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I remember waiting on my first diamond customer upon graduating from the GIA
(Gemological Institute of America). I eagerly launched into a long-winded exhibition of my newfound skills with a 60 year old woman who came in to buy herself the one carat diamond she always wanted. After a 30-minute discussion of crown and pavilion angles, country of origin, and crystal structure, I asked her if she had any questions before I show her the first diamond. She said, "Just one. Does the pointy side go up or down?" As a quarterback, I had just overthrown my receiver by 70 yards. I will try not repeat the same error now.
I began my career in the diamond business 44 years ago and although the industry has changed tremendously since then, one thing has remained the same. It is better to be ignorant of how to buy a diamond than to be halfway knowledgeable. So let me begin with lesson 101, where most people begin their diamond buying journey. If ignorance is bliss, this is also where most people blissfully end their journey.
Everyone begins their diamond buying journey with a cheat sheet labeled "The 4 C's. This refers to:
- Color
- Clarity
- Cut
- Carat weight
Color refers to the whiteness of a diamond on a scale from D-Z. When I googled why there is no A, B, or C, the AI short answer was "To avoid confusion". Go figure. In any event, D is the clearest color, meaning transparent and therefore no color at all, and Z would be the lowest color. Generally better color is more valuable than lower color, but life is never simple. Z color may be more valuable than a Q color, but more on that in a later lesson.
Clarity refers to how perfect the diamond is under magnification. The standard amount of magnification in diamond grading is 10 times.
If you look at your finger at 10 power, you'll immediately go buy some hand moisturizer and schedule a meeting with a dermatologist.
Cut: This refers to the diamond's ability to refract light back at the viewer (what most people think of as reflection). Cut is the problem child. Even though you think you are the only parent who has a kid they just don't get, in truth everyone has one. Nobody really understands the diamond characteristic "cut".
Carat weight-What a diamond weighs on a scale should not be controversial, right? Wrong!!! Do two men that weigh 250 pounds look the same?
