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Thursday, April 24, 2008

Understand Diamond Clarity Before You Buy Diamonds

By Grace Jennings

One of the most important aspects of buying diamonds is diamond clarity. In fact, it's directly related to the price you'll pay for diamond rings, necklaces, earrings or other pieces of jewelry. As one of the measurements of quality, you'll want to be prepared before you go shopping.

An Explanation of Grades

There are diverse grades of diamond clarity and getting to know will help you to make better decisions when making jewelry purchases. The highest grade available is completely flawless. These gems, known as special diamonds, are perfectly without flaw. As you can imagine, the stones in this group will be out of reach for most consumers.

The next grade is the very, very slightly included which is comprised of excellent quality diamonds. The diamonds in this group have very few flaws and the ones they have are invisible to the human eye. In addition, they are rarely seen under 10x magnification or greater.

The very slightly included grade includes stones with insignificant flaws that are only noticed with 10x magnification and sometimes with the naked eye. In spite of these minor flaws, this type of diamond looks incredible and offers the best return for your investment.

Diamond clarity begins to decline in the slightly included grade. Generally flaws can be detected without magnification. However, for budget-minded consumers, this type of diamond can still be a good value.

Finally, all other diamonds are included into the last grade. This group will represent diamonds you simply want to stay away from. Flaws are significant and make the stones unsuitable for fine jewelry. Take care to be on the lookout for these types of diamonds as some retailers will offer them for sale.

Diamonds On A Budget

If the diamond clarity you want is not in line with what you can afford, it's time to get creative. Oftentimes you can choose a great cut, attractive setting or even colored diamonds and hide some of the imperfections on a less expensive stone. Almost any kind of diamond can be significantly enhanced by a fine cut or an impressive setting, even with a visual flaw. Another option is to pick a colored diamond.

Because color tends to conceal flaws, white diamonds will cause the most concern in this area. If you're set on white diamond jewelry, go for the best diamond clarity you can afford. By educating yourself before you go shopping, you'll be able to make wise buying decisions and enjoy your jewelry purchase for years to come.

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