How to choose a diamond ring

Check the certificate

Rings with diamonds can be roughly divided into two groups: with stones up to 0.30 ct and more than 0.30 ct, where ct is a carat, a conventional unit for measuring the mass of a stone. Diamonds weighing from 0.30 ct are certified by gemological laboratories, stones weighing less than 0.30 ct are usually not certified. Moreover, the certificate itself can be either for the whole piece of jewelry, or only for the stone.

You can check any certificate by the number on the website of the laboratory that issued it. For especially large stones, some laboratories duplicate the certificate number on the girdle (the part of the diamond surface that determines its shape).

The most respected gemological center in the world is the GIA. It is the leader in commercial appraisal from the United States. An interesting fact is that certificates from the GIA office in the United States are valued much higher than certificates from the GIA office in India, and in Russia the GIA has no representative office at all.

If a stone is certified by a gemological center in one country, this does not mean that it was mined there. It is quite normal for a stone to be mined and cut in one place, and certified in another to confirm its high characteristics by a reputable gemological center.

In Russia, diamonds are usually certified at the gemological center of Moscow State University or IGC, which are trusted and recognized all over the world.

Rate the characteristics

What is usually written in certificates? Two scales are used to evaluate diamonds: color and quality (clarity). These characteristics tend to unity, the color is ideally clear and transparent, and the quality is characterized by inclusions inside the stone, represented by graphite dots and cracks. In Russia, these characteristics are reflected in numbers, in the international scale - in letters. Their ratio is shown in the tables below.

For example, you can see the inscription 5/6 on the product tag. This means that the color of the stone has a value of 5, and the quality (clarity) - 6. The 3/3 rating is considered as close to the ideal as the real characteristics of diamonds. It is rare for a stone to receive a higher grade from a gemological center, but this also happens. This information is worth double-checking, because because of it, the stone becomes significantly more expensive.

Good characteristics of a large stone are considered from 3/5 to 4/5.

Remember the tricks of the manufacturers

Small stones with stats such as 5/5 will visually turn yellow, so they will be framed with yellow gold to smooth out this effect. And if a large stone has 5/5 characteristics, then visually you will not notice any admixture of color and will hardly distinguish it from the same stone with 3/3 characteristics, unless you are an expert gemologist. Such a diamond will be framed with white gold. Knowing this, you can save a little.

In addition to the stone, it is worth paying attention to the weight of the entire piece of jewelry. Good manufacturers do not save on gold, so a high-quality ring weighs at least 2 g. The shank will be dense and not thin, which will allow the product to last much longer than lighter counterparts, which can bend or break in half. The weight of the gold used will not greatly affect the price of the item, because the main part of the value is the price of the diamond in dollars, the rest is the percentage of the outlet and the brand.

Based on this information, everyone can decide for himself where to save money, what to turn a blind eye to, and where to be more attentive. Buy the best wisely, diamonds are a great investment for years to come.