Diamond Education

WHAT ARE THE FOUR C'S OF DIAMONDS?

  • Color
  • Clarity
  • Carat
  • Cut

Color: Your diamond's color can be simply described as how white or colorless it is. Stones sold here will start with D color or your highest most valuable color down to J color, the moment the diamond begins to show yellow on its top.  

We want to teach you about diamonds and let you make the choices and decisions necessary to buy the right diamond for your personal needs. Ever see an engagement ring and think I would love to have that, but I don't think we can afford that. Maybe you see a big pair of earrings but you think they are out of your reach. What if I told you we can find a way to get you what you want all the while keeping your price point in mind.

Clarity: Clarity grades are based on the number, size, relief, and positions of inclusions that can be seen under 10x magnification. The best clarity being Flawless and the worst clarity being somewhere past I3(Included 3rd tier).  

Carat: One carat is equal to 0.20 grams. Only one in 1,000 diamonds weighs more than a carat. This is simply the weight of your diamond.  

Cut: Precise workmanship is required to cut a diamond so its proportions, symmetry, and polish maximize brightness, scintillation, and fire. You may hear someone saying they got a triple excellent cut. This means the stone has been cut to ideal standards so that its life or brilliance are the best it can be. Truthfully most diamonds are not cut to these standards and people have a hard time telling the difference unless shown otherwise. A 3ex cut could increase the value/cost of your stone. You may or may not require this and therefore would accept a Very Good(VG) or Good(g) cut, but you should almost never by a stone with fair or poor cut grades as it will be come noticeable. Better the cut better the life.

Introduction

Let's take a refresher course together about what you know and what you think you know about diamonds and the metals we set them in.

14k White Gold and Platinum

For simplicity's sake let's just discuss 14k White Gold and Platinum. The age old question should I get a 14k White Gold setting or should I spend a little more and get a platinum setting?

I always leave this up to preference after explaining what really makes them so different. Platinum is a longer lasting metal. This is a twofold statement. A platinum mounting should last you approximately 50-80 years and will always stay the white vibrant color that it is the day you bought it. A 14k White gold setting may last you closer to 20 years and will over a more near term date of a 1-5 years begin to fade to a yellow tint. Why would it fade? Is it fake? Is it coated? NO! Gold is YELLOW not white. It is made white by mixing it with Nickel which is a whiter metal. Overtime the nickel will begin to "wash" out and the yellow gold will show. This is no big deal as we simply refinish the item to make it white again.

Platinum is easier to scratch, but can be polished more than 14k White Gold. Platinum is more durable hence why it lasts longer, however; it is also a softer metal and therefore will scratch. Since it is easier to scratch but lasts longer you may try to polish platinum a little more often than you would white gold.

These are your main differences in these two metals. *Rose Gold uses copper not nickel hence the pinkish brown color it gives off. *

When deciding between the two metals, you choose what matters to you most. In reality you won't realize these differences immediately besides for the price. Over time you can always get a new setting as you want to upgrade or downgrade depending on your preferences. Here at Eli David Designs we root for upgrades but we understand priorities change.

Economic Diamond Options

HPHT diamonds are genuine, mined diamonds. They are suitable for diamond buyers who want top color and clarity, at a substantially lower price, all with GIA certificates. They wear like all other top quality natural diamonds. There are no caveats.

HPHT mimics the exact same conditions that occur in the volcanic environments where diamonds are found. This process brings a candidate diamond to its most mature, desirable, colorless state. Mature diamonds are defined as those that show a highly coveted D, E, F, G or H color grade. The HPHT process simply finishes what nature started.

The HPHT diamond maturation process is permanent. Even though heat and pressure is applied to bring a natural, high clarity, top light brown (TLB) or top, top light brown (TTLB) to a white color grade, it is important to note that these diamonds are not synthetics.

NOTE: HPHT diamonds are not treated diamonds. HPHT diamond processing does not involve chemicals, are not irradiated or coated.

The major benefit of buying an HPHT natural diamond is having the ability to purchase the highest clarities and white diamonds with savings from 45-68%.

Laser Drilled: Laser drilling is commonly used to remove small dark inclusions. The laser bores a small hole into the diamond’s interior and burns away the inclusion, or creates a channel through which a bleaching agent can be introduced to improve the inclusion’s appearance. Laser drilling is permanent and does no physical harm to the diamond. GIA will grade these diamonds and the benefit is about a 40-50% savings in price.

Clarity Enhanced: Fracture filling hides white fractures in a diamond called “feathers.” A diamond-like substance is injected into the fracture to make it less visible and to improve the stone’s apparent clarity. Because the filling may be damaged or removed through the use of excessive heat or strong acids and bases, GIA has chosen not to grade these. Other labs such as IGI and EGL will grade them as they are natural diamonds that have been improved to allow the consumer to buy a beautiful diamond at a 70-80% discount to a natural diamond of the same quality without the treatment. You want a 3ct stone but can't afford to spend 30-50k, you can buy an enhanced 3ct beauty for 12-18k. Good fracture filling is very subtle, and so examination by a skilled diamond grader is necessary to detect its presence in a stone. Therefore it is hard to see and none of your friends will know if you are concerned about that sorta thing...

Lab Created: Lab created diamonds, also known as engineered or cultured diamonds, are grown in highly controlled laboratory environments using advanced technological processes that duplicate the conditions under which diamonds naturally develop when they form in the mantle, beneath the Earth's crust. They offer the consumer a 50-60% discount.