Quick and Easy Buying Guide
Carat weight: 1 carat = 200 milligrams = 6.5 mm diameter. Doubling weight doesn't double diameter.
Diamond clarity: FL/IF/VVS/VS = super expensive, near perfect. SI = best value if you can check a photo for obvious inclusions (defects).
Color: D-G = colorless, expensive, only if you have money to burn. H-J = best value. Can go lower in gold metal settings than white metal.
Cut: Better cut ratings let more light into a diamond, making it sparkle more. Very important property, don't skimp here.
Set a budget and minimum cut (Premium). Go J color for gold and I/H for white metals. Go searching for SI1/SI2 clarity diamonds at James Allen. Pick a diamond with small/no inclusions. Choose a ring setting and buy it risk-free (60-day returns).
The Afternoon's Find: This 0.54 Carat G Color VS1 Clarity Premium Cut Round Cut Diamond
Some jewelers say that a G color diamond like this VS1 clarity diamond is pretty much in the colorless range.
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Shape: Round Carat weight: 0.54 Cut: Premium Color: G Clarity: VS1 Price: $1690 Certificate: GIA Depth: 62.8% Table: 58.0% Polish: Very Good Symmetry: Very Good Girdle: Slightly thick to thick Culet: None Fluorescence: None Measurements: 5.21*5.17*3.26 Item number: 1231621 |
Click here to search for other diamonds at James Allen.
The Premium cut quality for this diamond provides a good balance between cut quality and diamond cost. Typically VS1 clarity diamonds are the most affordable "safe" clarity grading for buying online without a photo - although a lower clarity grading is possible you need to see a high quality photo of the diamond to assess the inclusions for yourself. A G color diamond like this one is a great compromise between extreme white pureness and budgetary considerations. If you have got some dollars to spend but do not wish to splurge unnecessarily, this is a great color range to do your searching within.
If you look at this 0.54 carat stone and think to yourself, "that carat size is too small", think about whether it's possible to compromise by reducing another property such as color or cut in order to get for a larger diamond. To get some additional pointers on the "Slightly thick to thick" girdle for this diamond, have a read of the article about girdles.
For a diamond, a price of $1690 puts it amongst the cheapest set of diamonds, especially for engagement rings.