Fashion

What you MUST know about diamonds!

By Mehreen Syed

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You say the magic word ‘diamonds’ to a girl and her eyes are star-struck, when she sees one she wants – she really wants them! Diamonds are serious business to us, I love diamonds, I love how they look on me and the elegance it adds. I’ll say it – I’m endlessly fascinated by diamonds – there said it.

In India a few months back trying a few beautiful polki pieces

My fascination of diamonds got me into working with Bushra Aftab, one of the top names in the Diamonds industry, and I learnt a lot about the world of stones, specially diamonds. Over the years I have become a more aware shopper, because yes diamonds are forever but one must know which ones 🙂

Buying diamond jewelry is an overwhelming and emotional experience and which costs quite a bit too. The right diamond is also a financial investment so we should do our homework before making the big decision. There are factors that increase or decrease the price of a diamond which are not visible to the naked eye, and then there are factors that make a diamond rare and an asset you that can hand over to your next generations.

The diamonds 101 all desi divas should know:

The 4Cs:

Cut

Clarity

Color

Carat

Diamonds that perfectly balance out all these qualities are extremely expensive and quite rare but still there is a possibility to opt for a slightly less perfect diamond with a brilliant appearance.

1) The Cut: the cut is the directly link to the brilliance (shine) of the stone, and its a factor of how much light the stone reflects back out or leaks the light around. Reco: Try to go for highest shine your budget allows, and never go for the Poor Quality grade, its just not worth it – better to wait longer and save up!

2) The Clarity: clarity refers to how pure the Diamond is. Diamonds with extremely high quality are perfectly flawless and have no surface blemishes but most diamonds have ‘Inclusions’ in them, which reduce their quality. Below is what you see at 10X magnification and along with the grading from (right to left), FL being the best – the Flawless diamond! Reco: VVS2 – SI2 is the range you should stay within – remember the Cut already costed you a bit more (C #1)

3) The Color: Colorless diamonds are of the highest quality and come with the highest price tags; whats the secret? They reflect light the best and are quite rare. Mostly diamonds come with a yellow tint but it is almost impossible to see that with the naked eye. The below chart will help you understand the difference. Reco: A yellow diamond is a yellow diamond, stay away from anything below J; my ideal range is E to G.

4) The Carat: Carat is the term used to measure the weight or size of the diamond. A diamond is more expensive if it has more carats. This doesn’t imply that a heavier stone indicates a high quality stone. The most common size carat is ½ carat, 1 carat and 2 carat. 1 carat. 1 carat ideally should have a table of 60 and depth 40. Carat weight has got nothing to do with the quality of the stone, so purchasing a heavier stone doesn’t mean that u purchased a high quality stone. Reco: choose a size that adds beauty to your finger and hands over all, one should not choose a big stone for having one.

The above are the very basics one must know before they decide on investing money and owning a diamond. I think my next point is so important that its actually the 5th C of the Cs for diamonds that we discuss everywhere;

5) The Certification: a certificate of your stone confirm the 4Cs above and also adds authenticity to what your jeweler is telling you about your diamond. Here is an example of what one could look like. Reco: it is my 5th C to the Diamond homework, so you MUST (lol) have a certificate for any diamond over $1,000.

So here is my summary and recommendation on Diamonds (stay within the blue shade, and away from the yellow) to ensure yours is an asset worth having, because after all – Diamonds are forever!