While purchasing a diamond is definitely an exciting event, the paperwork involved with those purchases frequently leaves buyers baffled. Many people open a diamond report and read through the technical terms and scales of grading and immediately question whether or not they need to be an expert to understand what the information is that they’re reading. There’s good news: You don’t need to be a jewelry or a gemologist to read a diamond report with confidence. Once you have some idea of what each section is, the report suddenly becomes a practical tool which you can use to make informed comparisons and decisions on diamonds.
In today’s market, the majority of buyers are looking online for diamonds and the grading report is even more essential. Understanding how to read the report will give you more confidence and mitigate risk when buying a natural diamond or a lab grown diamond.
Why a Diamond Report is More than Just a Certificate
Diamond report is a stand-alone assessment of a diamond’s quality. You get a detailed evaluation from a professional grading lab, instead of just a seller’s description. The information about the diamond’s size, weight, color, clarity, cut, and proportions is important and is recorded in this report.
It’s like the passport or ID card of a diamond. It allows buyers to make comparisons between different stones based on accurate data, not marketing claims. Many veteran buyers even read the grading report prior to looking at pictures as it gives an objective assessment of the features of the diamond.
Used to assign students to the top four grades
The best method to comprehend every diamond report is to concentrate on the famous Four Cs. These four factors can affect the beauty and value of the diamond.
Carat is not a measure of size, but of weight of the diamond. Two diamonds that have the same weight can look different due to proportions. The term “color” describes the degree of colorlessness of a diamond. Clarity refers to any natural inclusions or very small imperfections within the stone, and cut is a determination of the way in which the diamond reflects light.
Of these four grades, one of them has the most impact on sparkle, which is cut. Even if a diamond’s color or clarity grades are slightly lower, it can be more brilliant and beautiful if it is well cut.
Understands what the measurements tell her
Many purchasers overlook the measurement part as it appears very technical. In fact, these numbers provide an insight into the form of the diamond and if it has balanced proportions.
The length, width and depth of the diamond are measured. These dimensions are used to gauge the stone’s size, symmetry, and cutting. A well proportioned diamond, is often able to reflect light better, and produces the brightness that is sought after by most purchasers.
This is also one of the reasons for the different visuals of various diamond shapes. A Marquise Diamond Ring compared to other diamond shapes might observe that the elongated size can make it appear to be a bigger stone, even when they are the same carat weight.
Be familiar with Polish, Symmetry, and Fluorescence
The three sections are misunderstood as being very technical, but they’re very simple.
Polish is a measure of how smooth the surface of the diamond is after cutting. Symmetry assesses the degree of the diamond’s symmetry. The more polish and symmetry, the more likely that it will perform well and look good.
Fluorescence is the ability of a diamond to react to ultra-violet light. Most diamonds are not fluorescent, and some may show a slight blue fluorescence under U-V light. For the typical consumer, this is not readily noticeable while using the car for normal driving, and must be considered as a component of the overall assessment.
Look at the Report Number First
All genuine Diamond reports have an individual report number. This number will enable buyers to check the report directly in the official database of the grading laboratory. For some diamonds this identification laser can be inscribed on the girdle as well, and this makes it much easier to verify.
Sometimes spending a few minutes in comparing the report number with the actual diamond gives extra assurance the report is for the diamond being bought. This is something that is very important in the process of responsible diamond buying but is often forgotten.
Don’t let technical words intimidate you
Many reports will contain terms like table percentage, depth percentage, girdle thickness, culet and pavilion angle. These terms can be quite intimidating, but it’s not necessary for the novice to learn all the definitions.
Rather, try to grasp the beauty value that these measurements contribute to the total beauty and not to be a grading expert over-night. This is something that reliable jewelers often will be able to describe in simple terms, which make buying the jewelry not as frightening as it might seem.
Many outfits, such as ErayaSparkle, also make education for people before they buy a product their priority, as the industry is becoming focused on educating consumers rather than just relying on product descriptions to know what they are buying.
Compare Diamonds Instead of Looking at One Report
One report is far more useful than another if it’s compared. By comparing two or three diamonds that are certified, one can easily see how color, clarity, cut, and proportions can be different and how these differences can impact the appearance and value of each diamond.
For instance, a person looking for a Marquise Diamond Ring may find that shape alone affects the apparent size and style of the diamond, before taking grade differences into account. It can help to make smarter buying decisions than just one specification by comparing reports.
The same approach is applicable to buyers that are exploring engagement styles. Understanding the grading report can give an explanation as to why there is a difference in the price of seemingly identical diamonds, whether it be classic solitaires or halo rings for women .
Read the Entire Report, Not Just the Final Grades
A frequent error is focusing on the color and clarity grades and missing out on other aspects. All of the report is useful, and may contain notes on treatments or inscriptions, or any unusual features.
A briefing of the entire report will give a better understanding of the quality of the diamond as a whole. Even if you’ve never bought or sold in the industry before, you’ll be able to grasp the information once you know what to look for.
