTINCT ELEGANT TIMELESS HOW A DIAMOND IS GRADED TIPS TO SAFEGUARD YOUR DIAMOND VICTORIA KING, GIA GG Not all diamonds are created equal. Every • Choose a secure setting. Vicki is a graduate of the prestigious diamond is unique. Diamonds come in • Keep your diamond clean. Gemological Institute of America. She is many sizes, shapes, colors, and with various a highly skilled gemologist who has the • Place your diamond in a jewelry box or other internal characteristics. At King Jewelers, technical knowledge needed to grade and safe place when you are not wearing it. we use the grading system developed by the determine diamond quality as well as the Gemological Institute of America in the 1950’s • We recommend getting a professional cleaning value of other gemstones. Vicki brings which established the use of four important and inspection every 6 months. more than 40 years of skill and expertise factors to describe and classify diamonds: • Have your diamond appraised and insured. to her work, and operates a full service Clarity, Color, Cut, and Carat Weight. gem laboratory on the premises. “We guarantee the grading of your Your diamond may be The distinguished GIA GG designation is diamond’s color, clarity and carat the most expensive stone instantly recognized around the world as weight to be at least as good as you ever buy. Most likely, the mark of a senior professional in the Understanding we promised you and to be in you will wear your diamond every day so jewelry industry. accordance with the guidelines the odds are high that you could misplace or the Value of of the Gemological Institute even lose you diamond. So please be To set up an appointment with Vicki, of America.” diligent. Protect your treasure by having please call 781-383-1755 or email: Diamonds King Jewelers your diamond appraised and insured. [email protected] THE 4 Cs OF A DIAMOND Most diamonds were formed more than a KING JEWELERS billion years ago, deep 825 Chief Justice Cushing Highway / Rte. 3A color grade in the earth’s mantle. Cohasset, MA 02025 They are found in the most remote places cut grade on earth, and the fact that it forms at all is 781.383.1755 clarity grade something of a miracle. It takes about one ton [email protected] of rock to recover less than half a carat of carat weight rough, making diamonds one of the rarest and www.kingjewelersinc.com most desired gemstones in the world. COLOR CLARITY CUT CARAT THE LESS COLOR IN A HOW A DIAMOND PRESENTS HOW A DIAMOND’S FACETS UNIQUE UNIT OF WEIGHT DIAMOND = A HIGHER GRADE BLEMISHES AND INCLUSIONS INTERACT WITH LIGHT MEASUREMENT In most diamonds, the term color Clarity is measured by the amount, Diamond cut does not refer to Carat (ct.) refers to the unique unit of actually refers to the absence of color. size and placement of internal a diamond’s shape, but to the weight measurement used exclusively The less color in the stone, the more ‘inclusions’, and external ‘blemishes’. proportion and arrangement of to weigh gems and diamonds. Carat GIA desirable and valuable it is. Some of GIA Grades run from ‘Flawless’, with GIA its facets and the quality of weight is often confused with visual COLOR CLARITY CUT SCALE these differences are not visible to the SCALE virtually no imperfections, to SCALE workmanship. The amount of size even though it is actually a COLORLESS D naked eye, but directly impact the overall ‘Included’, which contain a brilliance, sparkle and fire in a measurement of weight. Usually, the FLAWLESS EXCELLENT E quality and price of the stone. by-product of its formation diamond is determined by cut. higher the carat weight, the more INTERNALLY VERY F FLAWLESS NEAR COLORLESS GOOD Grades range from ‘Excellent’ expensive the stone. However, two SLIGHTLY INCLUDED and help gemologists separate G VERY VERY VVS 1 GOOD to ‘Poor’. H natural diamonds from synthetics diamonds of equal carat weight can VVS I 2 and simulants, and identify FAIR have very different quality and price J VERY SLIGHTLY INCLUDED individual stones. when the other three Cs are considered. VS1 POOR K FAINT D H N Z VS L 2 SLIGHTLY INCLUDED M S1 N VERY LIGHT S O 2 0.50 ct. 0.75 ct. 1.00 ct. 2.00 ct. 5.00 ct. P I1 The magnificent display you see is Each letter grade represents a range of INCLUDED Sample Clarity Diagram Q color and is a measure of how noticeable I made up of three attributes: R 2 S a color is. The color scale extends from D I One carat equals 200 milligrams in 3 is the combination of T (colorless) to Z (light yellow or brown). • Brightness weight. For diamonds under one carat, U all white light reflecting from the each carat is divided into 100 points – LIGHT V surface and interior of a diamond. Fluorescence VVS VS similar to pennies in a dollar. W 2 2 Some diamonds can emit a visible light X • Fire describes the “flares” of color 0.75 ct. = 75 points, Z when exposed to ultraviolet radiation, emitted from a diamond. 1/2 ct. = 50 points. Y but fluorescence is not a factor in • Scintillation describes the pattern Z determining color or clarity grades. of light and dark areas and the However, a description of its strength SI I sparkle you see when the diamond, and color is provided on GIA reports as 2 2 the light, or the observer moves. an additional identifying characteristic..
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