To understand diamonds, of course, I have to say that the 4C standard of diamonds is very important. Price of diamond = carat)+weight+clarity)+color)+cutting. The so-called "4C" is the abbreviation of these four English words starting with C. By combining the four points of "4C", you can easily understand the value and quality of a diamond.
1. carat weight (carat)
The weight unit of diamonds is carats and minutes: 100 minutes = 1 carat = 200mg = 0.2g, 0.75 carat is 75 minutes, and 0.09 carat is 9 minutes. Under the same other standards, with the increase of diamond weight, its value increases in a J-shaped curve, because it is impossible to synthesize 1 large diamond from multiple small diamonds, and the price of a single 1 carat is about 5 times that of 0.5 carat! Diamonds with the same weight will have different prices due to different colors, clarity and cutting.
Among the diamonds 4C, the most important thing is the weight. The greater the score, the more valuable it is. If it is a small diamond, even the clarity and color are good, what's the point? Can you see it? Therefore, the state stipulates that diamonds below 20 points are not specifically graded. In other words, for small diamonds, there is no question of grade, only the question of authenticity. Certificates only identify the authenticity of diamonds.
Step 2 be clear
Diamonds are crystallized from mantle magma deep in the earth. After hundreds of millions of years of geological changes, it is inevitable that there are all kinds of sundries and flaws in it. Of course, these flaws also witness the uniqueness of diamonds.
Usually, the internal and surface defects of inlaid diamonds are divided into IF, VVS, VS, SI and P with a magnifying glass of 10. IF diamonds are not inlaid, they are further divided into IF, VVS 1, VVS2, SI 1, SI2 and P6558.
The VVS grade of silicon is very common in the market. What I want to talk about here is diamonds from Hong Kong, which are loosely classified. Some customers think diamonds bought in Hong Kong are cheap and affordable. Actually, it is not. Some businessmen in Hong Kong wholesale SI and P diamonds from the mainland, and these diamonds are identified as VS or above. Then sell it to mainlanders. It is no accident that unqualified bare diamonds in Zhou Shengsheng were exposed. It is an open secret among jewelers in Hong Kong, and the purity level is generally low. Don't believe that prices will be different because of different borders. Good diamonds are equally expensive everywhere. It depends on the profits pursued by different businesses.
Under normal circumstances, we can't see the clarity of diamonds with naked eyes, and we need a magnifying glass of 10 to see the defects of diamonds. That is to say, in appearance, the difference between VVS, VS and SI is almost invisible. Some buyers think VVS is brighter than VS after comparing diamonds in shopping malls. This is not because of clarity. Clarity has little effect on fire color (that is, flash). It is cutting that determines the color of fire. Similarly, a well-cut Si will be brighter than a poorly cut VVS. It's a bit beside the point to talk ahead of time ~ hehe. There is a special case, which is the "cream diamond" with high purity but low value. The inclusion of this diamond is white fog, which gives people a feeling that the diamond is not thorough and turbid with the naked eye. White fog seriously affects the fire color of diamonds. Although "cream diamond" can be identified by domestic (even national authoritative) identification centers, it can identify high-level color and high-level cleanliness, but
IF-class cleanliness: flawless, observed under a magnifying glass of ten times, without any inclusions.
VVS class clarity: extremely flawed, diamonds have extremely tiny inclusions, which are extremely difficult to observe under a magnifying glass of ten times.
VS-class clarity: micro-flaw, diamond has tiny inclusions, which is difficult to observe under a magnifying glass of ten times. These diamonds contain inclusions invisible to the naked eye.
SI-level clarity: small defect level, diamonds have obvious inclusions, which can be easily observed under a magnifying glass of ten times. The inclusions in these diamonds are generally invisible to the naked eye, but some extreme situations are not excluded, such as looking very carefully in the sun or buyers with good eyesight looking carefully again and again. Not a very picky buyer, under the limited budget, SI clarity diamonds are very cost-effective.
P-class clarity: these diamonds are visible to the naked eye and have obvious inclusions. The store is out of stock, hehe. Men don't need a drill of this quality.
Step 3 color
Dear friends, this is easy to understand and can be directly distinguished by the naked eye. The color hierarchy is divided into DE color (extremely white), FG color (extremely white), H color (white), IJ color (pale white), KL (slightly white), MN (primary yellow), O-R (sub-yellow) and S-Z (yellow) from high to low.
Under normal circumstances, diamonds above H color can't be observed in any color. Parents can go to the mall to compare and observe the differences of various color scales most intuitively.
Step 4 cut
The brilliance of diamond is attributed to its unique high refractive index and high dispersion. Diamond is the hardest substance. It is indestructible and never wears away. Once it is cut and ground, it will shine forever. The way to judge the quality of diamond cutting is to pick up the diamond and stare at the jumping light at the top. This beautifully cut diamond is dazzling.
Cutting is directly related to the brilliance of diamonds. That is directly visible to the naked eye. Nobody wants to wear a dull diamond. In the GIA certificate system, the cutting grades from high to low are EX (excellent), VG (excellent), G (good), F (general) and P (poor).
Cutting is the only manually determined standard in diamond grade, and it is an important factor to further enhance the aesthetic feeling of diamonds. The color and clarity of each diamond are determined by nature, but we can awaken the light of the diamond by cutting the day after tomorrow. GIA diamonds are very eye-catching as long as they are cut above g. But this is only the standard of GIA certificate, and the division of cutting work in domestic appraisal certificate seems unreliable. At present, I have only seen VG at the cutting level of various authoritative certificates in China. Even if the diamond is badly cut, it is VG under the appraisal of domestic appraisal institutions. If the buyer with high cutting requirements, it is recommended to buy diamonds with GIA certificate.
GIA certificate has two attached data for evaluating diamond cutting, namely polishing and symmetry, and EX, VG, G, F and P from high to low. When the cutting, polishing and symmetry of a GIA diamond reach EX, the cutting of this diamond is perfect. The so-called 3EX perfect cut.
Related to cutting, you have to mention "eight arrows and eight arrows". Some jewelers use the so-called "Eight Arrows and Eight Beads" as a gimmick when selling diamond jewelry, which makes many diamond jewelry consumers confused about what "Eight Arrows and Eight Beads" really is. The person in charge of the relevant departments of Jiangsu Bureau of Quality and Technical Supervision said: This is purely business speculation and misleading consumers.
In fact, the mysterious "eight arrows and eight hearts" is only a kind of knife method, and there are also good and bad points. At the same cutting level, whether the eight arrows and eight centers are as bright or not, they all have the same value. So consumers need to keep their eyes open. What can really be called perfect cut is 3EX cutting.