Balancing Quality & Carat Weight

As you select your diamonds, you will face a trade-off between quality and size if you wish to stay within a certain price range. Larger diamonds and diamonds of higher quality will cost more, so you will need to find an acceptable balance between the stone's size and its quality. For example, if you want to purchase a diamond with a larger carat weight on your budget, you will need to sacrifice the stone's quality to a certain extent. In the same way, if you want a stone of superior quality, you will need to purchase a lower carat weight diamond to remain in your price range. Read on for a more detailed explanation of the relationship between quality and carat weight in the diamond selection process.

Diamond Quality

The value of your diamond will be determined partially by its quality. The main determinants of the stone's quality are reflected in the four Cs: cut, color, clarity, and carat weight. Because we address carat weight later on, we will focus on cut, color, and clarity in this section. An explanation of each feature is included below.

• Cut. How a diamond is cut will have a tremendous impact on how it reflects light, or its brilliance. A proper cut will maximize the reflected light from the stone. Cut should not be confused with a diamond's shape, such as heart-shaped or oval.
• Color. The less color a diamond has, the higher its quality will be. The most expensive diamonds are completely colorless, but these stones are very rare. When you select your diamonds, the stones you consider should appear colorless to the naked eye.
• Clarity. Diamonds with the highest clarity rating will have no internal or external flaws, known as occlusions in the jewelry industry. Usually, quality diamonds that are reasonable priced will not have any visible flaws, but they may show occlusions under a microscope.

Carat Weight

Carat weight refers to the size of a diamond. Carat weights typically range from 1/4th of a carat to 5 carats. The price of a diamond will go up exponentially as carat weight increases. As you select your diamonds, you will have to decide whether carat weight or quality is more important to you. If both considerations are equally important to you, you will need to balance the size and quality of the stone you select. For buyers on a budget, larger diamonds will mean lower quality, and higher quality diamonds will require a sacrifice in size. If your goal is simply to buy the largest diamond you can afford, your stone will likely be of very poor quality. Ideally, you want to select a diamond that represents an acceptable compromise between carat weight and quality. Generally speaking, a smaller stone of higher quality is a better decision than a high carat weight diamond of poor quality.