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Quiz: To Help You Find Natural and Lab-Grown Diamonds
Select from the following handful of options to get a list of diamonds to choose from. Don’t worry if you don’t know carat from clarity – we’ll guide you along the way.
Many people confuse cut with the shape of a diamond. The shape is the basic form of the diamond. Cut, is the precision cutting of the gemstone to create facets that reflect light. Round diamonds are the industry standard, but other popular shapes include princess, marquise, emerald, oval, pear, and heart-shaped. Other shapes including trilliant and Ascher can be found by using our Square and Fancy shape filters.
Color
When selecting a diamond, it's not color that makes the stone, it's the lack of color. In fact, the value of the diamond increases in correspondence with the decrease in color. That’s because a diamond's brilliance is measured by how the stone reflects light. The clearer the diamond, the more the colors of the rainbow are reflected to the eye. As a rule, most natural diamonds have tints of yellow or brown although they appear to be icy white. Perfectly colorless diamonds are very rare and highly valuable. Diamond color is graded from D-Z.
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Diamond Type
Natural diamonds are mined from the earth and Lab Grown diamonds are grown in a lab. They both have the same chemical, physical, and optical properties. They both exhibit the same sparkle, scintillation and fire. Natural diamonds are rarer and Lab Grown diamonds offer value. So choose what is best for you.
Carat
Carat weight is the only standard measurement of the Four C's. One carat equals 1/5 of a gram or .007 of an ounce. Jewelers weigh diamonds to hundredths of a carat. Each of these "hundredths" is referred to as a "point". So, a one carat diamond is the same thing as a 100-point diamond.. Carat weight and diamond size are not the same. Diamonds that have a wider top diameter may seem bigger than stones with a higher carat weight, but a smaller top surface area. This is something to keep in mind while maximizing your budget.
Budget
Based on what you want to spend and what you’re looking for, it may help to enter a wider price range at first to see your options. Both Lab Grown and Earth Grown diamonds are available. Remember to save a portion of your budget for the setting.
Clarity
Natural diamonds are rarely perfectly clear. There are external blemishes, internal inclusions, and a myriad of other imperfections. To gemologists, clarity defines the degree of imperfections in a particular stone. Many of these imperfections are invisible to the naked eye, so clarity may have little impact on a diamond's beauty. REEDS carries loose diamonds that are graded from IF - SI2.
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Polish
Polish refers to the smoothness of a diamond after cutting and polishing the stone. Diamonds are graded from Excellent to Poor based on features such as abrasions, nicks and scratches under 10x magnification.
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Fluorescence
Fluorescence refers to the visible light diamonds can reflect when exposed to ultraviolet light. Diamonds are graded from best being None to Very Strong being less desirable.
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Cut
Round diamonds are graded by cut. A diamond's cut is what produces the stone's brilliant sparkle. Traditionally, diamonds are cut to produce 58 tiny facets. The cut is what makes diamonds sparkle. You could have a large, colorless, unflawed diamond but a poor cut could make the diamond twinkle less brilliantly than one of much lower quality. In fact, two diamonds of equal carat weight could have values that differ by as much as 50% due solely to the quality of the cut.
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Depth
The depth of a diamond is calculated in percentage and graded from shortest to deepest (Total Height/Average Diameter) x 100. A diamond of 6mm height and 10mm diameter will be a Depth of 60%. Ideal depth for a round diamond is 59 - 62.6
Table
Table refers to the largest flat facet on the top of the diamond and can greatly effect the brilliance of the stone. (Table Width/Total Width) x 100. A diamond with a table width of 6mm and a total width of 10mm is a Table of 60%. According to the American Gem Society, the ideal table range should range between 52 and 62%.
Grading Report
Grading reports provide clarity on the aspects of the diamond including the 4C's Carat, Cut, Color and Clarity. REEDS offers diamonds from multiple Grading companies including GIA. The grading report will be received with the purchased of your diamond.
Symmetry
Symmetry is directly related to cut quality and refers to the proper alignment of the facets. With better symmetry, the better the light refracts. Symmetry is graded from Excellent to Poor.
