Gemstone Quality: Knowing more about the Three C’s
The three c’s of gemstone jewelry, especially diamond jewelry, are carat, color, and cut. Each of these crucial factors make a big difference in the way your diamond looks and the amount it will cost. Jewelers and knowledgeable vintage jewelry buyers become familiar with these three essential gemstone characteristics to purchase the highest quality gemstone they can for the best price.
Diamond and Gemstone Cuts
To get the diamond with the best sparkle per dollar, you’ll need to look at the diamond’s cut. The shape of the diamond remains important, but the way the stone gets cut is even more crucial to the way the stone looks. A diamond with a good cut looks lively, bright, and has lots of sparkles. The proportioning of the stone means that it hasn’t been cut too shallow or too deep to give the best results. No matter how large the stone looks, it won’t appropriately sparkle if it’s not well-cut.
Diamond and Gemstone Color
The most expensive diamonds come in the GIA range of D-F, meaning they appear colorless. Diamonds in this range often cost a pretty penny, too. Once a diamond becomes set in a ring, you don’t notice subtle differences in color as much as you do when you view the loose stone.
You can get a G to J near-colorless diamond for a better price. Once they’ve been set in a piece of jewelry, it’s hard to tell the difference in the stone color with the naked eye. You’ll still get a lovely stone and won’t have to spend as much.
Diamond and Gemstone Carat Weight
The carat weight of stone describes the size of the gem. For the most part, larger gemstones, especially diamonds, cost more than their smaller counterparts. This fact remains true if all other quality factors remain equal or similar.
But you can purchase a massive diamond with visible flaws, poor color, and a poor cut. In this case, the larger stone can be worth much less than a smaller stone of a higher quality.
Larger diamonds remain rare. But large, high-quality diamonds remain even harder to find and afford. Two diamonds equal in carat weight may not have similar value in other areas of diamond pricing. This fact remains true, especially if the diamond doesn’t have a good cut or color. The sparkle factor doesn’t improve merely because the stone is big.
When you shop for a diamond or other gemstone, have a price limit in mind before you shop.
