These are a few things I know from growing up in the diamond business and spending time “behind the counter.”  If you take what I say on faith then this post will be extremely helpful.  If not…don’t worry…we’ll expand on these in future posts.

FOR NOW…

Point 1: Most men I talk to still think that a high clarity grade means a “better” diamond.  It doesn’t.

Point 2: Color grades are not absolute.  It’s best to think of them as ranges within the called grade.  In other words…one “G” color grade diamond can be more colorless than another “G” color grade.  (Assuming all other variables are identical.)

Point 3: Cut is king.  All things being equal…the more precise the cut…the prettier and more sparkly the diamond.

Point 4: There are soft diamond certifications all over the place which means some grading houses are extremely liberal when it comes to calling the grade.  One certs “G” is another certs “J.”  Sorry boys…it still boils down to good old fashioned leg work when it comes to deciding which diamond is THE one.  Trust your eyes.  (Hot button issue, this one.)

Point 5: A larger carat weight does not always translate into a bigger looking diamond.  See If Diamonds Were Female Fighters to see why.

If you’ve been on the hunt for a while some of these will make a whole lot of sense to you.  If not use these 5 pointers as a start for your research.

Be willing to accept that you can’t know everything about diamonds and where their value comes from…then find yourself some Hired Guns and take it from there.

Above all…don’t forget why you’re doing this in the first place.  You’re in love…and committed…and you’re in the market for the perfect symbol of those sentiments.  That’s what diamonds are all about.  That’s how we feel anyway…

I thought I’d share a little bit from a Q&A email I took part in the other day.  This is THE biggest question guys have when it comes to buying a diamond for an engagement ring.  We were talking about a Hearts On Fire Diamond specifically…but it could apply to most premium cuts.  (Though I’m a dyed-in-the-wool HOF fanatic.)

Statement from my client: (At this point he was wondering if he was over thinking…)

The only thing tormenting me is HOF diamond vs. regular one of slightly bigger size, and better clarity & color.

My Answer:

Don’t worry about over thinking…but also keep your mind and heart on why you’re doing this.  It’s to give her something beautiful and special to show her and the rest of us that you love her and want to move forward in life as her husband.

With that in mind, let me address your concerns.

“A regular diamond of a slightly bigger size…”  Allow me to translate what you just said there (which is common…even among jewelry salespeople).

Regular=Less brilliant and pretty.  That’s just the way it is.

Bigger Size=heavier.  Not bigger to the eye…but as it weighs out on a scale.  You can’t even see the part that is making it heavier because it’s on the bottom half of the diamond.  That doesn’t make any sense to me.

So…let’s say we get a regular diamond that actually looks bigger.  You will gain a fraction of a millimeter around the outside of the stone…but for that you will lose brightness and brilliance and energy.  In essence…you will trade sparkle for an inconsequential amount of visual size.

I can get either. It’s not a problem.  But, knowing what I know and all that I’ve seen through the years…I always come to the same conclusion…and it’s one shared by the majority of our customers: sparkle…quality…and the story behind the diamond are what endure.  (It doesn’t matter how big a diamond someone gets…they will always see a bigger one.  But…the beauty of a HOF always, always…stands out.  That’s why I’m so high on them…)

Color and clarity…same thing.  A regular diamond that is tops on the color and clarity scales will NOT look brighter than a HOF that grades lower.  (And don’t even get me started on the types of certifications that is out there.  HOF only used the American Gem Society.)

There was more but it’s irrelevant to the point I’m trying to make which is:

CUT is EVERYTHING.  Don’t mess around with color and clarity until you have the cut thing nailed.

I will end there for now.  Look for more on this discussion in future posts.  (And by all means…email me your questions.  I’m more than happy to help.)

Click here to see an alternative pic that illustrates my point.  May not be suitable for everyone so it’s password protected.  The password is BLAG30.

Buyers beware!

That notion is far too simplistic. I find that “light return” percentages are rather meaningless for many reasons. A mirror returns 100% of the light shined on it. Is it as beautiful as a diamond? Nope!

There are various methods used to measure so-called light return. Mostly it is done by “virtual modeling” of the diamond. These models are defined by exterior measurements of a stone which are then used to create a computer model, which in turn is subjected to lig ht ray-tracing analysis (AGS and GIA and DiamCalc).

Others simply use only “face-up” lighting, pixel-counting methods and/or undefined numeric scales (Brilliant Scope and Isee2). But we already know that “100% light return” is definitely not the Holy Grail of diamond beauty – even if it were possible to achieve.

Ironically, the pictures that are offered as “proof” of 100% light return are a case in point. You should ask yourself why there are various shades of red/pink and black/grey and even white in these types of photos (Fire Scope and Ideal Scope).

Don’t they actually highlight different and/or varying degrees of “light intensity”? How drastically will they change when the diamond is tilted to one side or the other – as is the reality in everyday usage?

The look of a diamond changes dramatically whenever the position of the diamond, the light and/or the observer is changed. It should be easy to understand that viewing a diamond exactly perpendicular to its table is only a rarefied or “special” case. What do you suppose happens to the picture whenever you view a diamond from any other angle?

One thing everyone knows for sure, every gem diamond is a 3-Dimensional and dynamic work of art. No one can capture diamond beauty in a single photo. Any photo is a mere snapshot20of the full-motion picture of potential diamond beauty.

Perfection has always been a moving target. To be sure, lots of research has been done during the 300+ year development of the modern round brilliant. Cutters have always striven to do their best. Gemologists and other scientists have resolved to understand the complex math and physics.

And, of course, consumers have always voted for their preferences with their pocketbooks.

Suffice it to say there is no international standard defining appropriate light return. But yes, in a well cut diamond the majority of high intensity light that enters the diamond should return back to the viewer.

A diamond designed to return even 100% of low level light wouldn’t be very desirable.

In general, the major trade labs have recognized that “light return” is a misnomer and the use of it alone is misleading in analyzing the overall “light performance” of high quality diamonds.

It has been shown that a small amount of “leakage” is not only unavoidable: it actually creates positive contrast effects that are quite visually pleasing.

[This is a Guest Post from my buddy Maarten de Witte (The Diamond Wizard) an original member of the team that created Hearts On Fire, the World’s Most Perfectly Cut Diamond^®

Grilling a great steak is not a slam-dunk by any means. The upfront prep work, the heat of the coals, the cut of meat, all must combine in a synergistic dance of harmony. (OK…maybe I’m giving this a little too much importance.  Then again, maybe not.)

The following guide is an analogy that should help you understand diamond’s and their related values. This is not a foreign scale unique to the diamond industry. It’s based on a currency every man understands…meat.

Print it out, and let it be your guide on your journey through the diamond world.  (If you pull this out at the jewelry counter it’ll change it will lighten the mood.  I guarantee it.  If the sales person is not amused…get the hell out of there.)

This is all very simplified but as I’ve said…buying a diamond is often times treated like it’s life or death. It’s only money, really.  You’ll make more.

If you’re like most men you’ve already been exposed to more detailed explanations of the 4C’s by the time you reach this blog.  If you would like to learn more here’s a Diamond Guide from my website.

My ultimate advice is to learn about ‘em…and then forget about ‘em.  Look at the diamonds and talk to your sales associate.  (You’ll never know as much as they do BTW.  I don’t care what Blue Nile says.)

You’re a guy…which means you don’t know a lot about diamonds. In fact, you probably don’t really care that much about them. You know important stuff like the NCAA brackets, box scores, draft picks, and the rule your buddy has to abide by should his drive fall short of the ladies tee. Let’s face it, you wouldn’t really care about diamonds if you weren’t expected to get one for the woman of your dreams. But you are…and so you care…and that’s why you’re reading this.

Those *@%$# 4C’s

So, here we are about to talk about the so-called Four C’s. I’m going to keep it simple and give you a little advice:

Learn a bit about the 4C’s so you understand what they are and why it matters to the final price of a diamond…and then stop. (The link above is to my store’s website…but this information is all over the Internet.) In a nutshell the 4C’s will help you gauge whether or not the diamond you are interested in warrants the money you have to part with to get it. That’s it. Nothing more.

The 4C’s are NOT the diamond...

That’s sort of a metaphysical statement but it’s also true. The 4C’s are NOT the diamond. They describe some of the characteristics of a particular diamond as well as the relative rarity…but that’s where it ends. At best…knowing the 4C’s of a diamond will help you understand why one diamond costs more than another. It’s a simple matter really:

The fewer there is of the something…for example a huge, rare diamond…the more valuable that something is. If you want one of the few…you’ll need to pay more for it.

That’s how you should use the Four C’s.