Diamond Certificates

A diamond certificate is also known as a Diamond Grading Report. This report comes from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA), and you should require this report when you are purchasing a diamond.

With a diamond certificate, you can verify the color, cut, carat, weight, and clarity of the diamond. You don’t have to worry about a diamond dealer telling you anything less than the truth, because the certificate comes from the GIA – not the dealer. You may be required to pay for the certificate, but the cost is usually low, and in many cases, it will help you negotiate a better price on the diamond – or keep you from purchasing a lower quality diamond altogether.

Choosing The Cut of A Diamond

There are many different cuts of diamonds
to choose from. The cut essentially refers to
the shape that the diamond is cut into –
unless you are in the diamond or jewelry
business, but this shape has a great impact
on the much the diamond sparkles.

The most popular cuts are heart, marquise,
oval, pear, princess, round, trillion, and
emerald cuts. The shape has an impact on
how much the diamond sparkles, but the
actual cutting itself – when the diamond
cutter actually cuts the diamond into a
particular shape – also matters a great
deal. If the diamond is poorly cut, it will lose
its sparkle.

However, in the diamond industry, the cut of
a diamond doesn’t refer to its shape at all.
Instead, this is a reference to the stone’s
depth, width, brilliance, durability, clarity, and
other aspects of the diamond. Common
cutting problems include a missing or off
center culet, misalignment, a diamond that
is too thick or too thin, cracks, or broken
culets.

When shopping for a diamond, you should
of course choose the shape that you like the
best, but then look at several different
diamonds of that shape to find the one with
the best cut – the one that sparkles the most,
in all types of lighting.