Why Are Diamond Grades Important?

A common question that comes to us from our readers is: “why are diamond grades important, they’re all kind of the same right?” Not really… There is often a massive price difference in diamonds that may be just one or two grades away from each other. More importantly, knowing this fact will allow the buyer give slightly on a largely unnoticeable diamond grade in one or more categories and save massive amounts of money in return.

Importantly for you, diamond grades allow people to discuss diamonds consistently, no matter what their language, geography, economic status, or trade profession. This standardization of ‘value measurement’ means that a shopper can price compare across a wide variety of excellent  discount diamond sites such as Brian Gavin  and discount stores such as those in the NYC Diamond District to find the best price that matches the 4C’s under consideration.

For example, if one were to compare a K colored diamond of VS1 clarity, simply by its description, the seller might say something like “this diamond is very faint yellow, in fact is so faint that most people would not notice that it has color all. The diamond also has one small crystal on the far left side of the table. The crystal so small that you can barely see it with the jeweler’s lope, and it is only noticeable when you know what you are looking for. In practice, it’s much easier to say the diamond is a K color, VS1 clarity stone. Universally, professionals and diamond buyers in the know, will know exactly what that means.

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Diamond grades also allow interested parties to compare one diamond versus another. This standardization of the value measure allows a buyer to trade-off the 4C variables of color, cut, clarity, and carat weight to find a price point that works best for the buyer of the diamond, while satisfying the needs and desire’s of the recipient.

A diamond’s grade is also an indication of its quality. In fact this is the primary purpose of the diamond grading system at diamond labs around the world. While prices may vary depending on market conditions, a diamond’s 4C’s are memorialized consistently in the diamond certificate. Which brings us to the next point…

Diamond grades are consistent. This should come as no surprise because diamond grading labs around the world issue diamond certificates on hundreds of thousands of diamonds per year. When a business grades that many stones, it should have exacting standards that translate into a consistent and accurate result on each diamond’s certificate. 

 

Finally, a diamond grade also allows an owner of the jewelry piece to match a lost diamond relatively easily if they know the carat weight, clarity, cut and color as well as the shape of the diamond that went missing

Diamond grading reports

Reputable diamond grading labs such as the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) are some of the most consistent and dependable sources for diamond grades. These diamond grading reports list the 4C’s of color, cut, clarity and carat weight, as well as other elements such as the diamond’s proportions, polish, symmetry, and fluorescence. A report from a lab such as GIA allows diamond experts to buy and sell diamonds, sight unseen, hundreds, or even thousands of times per year. This becomes quite useful in a trade where the item under consideration is no larger, in most cases, then half the width of a dime.

To wrap it all up then, the answer to the question “why are diamond grades important” is simply this: because they are a standardized way of measuring the value attributes of the stone under consideration, and they allow buyers and sellers to speak the same language. As a result, diamond grades affect a better transaction, for both buyer and seller, in the diamond market.