Wedding Blog
I have a small confession to make. 
Truthfully, I knew a proposal was on its way (I just didn’t know exactly when or how) because we had picked out my center stone together about a month before. After doing the research for Mr. Peony, I kinda became a diamond connoisseur…so I wanted to share some of what I learned.
When most people think of diamonds, they think of the 4 C’s: carat, color, clarity, and cut (some men I’ve spoken to say there’s a fifth C - “cost” - but that’s another story 
). What most people don’t consider is that “cut” is the most important thing to consider when choosing a diamond.
Many confuse “cut” with the shape of a diamond (round, princess, oval, etc) - they are not the same thing. “Cut” refers to the way a diamond is cut from the rough (or from a larger diamond), affecting the proportions, the angles, and the overall sparkle. A well-cut diamond will look larger, hide imperfections, look whiter, and as a whole, be more brilliant. Unfortunately, the majority of diamonds on the market are not well-cut.
When I first started researching diamonds, I was surprised to find that one diamond can look a lot larger than another of the same weight. If they’re the same weight, shouldn’t they look the same size? Not so…take a look at the picture below (taken from the Whiteflash website):
Let’s assume that all three diamonds are the same weight. The diamond on the right will face up smaller (look smaller when viewed from the top) because there is too much weight on the bottom. Not only do you end up paying for size you can’t see, but the diamond will have less light return as well. On the other hand, the diamond on the left will face up the largest of the three, but it will be lifeless because as you can see from the picture, light will leak from its sides.
There is, of course, a lot more at play here….angles, dispersion of light, etc. but I won’t bore you. If you want to learn more, go to Pricescope - they have a huge tutorial along with a friendly, informative forum that will answer all the questions you will ever have regarding diamonds.
Now, on to the other C’s…let’s start with “color.” A larger percentage of the population is familiar with color, and basically, diamond colors run from D (colorless) to Z (yellow/light brown). There are, of course, fancy colors like pink, blue, etc.
(Again, these images were taken from Whiteflash.)
Looking at this picture and the chart, it’s obvious that most people would want a colorless diamond in the D-F range. But 95% of the population can’t see any color in a well-cut “H” diamond. If a diamond is especially well-cut, you can even go down to “I” or even “J” and no layman would know.
Just for comparison, a 1.00ct, D, VS1 diamond costs between $7,000-$8,000. Compare that to a 1.00ct, H, VS1 with a range of $4,500-$5,500!
Now on to clarity. Clarity runs from the “FL” (flawless) or “IF” (internally flawless) range to the “I” (included) range:
(Image from Whiteflash)
Based on pictures like these, most people stay clear of anything below a “VVS2.” However, when plotting inclusions, gemologists scrutinize these diamonds under 10x, sometimes even 20x magnification. If you are lucky, you can find a beautiful “SI1″ that is completely eye-clean (which means that you cannot see the inclusions with the naked eye). I even read about one girl who wanted a 2ct diamond on a $10,000 budget. While most jewelers laughed at her, she was patient and found a jeweler (the same one we used!) who was able to find her a 2ct diamond that was an “I1.” Although she was able to see the largest inclusion, it was positioned on a corner so the prong in her ring completely covered it.
Unless you’re really adamant about a flawless diamond, anything in the “VVS” range is overkill. Why pay for something you can’t see? For comparison, a 1.00ct G FL diamond can cost $7,500-$9,000. Go down in clarity with a 1.00ct G SI1 and the price jumps down to $4,000 to $5,000.
To reiterate: find a well-cut diamond and you can sacrifice a lot on color and clarity. Use the extra money and invest it in your retirement fund. Put it towards your wedding or your honeymoon. Or just buy a larger diamond with it!
Next entry: shapes!
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That was so educational… yet for some reason fascinating… 
I guess chicks just dig diamonds, even the technical side. Hah.
My diamond is small (I wanted a little one) and has a flaw in it that cut the price way down. But it’s hidden under a prong and the way its cut you can’t see it. Muhaha.
This is a really handy post, Miss Peony. Girls who feel a proposal coming on should print it out and sneak it into their man’s breifcase or some such. 
As someone who sells diamonds, I think you did an excellent job explaining! There are certain “brands” of diamonds that gaurantee excellent cut, such as peerless and Hearts on Fire. Don’t be fooled by the hearts and arrows though- a diamond can display hearts and arrows when it has good symmetry but the proportions could still be off. Diffinately cut is the most important “c’ though!
great post! my FI did really well in choosing my diamond with the best cut. it has some inclusions, but it’s on the edge and corner, so even under the scopes, it’s difficult to find. i guess he took your advice!
I think there’s another BIG factor for people to consider, even though it’s probably not a “C”: you need to trust your jeweler to be honest and tell you what they think is best given your priorities/budget. We had my ring custom designed (after the proposal) so I could get exactly what I wanted, and our designer’s advice about which diamonds to chose was SO valuable. She knew what we wanted- the highest quality diamond for our budget- but also knew, as you said, that we would never see the difference between a VVS and VS quality, so she encouraged us instead to pick a diamond that was a better cut. Bottom line- get informed, and then find a great jeweler who knows even more than you!!
great post!
i think many people don’t really know about the “cut” factor, and yes, like BA said, you need to find a trustworthy & informed jeweler.
Its definitely true about the price differencces in something that can barely be seen. I have a diamond thats been passed down through my family. I took it in to have it reset in a pendant (I didn’t like the ring setting, as it was a man’s ring last) so I could wear it for special occassions. The diamond is a little over 2 carats. It has a tiny bit of color to it that you would only be able to tell if you held it up to a perfectly clear stone. Because of this, the price was reduced from $25,000 down to $11,000. I really don’t care, quite honestly, as it isn’t something that is a big deal to me. It has been passed down through ages, so it holds more of a special meaning to me.
My ring is the same carat as my friend but hers looks a bit “wider/bigger” than mine, but under lighting you can see that mine sparkles radiantly and the color is WHITE where as hers sparkles but looks a bit grayish. Her cut seems to be too shallow and does not reflect the light as it should. This post makes me smile - mine is NOT smaller, it’s better quality! teehee!
You’re absolutely right. Diamonds are not an investment — you don’t make a profit off them — so the most important thing is how they look, not their resale value. Pick the diamond that looks the best, not the one that has whatever “specs” that impress on paper and add to the cost but do not actually make the diamond look better.
Please, please, please consider another important “C” in purchasing diamonds…Conflict. There are a variety of jewelers who will be able to produce a document stating that the purchased diamond is one that has not been involved with the more “controversial” diamond mines in Africa. The message here is not to boycott diamonds, but please be completely thorough in your research.
A few other things I’d like to add (I also picked my own ring, and researched diamonds to death beforehand)
1) Don’t be afraid of blue fluorescence. It’s naturally occurring, and can help make a yellower diamond look whiter (so, you can buy a J, and it may look more like a G, for instance). Occasionally (but not commonly) it will make the diamond look milky or oily in sunlight. But it’s easy to determine any negative impact by viewing the stone in various lighting (our jeweler allowed us to take the stone outside into the sunlight to inspect it, in addition to the various lighting we viewed it under in the store). You can determine the presence of blue fluorescence by placing the stone under a black light (it should glow blue — the darker the blue, the more fluorescence it has). Because some people think this is bad (based on inaccurate information spread over the years), you can generally pay LESS for a diamond with fluorescence, while still getting a very high quality and gorgeous stone that looks better than it actually is. For instance, I have a stone that is J color, but it faces up closer to a G in most lighting. I’ve even compared it to other stones in the G-I range, and you can rarely tell the difference (and in some cases my stone looked whiter!)
2) Buy shy. Instead of a full 1 carat diamond, buy one that’s 98 points (.98 carats). It will look exactly the same as a 1 carat, and it will be significantly cheaper. Same thing for sizes like 50 points, 1.25c or 1.5c.
3) Inclusions can actually be a good thing. Inclusions act like a “fingerprint” for your diamond. Make sure you have the stone appraised and mapped when you buy it (or shortly thereafter). That way, if you ever take it in for repair, you can use a jeweler’s loupe to look for the inclusions to be certain that your stone wasn’t swapped. Many inclusions will be hidden by the diamonds setting, or not perceivable to the naked eye (hence the term “eye clean”), so it won’t affect the quality as seen by the average person, and helps to protect you!
Assuming the cut it good, you can also sacrifice more on color if you are getting a single diamond only or if you make sure that the color in all of your diamonds match. It is really, really hard to see the color differences if you have nothing nearby to compare it to that is whiter.
We compromised a little more on color but made sure the color was consistent, and you can really only tell if you are in a jewelry shop and you hold it up next to a whiter diamond. And who wants to do that?
uh, cut “is” good. duh.
Excellent discussion of cut and color, Miss Peony!
Something else to think about if cost is an issue is a different center stone- white sapphires also look lovely in a ring, and are much cheaper than diamonds. Colored stones, or a mix of color and diamonds, can be a lovely option for those wanting something less traditional.
It’s great to see so many readers who are educated on diamonds! I hardly ever wear jewelry so when we started researching diamonds I wanted to find out as much as I could so that the one piece of jewelry I wear all the time (and for the rest of my life) will be great quality!
Danielle - all very good points! I actually wanted a diamond with a blue flour….the one that we chose doesn’t have any flour but it was so nice that I couldn’t pass it up!
Oh and while “buying shy” is a great bargain, those carat sizes are most often the most difficult to find because diamond cutters want to maximize the carat size (and profit) of the end product.
Meg - you’re absolutely right. Engagement rings do not need to be diamonds, and if you have something different, good for you! A good friend of mine has an gorgeous emerald solitaire as her engagement ring. She’s 100% happy with it - in fact, she preferred an emerald or a ruby over a diamond because good quality emeralds/rubies are more rare than diamonds!
This may be mean but why would you want a HUGE stone that is of BAD quality, you can see the inclusions?!? (that is horrible even if its hidden) doesn’t that say something about you?
If you can’t accept the ring that you can afford maybe you shouldn’t be accepting that man.
wondering: i don’t think you need a PERFECT stone (flawless) in order to “accept” the man. some people have different preferences. bigger stone vs better color vs better cut..etc. i don’t see the sense in spending nearly double the amount of $$ on a diamond if you can’t see the inclusions with the naked eye. even if you can, if you can cover it with a prong, then the better. if you can get a bigger stone with an inclusion at the price of a smaller stone with maybe less inclusions, then that’s your prerogative. it’s your choice on whether you want a bigger stone with slight inclusions or the smaller stone of better quality - they’re the SAME price at times that you’re choosing from! why would someone judge the ring as the man you’re marrying it. it’s a diamond that a man should be comfortable giving and the woman receiving. not a reflection of either person.
Wondering - to each their own. I read that in Japan, most women prefer higher clarity/color over size. In the US, where everything seems to be size, size SIZE, women may prefer size over clarity/color.
Just to clarify, the example I gave of the girl who got a 2 carat, I1 diamond has a beautifully cut ring (I’ve seen pictures of it), so it’s not necessarily bad quality. And they did not overextend their budget to obtain that diamond.
Some may say diamonds are just compressed pieces of carbon - why bother? IMO, if you can afford it and are comfortable with the decision, then go for it. Everyone is different.
to miss peony- you are totally right about the japanese- when we were looking for diamonds in asia they told us that the diamonds are higher quality there because they have higher standards then the US.
Same price- yes but– its about your character-
very informative post! miss peony, could you email me the name and location of your jeweler?
what an excellent post! what you said about what can actually be seen in terms of clarity was the most eye opening.
Wondering (on your first post), I have to say is WORD! Quality over quantity for me.
My SO went on Pricescope too when he started looking for my engagement ring. The most important thing to him was the cut and color (EX, H&A) since that brings out the most brilliance and I am so glad he did. We tend to stare at a lot when we’re under direct light. That site was incredibly helpful for him (and nice eye candy for me).
[...] Part I Part II [...]
[...] Peony had a great post recently about different aspects of the 4Cs of diamond shopping- cut, clarity, carat and [...]
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Mrs. Peony, New York
Age and Occupation: 27, Marketing Coordinator
Fiance's Age and Occupation: 30, QA Engineer
Engagement Date: June 28, 2007
Wedding Date: April 18, 2008
Venue: The Fountainhead
Blogging Since: August 7, 2007
About Me: Both Mr. Peony and I are huge computer nerds, and our conversations usually consist of the latest gadgets, programming languages, and video games. At the same time, I can also be very girly with an obsession with handbags, makeup, and high heels. And art! I've studied studio art extensively, almost majored in art history, and freelance as a web and graphics designer. Mr. Peony and I are having a ball of a time planning a wedding for 250(!) guests, doing our best to infuse our personalities (geeky chic) with the wishes of our very traditional Asian parents.
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