What does it all mean? =)

[IrishAngel7982]

Hey everyone...I''ve always loved diamonds but never knew much about them other than the basics. Since I found this forum I''ve realized that I know absolutely nothing! I was just wondering if anyone could give me a quick synopsis of what all those numbers and letters mean on the grading reports? And ideal cuts vs signature ideal, etc? Just curious, because I''m dying to learn! Thank you!

 

[jasontb]

http://diamonds.pricescope.com/

 

[diamondseeker2006]

If you are looking for round brilliant diamonds, stick with GIA or AGS certified diamonds.

Cut: AGS Ideal or GIA Excellent
(Then run the angles, table and depth through the Holloway Cut Advisor tool on this site. You want the number to be between 0 and 2, most people seem to favor a result between 1 and 2.)

Signature ideal usually means an ideal cut diamond that the vendor happens to have in stock (in-house). These are definitely not better than regular ideal or excellent cut.

For polish and symmetry, you want very good or excellent (or ideal).

The girdle should be between thin-medium-slightly thick.

You probably already know color, but D-E-F are colorless and command higher prices. G-H are at the top of the near colorless range and are nice white diamonds in an excellent cut and are a great value. I-J stones are at the lower end of near colorless and are even less expensive...some people love the warmth and some do not..but it is usually seen from the side, not at the top of a well cut diamond (see threads on these colors to hear more on this).

The majority of people want a stone with clarity that is at least eye clean, meaning no inclusions visible to the eye. VS stones are usually safe and SI 1 can often be safe and a good value, you just have to ask the vendor if the stone is eye clean. There are some people who have found good eye clean SI2 stones as well, but you have to be careful. Above VS, you are paying a high premium for something you cannot see.

 

[Modified Brilliant]

You will find a treasure trove of information within this website. Enjoy exploring.

www.metrojewelryappraisers.com

 

[IrishAngel7982]

Thanks for the information. I never knew so much went into the real ''quality'' of a diamond, so it''s a lot to figure out. What I''m seeing is that the cut and clarity are usually the most important things right? Obviously an opinion, but what do you all think?

 

[JulieN]

Clarity wuldn't be talked about so much on PS if we all went for VS stones. However, since most want the biggest stone for the money, we go down into SI1...and SI2...and sometimes evey I. So that's the obsession you see on PS with clarity, and not that high clarity (VVS, VS) is actually something for which many people would pay.

 

[IrishAngel7982]

Evidently I have more to figure out then...thanks Julie.

 

[Lorelei]

IrishAngel, go to the top of the page under knowledge and you will find everything you need to know there, plus the search tool if you have a particular query is very useful to find answers. As Jeff says enjoy exploring, there is a lot of info to digest, it is all there for you!