Shopping for the perfect diamond may seem overwhelming and confusing. So many factors play into the value and desirability of a diamond, namely the 4 Cs. The 4 Cs – Color, Clarity, Cut, and Carat – are how gemologists determine the diamond’s quality and price.
Gary Joslin has over 40 years of experience in the jewelry industry and is truly an expert when it comes to diamonds. Buying, selling, and trading diamonds for nearly half a century has taught him what to watch out for and how to pair customers with the perfect diamond for their jewelry needs. In addition to this, Gary and the rest of the staff at Joslin’s love the opportunity to teach their customers everything they need to know about diamonds, so they can feel informed and confident in their purchase from Joslin’s!
That’s why we are going to take a closer look at each of the 4 Cs of diamonds. Up first is color!
Color
When it comes to color with traditional diamonds, the scale ranges from D-Z, with D being the rarest and most prized color grade. A diamond that is graded D-F is considered to be colorless. Colorless diamonds allow the maximum amount of light to pass through, giving them incredible brilliance and a bright, white appearance. As you move down the color ranks, the diamonds become less white and start to show more and more yellow and brown hues.
At Joslin’s, Gary only purchases diamonds at the top of the color grade, typically between D-H. Within these grades, the diamonds are radiant and have incredible sparkle. They are able to work in whichever setting you want. That’s another important detail. Professionals will determine a diamond’s color grade while it is loose, not in a setting. The metal of a setting can affect the diamond’s appearance. A setting can also accentuate a diamond’s color, both in a positive and negative way. For example, a slightly yellow diamond that falls somewhere in the middle of the color grading scale will look even more yellow when placed in a platinum or white gold setting.
Gary never wants to sell his customers a lesser quality diamond, so he avoids purchasing ones with any hint of yellow in them. Bright white diamonds will not only look the best but will hold their value and allow the purchasers to trade them later for a better diamond if they desire!
Within the color range of diamonds you’ll find at Joslin’s, the staff can help you further narrow down the color to an exact grade depending on the other 4 Cs and the jewelry application you are wanting to place your diamond in. By considering all these things together, you can find a diamond that looks beautiful without needlessly overspending on it simply because of a specific color grade. Trained experts with jeweler’s loupes (magnifying glasses) can tell the difference between adjacent color grades, but the naked eye cannot. You can dramatically improve the price by moving down in grade without noticeably sacrificing any of the diamond’s radiance!
Of course, when talking about diamonds, we had to ask Gary to share some of his knowledge with us! Watch the video below and see what Gary has to say about diamond color!
