libero jewelers

diamond education

Welcome to our Diamond Education Center!

For most people, buying a diamond is a new experience, but that doesn't mean it should be overwhelming.

Learning about the attributes of diamonds is important before making such an important purchase.

The diamond is a complicated stone, and each aspect of it affects its overall beauty.

This allows you to go beyond “The Four Cs” (Cut, Color, Clarity, and Carat Weight) and find out everything that gives a diamond both its beauty and its value.

Libero Jewelers diamond education is designed to answer all your questions. It explains a diamond's characteristics, how those characteristics influence appearance, and which are more important than others.

In just a few minutes you'll know everything you need to know to find your perfect diamond.

choosing the right diamond

Every diamond is unique, and there are a variety of factors which affect the price of a diamond.

Focus on those factors most important to you, and choose a diamond that satisfies your individual standards for beauty and value.

This might be a very different diamond than someone else with a similar budget would choose. At Libero Jewelers, we want to help find the best diamond for you.

diamond cut

When gemologists talk about diamond cut, they are referring not to its shape, but to its proportions - its depth, width, and the uniformity of its facets. These characteristics control how light travels within a diamond and gives it its brilliance.

A diamond's cut is not only about its shape, but how effectively the stone can return light back to the viewer's eye. A well-cut diamond will appear very brilliant and fiery, while more poorly cut stones can appear dark and lifeless, regardless of color or clarity.

Not only do well-cut diamonds appear more brilliant, they can also appear larger than other stones of the same carat weight. An ideal stone has both increased brilliance as well as increased diameter relative to more deeply cut diamonds.

diamond color

The term “color” in white diamonds actually refers to the lack of color present. Diamonds composed of pure carbon are colorless and extremely rare and costly.

With regards to clarity and color, it is better to go higher in the color spectrum because that’s where the sparkle can be seen. Going higher on color means choosing a colorless or near colorless stone which allows for the most brilliance.

The color spectrum ranges from best to worst, D-F (colorless), G-J (near colorless), K-M (faint yellow), N-R (very light yellow, and S-Z (light yellow) as seen in the chart above. Colorless diamonds are very expensive because of their rarity.

It is important to note that diamonds at the end of the color range with a noticeable yellow tinge are not considered fancy yellow color diamonds.

diamond clarity

Diamonds that are absolutely clear without inclusions-fractures, scratches, or trace minerals are referred to as flawless and are the rarest. Most diamonds, like people, have natural blemishes that are characteristic of that particular piece.

Clarity refers to the amount of inclusions in a stone. Inclusions are natural imperfections caused by abnormalities or fractures within the crystal. Inclusions most often cannot be seen by the naked eye and a magnifying glass is needed to plot the inclusions.

The diamond clarity spectrum from best to worst is IF (internally flawless), VVS1 and VVS2 (very, very slight inclusions), VS1 and VS2 (very slight inclusions), SI1 and SI2 (slight inclusions), and 11, 12, and 13 (visible inclusions) as seen in the chart above.

Diamonds with the least and smallest imperfections receive the highest clarity grades. Because these imperfections tend to be microscopic, they do not generally affect a diamond's beauty in any discernible way.

diamond carat weight

Often mistaken for size, a diamond’s carat is a measurement of weight. The weight of a diamond is expressed in points or carats; a carat diamond equals 100 points, and a ½ carat diamond equals 50 points etc. Generally as a diamond’s weight increases, so does its rarity and value. The images above are approximate in size.

The weight of a diamond is measured in carats. Total carat weight (T.W.) is the total weight of all the stones in a piece of jewelry. For example, a ring with one 1/2 carat stone and two 1/4 carat stones would have a T.W. of 1 carat.

Larger diamonds, or those with more carats, are sometimes considered to be more valuable, but occur less frequently in nature. However, diamonds of the same carat weight may vary widely in value. A diamond with poor color and clarity might be much less valuable than a smaller diamond with a better color and clarity.