Diamond FAQ Guide
Here is advice from Rob van Beurden, our Antwerp diamond expert and Antwerp Diamond Bourse member
What is more important Colour or Clarity?
The colour scale goes from D to Z where D is the whitest of the white and hence most expensive. However, colours between E to H are regarded as very white and its hard to tell the difference in colour between these when a diamond is set. Many ordinary people can observe colour with the naked eye more easily than diamond clarity. For example, if you take diamond with I or J colours set in white gold or platinum, most people can tell that the diamond looks a little "off-white" especially if you see the diamond next to others that are whiter. If I and J colour stones are set in yellow gold then its harder to tell that they are not pure white. However, diamond colour becomes more noticable as the size of the stone increases or in shapes other than round brilliant. For example, emerald cut and asscher cut diamonds are more see-through with large facets so they require a higher colour and clarity than other shapes. If a diamond has a slight blue fluorescence, it could make your H color (or I or J for that matter) look more white, so this is something to take into consideration. Also, if the stone is very well cut, it will make both the clarity as well as the colour look better. A well-cut stone in a true SI1 will look no different to the naked eye than a VS2. However, once you have identified an inclusion in an SI2 quality diamond with a loupe (magnifying lens), you may be able to home in on that inclusion without the loupe if you know where it is and therefore you know where to look. However, people who do not have a loupe will not be able to see any visible flaw. Re. clarity, this is not a factor you can readily judge without looking at the diamond under magnification so it is really up to you if you want to pay the difference for higher than eyeclean (SI1) stones. Step cut diamond shapes like emerald and asscher cut diamonds require a higher quality of colour and clarity as they have large see-through facets which make it easy to see any imperfections. In general in my opinion - colour is something that can be discerned with the naked eye with practice (e.g. when looking at an engagement ring on a daily basis) whereas no-one ever has or develops "X-ray" vision. Hence, I would recommend buying as white a diamond as you can afford in your carat range in a eyeclean or better clarity. For some people just knowing that their diamond is a very high clarity (e.g. Internally Flawless or VVS1 clarity) or a very white colour (e.g. D colour) is important even if the differences cannot be seen with the naked eye. Only you can decide for yourself if knowing something on paper that cannot be seen to the naked eye is worth spending the extra money. If going lower in grading, even if it can't be seen to the naked eye, is going to bother you it is probably a good idea to go ahead and spend the extra money to have the better specification because it will always bother you.
To find out more or arrange a visit to see us, contact Dr Indira Marchant on +44 208 868 5210 or email info@bestdiamonds.co.uk
