Diamond Colour and Clarity Question?

Question

Buying a platinum engagement ring for my girlfriend - single solitaire diamond style.

I know the higher the letter, the more 'perfect' (and expensive) it is, but does another know the rough banding for a 1 carat diamond? I'm not after cheap at all, just want to make sure I don't get ripped off.

What is the 'standard/average' clarity for a diamond (engagement ring)? I saw one that had SI, is this average or really bad?

Is there a list anywhere?

Also How does the colour work? One I looked at had H as the colour??

I just don't have a clue what I'm looking at, any help would be appreciated! Help me out of my confusion!

If you wound't mind can you please list your source as well?

Thank You very much!

Answer 1

try this... http://www.bluenile.com/diamonds_educati...

and if you go there you'll see SI under clarity.. its a 3 on a scale of 1 to 6. so it's average.

Answer 2

Go to www.bluenile.com and click on their education center.  That should answer all your questions!

Answer 3

Go to Diamond Geezer.com you will find all sort of solitaires there on platinum as well.

I have a 1.05 princess cut diamond on platinum and it cost over £2,000. You can chose your own setting from an array on the website and then you can pick the colour and clarity.

IF is internally flawless and would cost your arms and legs, then you have very slight inclusions and slight inclusions etc.,

SL1 is slight inclusions which may or not be visible to the naked eye, this means little speaks of carbon in the diamond which are hardly noticeable.

The diamond colour should be around F to H  as this is not one of the most expensive and its not cloudy either. Mine is an F. Go tpo the is website and create your own ring its easy and its very informative.

Good luck on your forthcoming engagement.

Platinum is THE best.

Answer 4

http://www.thediamondbuyingguide.com/dia...

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond_color.as...

http://www.bluenile.com/diamond-and-jewe...

Answer 5

I use to manage a jewelry store. An SI 1 is a good diamond, the flaws will not be visible to the naked eye, which is really the only way you look at a diamond on an everyday basis, and an H color is great, unless trained you would not see the yellow in the diamond, it will look white and clear and sparkly. Make sure that the cut, not shape, of the diamond is good as well, proper proportions make the diamond sparkle.  Also a tip, it you buy a diamond slightly under 1.0ct like a .95ct it will look the same size but cost you less.

Answer 6

SI is not a very good quality clarity rating.  It will have inclusions that will be visible to the unaided eye.  Try going one or two steps up the clarity scale for an "eye clean" diamond, and no one will be able to see anything from looking at the ring (only a jeweler with a magnification tool).

While H and I diamonds are technically "near colourless" starting at H you can see visible notes of yellowing.  Anything lower than I will look yellow.  A G colour grade will cost you only slightly more, but will appear colourless (my diamond is technically appraised as a G colour, but it has also been appraised as an F (colourless) because it is so close to colourless.

I would recommend buying quality over quantity in a diamond.  You pay much more to go up the carat scale than any of the quality scales, and it makes a HUGE difference in the look, brilliance and sparkle of the stone.  It's worth going down slightly in size (like a .75 or .8 carat diamond) and going up to a much higher quality stone.  The trade off of size for significantly better quality will probably cost you less too.

Go with an excellent (sometimes called ideal) or very good cut, that has the most affect on light reflection and therefore the sparkle/fire of the diamond and go with something at least eye-clean (VS1 or VS2 minimum).  If you stick to around a G or F colour rating you will get a diamond with absolutely no yellowing look to it, and it won't nearly be as pricey as a D or E.

Good Luck!

Answer 7

FL, IF Flawless, Internally Flawless: No internal or external flaws. Internally Flawless: No internal flaws. Very rare and beautiful diamonds.

VVS1,

VVS2 Very, Very Slightly Included: Very difficult to see inclusions under 10x magnification. An excellent quality diamond.

VS1,

VS2 Very Slightly Included: Inclusions are not typically visible to the unaided eye. Less expensive than the VVS1 or VVS2 grades.

SI1,

SI2 Slightly Included: Inclusions are visible under 10x magnification, and may be visible with the unaided eye. A good diamond value.

You shud select an "eye-clean" diamond — one that has no inclusions visible to the unaided eye. An excellent value, diamonds of this clarity are much less expensive than IF- or FL-grade diamonds and typically do not contain visible inclusions that detract from the beauty of the diamond. If you're considering an SI grade diamond, call to speak to a diamond and jewelry consultant who will review the diamond to ensure the inclusions are not visible with the unaided eye. But, if you'd rather not compromise on clarity yet are budget conscious, choose a diamond with a good cut and G or H color.

DIAMOND COLOR

D Absolutely colorless. The highest color grade, which is extremely rare.

E Colorless. Only minute traces of color can be detected by an expert gemologist. A rare diamond.

F Colorless. Slight color detected by an expert gemologist, but still considered a "colorless" grade. A high-quality diamond.

G-H Near-colorless. Color noticeable when compared to diamonds of better grades, but these grades offer excellent value.

I-J Near-colorless. Color slightly detectable. An excellent value.

K-M Noticeable color.  

N-Z Noticeable color.  

Answer 8

SI is average, stick w/ SI1 or better. And color...as long as you don't go past H, you'll be fine. Color you wont notice as much unless you get into the J/K and then you'll see a tinge of yellow. My ring is a 1ct Asscher cut VVS1, H in color and it's A-M-A-Z-I-N-G! Stick with better clairity and no worse than H in color and you're golden. But like another had mentioned, check out http://www.Bluenile.com and read up on color clairity and all the details and then go and chose your diamond.