Diamond Education
The 4 C'sDiamond Anatomy & Cut Quality
Understanding the 4 C’s of Diamonds Shopping
Before making a serious investment it is a good idea to fully understand the item you are about to purchase. Buying a diamond should be no exception yet how many people now regret rushing into a purchase before they fully understand the commodity?
Throughout the year, my consultants will attend local wedding shows where you can view the diamonds featured on the site. My trained consultants will arrange appointments in the comfort of your own home or office. Contact us for further details.
Buying a diamond from E-treasures assures you of the best price per carat. All diamonds come with a Laboratory Certificate from leading world gem labs and pre-owned diamond rings backed by IRV valuers appraisal and valuations and can be mounted in a setting of your choice. All settings for new diamonds have an e-t Hallmark from the Edinburgh Assay Office thus assuring you of complete traceability. Cutting out many middlemen makes your diamond not only a precious accessory but a very worthwhile investment. All diamonds are sourced from known sources with the Kimberly process assurance and help to sustain the local population by Fair Trade Buying.
How about a small personal inscription? Have your diamond laser inscribed with your own special message. Or choose a small text which means something special like My Valentine, Be Mine, I Love You, Forever, With Love, or just a heart motif.
Certificated diamonds can have the certificate number inscribed on the diamond girdle for added security.
Clarity
Diamonds are graded according to the inclusions present within the stone. The absence of inclusions allows light to be internally reflected which will give a diamond a brighter appearance. The highest grade is IF Internally Flawless grading down to I Included grades
Diamond Clarity Descriptions
Flawless (FL) No inclusions and no blemishes visible under 10x magnification
Internally Flawless (IF) No inclusions visible under 10x magnification
Very, Very Slightly Included (VVS1 and VVS2) Inclusions so slight they are difficult for a skilled grader to see under 10x magnification
Very Slightly Included (VS1 and VS2) Inclusions are observed with effort under 10x magnification, but can be characterized as minor
Slightly Included (SI1 and SI2) Inclusions are noticeable under 10x magnification
Included (I1, I2, and I3) Inclusions are obvious under 10x magnification which may affect transparency and brilliance
Cut
Cut according to certain dimensions to allow total reflection of all the light entering the stone to be returned through the table facet, thus giving maximum sparkle. The cut of a stone is different from the style of the cut. The styles are another factor to consider.
Colour
Absence of colour rates the highest. Most diamonds contain traces of colour. The differences in colour grades are very minute and are graded under laboratory conditions. The highest colour is D grading down to K L M. Fancy colours also exist which command higher prices.
Carat (Weight/Size)
A carat is .20 of a gram and to understand the weight factor we divide a carat into 100 points so a ½ carat stone would be known as a 50-pointer. The size of a diamond is important but bigger is not necessarily better. The other factors have to be taken into account.
Other C’s
The 5th C to consider is Conflict Free Diamonds. The managing of mining and sale of diamonds to ensure the profits can help local communities. The 6th C is Certification Independent Certificate issued by leading world Gem Labs to guarantee you get what you pay for
Thus Assuring you of Quality Style & Value
Assessing the value of your Jewellery
- A New Replacement Value of your piece Is the price you would pay for your item in a retail situation. For example, a Retail Jewellery shop situated on the High St or a modern Shopping centre Consider this 100%
- New replacement values are arrived at considering the intrinsic value of a piece of workmanship labour costs and added tax (VAT) and add on the cost of keeping a High St shop fitting, it stocking it., staffing it, and insuring it. So the high Street needs the 100% price to offer their customers choice and service
- The Sale Between Parties This value would be placed on a piece should you wish to make a private sale to an individual and would represent Circa 60% of the retail price. Offering the seller a better price and the buyer a better buy.
- Sale at Auction This price would normally be between 20% and 30% of the retail value. Remembering also that an auction will charge varying commissions. Around 25%
- Probate or Executory Value would be the price calculated at the date of death and could be 20% or less of the retail value.
- Selling Your Piece However when you come to sell your item that is where the difference in values occurs. Price and value are very different factors.
E-Treasures
