Fancy Investment Diamonds

Cut of Diamonds

Every diamond is individual, with its own unique properties and set of proportions. Diamond cut should not be confused with diamond shape - the shape referring simply to the outward appearance of the diamond e.g. whether it is round, pear or emerald. The cut of a diamond determines how much light it can reflect i.e. its level of brilliance. A well cut diamond is fiery and brilliant, whereas a poorly cut one appears dull and lifeless. This is the case, no matter how beautiful the color or clarity of the diamond. Well cut diamonds also tend to look larger than other gemstones of the same carat weight, which is an added advantage.

Grades of Diamond Cut

The cut then refers to the stone's reflective qualities - and is one of the most important factors to consider when buying a diamond. Because of this, diamonds are graded according to cut, to help purchasers determine the quality of the diamond they are considering. These range from ideal, premium, very good, good to fair and poor.

The ideal cut refers to diamonds with the most brilliance and applies only to round cut diamonds. Premium cut diamonds are also a good bet for the discerning collector, while Very Good diamonds still reflect back most of the light which enters them providing a great deal of brilliance, and can offer good value for money. Good diamonds are often cut to create the largest stone possible; however quality is lost along with a great deal of brilliance. Fair and Poor diamonds will only reflect back a small amount of the light which enter them - their large carat weight is offset by a lack of brilliance.

Most Brilliant Diamond in the World

The Brilliant 10 Diamond is a 71 facet, round brilliant cut diamond - and is the only diamond which has been attributed with no light leakage whatsoever. All the light which enters via the table and the crown is reflected back. This can be contrasted with a regular brilliant cut diamond of 57 facets which will lose around 8 to 12% of the light, even if cut to ideal proportions - the light loss taking place around the girdle of the diamond.

These days the cutting of diamonds has been greatly improved with the introduction of lasers and computer-aided design, enabling the most complex of cuts to be performed, to give diamonds of unsurpassable optical performance. Diamonds with the best cut and luminosity - whose proportions have been perfected by mathematical and empirical analysis, are available from Benma Diamonds.

Color of Diamonds

Diamond color is one of the four major characteristics which will be considered when weighing up a diamond's value and quality. White diamonds are the colorless standard against which all other diamonds are judged, and even colorless diamonds are divided into categories too. The GIA (Gemological Institute of America) introduced guidelines by which diamond color can be graded, according to a lettering system from D to Z. To be accurately graded stones must be examined loose (since when set within jewelry they take on a different hue) and they are identified on the scale according to the amount of color present within them.

Color Grades of Diamonds

Diamonds graded as D, E and F are the most colorless of all diamonds. These are the most pure and most sought after of gemstones due to their extreme rarity in nature. The color within diamonds is caused by lattice defects and impurities such as nitrogen. Nitrogen causes the yellow color within diamonds and these make up the majority of diamonds on the market. The brown color of diamonds is believed to be caused by internal graining.

Most diamonds have hints of color and even very subtle color differences will have an impact on the price. Diamonds graded G to J are termed near colorless, their color difficult to see to the naked eye. These often make a good investment, since they offer a good level of quality in larger sizes, and at a lower price than the completely colorless diamonds.

Cut Affects Diamond Color

Well cut brilliant round diamonds hide their color better than poorly cut gemstones which have the same shape. Some fancy cuts e.g. emerald and oval appear more colored, due to their broader facet arrangements. The more brilliant and bright the cut, the less color will be perceived - although color can be seen from within the pavilion of the stone.

Settings Affect Diamond Color

The metal which is used as the setting for a diamond will make a difference to the overall apparent color of the gemstone. Diamonds not only reflect light back to the eye, but they also reflect back the light of the metal which surrounds them - which is why the choice of precious metal must be carefully considered. More colored diamonds often look best when set within a white metal setting, such as white gold or platinum - since they will appear whiter - and hence more valuable.

Clarity of Diamonds

Diamond Clarity is a term used to describe the presence or absence of flaws, or inclusions, either within or on the outside of the gemstone. A diamond with no flaws is a rare example of a perfectly clear diamond - graded by the GIA under 10 time's magnification as F - flawless. The majority of diamonds however do have inclusions which cannot be seen by the naked eye. Those graded IF are free of inclusions within the body of the gemstone, but have some exterior blemishes. Diamonds graded WS1 and VVS2 have very minor inclusions, those graded SI1 and SI2 are slightly included, whilst those categorized as I1, I2 and I3 are said to be included.

Blemishes and Inclusions

Blemishes are the imperfections found on the surface of the diamond, and have less impact on the value of the gemstone than inclusions. Common blemishes include small pits or holes on the surface of the stone, scratches which may have occurred during cutting, nicks or chips around the girdle of the diamond, and polish lines, created during the polishing process. Inclusions on the other hand can be either found on the surface of the stone, or within it - and their presence has a far greater impact on price. The location of the inclusions is an important factor - for example those situated towards the center of the diamond will be far more visible than those at the side or closer to the edge. Common inclusions include crystals, or small mineral deposits, clouds which are groups of miniscule crystals, needles - long crystals and pinpoints, or tiny crystals.

Inclusions on the Surface of the Diamond

These can affect the durability of the diamond as well as its appearance, and common forms are feathers or cracks which break the surface of the stone, cavities which may have been created by crystal removal, and chips whereby a section of the diamond has broken off.

What Level of Clarity should I look for?

The clarity of a diamond is very important but is only one of the four C's to consider. Some buyers will settle for a lower grade of clarity for a diamond which has a higher carat weight or an ideal cut. Settings also make a difference - diamonds with only slightly visible inclusions can be set within a jewelry setting which minimizes the appearance of the inclusions.

Diamond Carat

A diamond's carat is its weight, with especially large carat weight diamonds extremely rare and sought after. The weight of the stone must also be looked at with regard to the other C's of color, cut and clarity however to determine its overall value. The word carat dates back to ancient times - when gemstones were weighed in carob seeds since these seeds are so uniform in size and weight. Even with todays sophisticated equipment it's hard to tell carob seeds apart, there being less than three 1000ths of a measurement between them.

The reason high carat weight diamonds are so valuable is because few diamonds arise naturally, with smaller gemstones being far more common. The discovery of large diamonds happens so infrequently that they are highly prized and sought after by collectors.

What weight is a carat?

A carat is equal to 200mg or 0.2g and is a metric measurement which was adopted in 1907. It is divisible into 100 points of milligrams. The weight of smaller diamonds is usually expressed in points rather than carats e.g. a 0.05 carat diamond has five points. When identifying the carat weight of a piece of jewelry, the carat weights of all the diamonds are included. However, jewelry featuring many smaller diamonds will be less valuable than a piece of jewelry featuring just one large diamond - even when the carat weight is the same.

What carat size should I consider?

When deciding which carat of diamond to opt for, it's important to take into consideration the quality of the diamond too. If the largest diamond possible is the highest priority, then a slightly lower grade of color or clarity could fit the bill, if purchasing within a budget. Carats of over one carat in weight will be more expensive than those just under a carat, and similarly diamonds which weight under 2 carats will cost less than one of two. Purchasing a diamond which is just under the full carat weight, means that even though it is of indistinguishably smaller size it will cost considerably less.

Largest diamond in the World

Largest of them all is the Cullinan diamond which was discovered in South Africa in 1905 - it is the largest uncut diamond ever found at over 3000 carats. It was later cut into the Star of Africa weighing in at a hefty 530.2 carats and is now incorporated into the British Crown Jewels.

Fancy Color Diamonds

Fancy colored diamonds are some of the most expensive diamonds you can buy, some selling in auction houses for several millions of dollars. The more vivid or intense the hue of the diamond then the rarer it is - whereas the opposite situation is the case when it comes to white diamonds since the more colorless they are the more valuable. Fancy color diamonds gain their hue from impurities such as boron and nitrogen - boron causes the blue color in fancy blue diamonds, nitrogen creates fancy yellow diamonds and exposure of the natural diamond to radiation is thought to be responsible for fancy purple, pink and red diamonds.

The Rarest of Diamonds

The journey of a diamond from mine to market is long and complicated, from their origin as a rough diamond in the heart of the earth, to be presented cut and polished to perfection to waiting consumers. Formed billions of years ago, up to 600km below the earth's crust, diamonds have been brought within mining reach due to volcanic eruptions. In order to get to the diamonds close to 250 tons of ore needs to be extracted and crushed in order to achieve just one carat of gem quality diamond. Out of this tiny amount of diamonds mined only a tiny proportion will be fancy colored diamonds. This is why fancy color diamonds are so precious and highly valued.

Grades of Fancy Color Diamonds

Fancy colored diamonds are extremely rare in nature, in fact only one in ten thousand diamonds mined is given this label. The more intense and vivid the color, the more valuable a fancy color diamond is - with color the deciding factor rather than cut or clarity. Fancy color diamonds have their own separate grading system apart from white diamonds, and are graded from Faint and Very Light to Fancy Intense, Fancy Vivid, Fancy Dark and Fancy Deep.

Supply and Demand of Fancy Colored Diamonds

Over the last few years the supply of natural fancy colored diamonds has diminished, while demand has been on the incline. Some fancy color diamonds are so rare that merely one or two prime examples i.e. those with deep color, of a good size and clarity come to market each year. This makes them an extremely wise choice of investment, since they look set to increase in worth greatly.

Settings for Fancy Color Diamonds

Each fancy color diamond is entirely unique with a saturation and hue which creates its own particular level of brilliance. The rarity and value of these top quality gemstones mean they deserve only the best of settings, and many look exquisite when set in platinum or white gold.

Diamonds - A Smart Investment

The popularity of diamonds has been on the increase since the 19th century - and the best returns on investment have been in fancy color diamonds - in particular fancy pinks, fancy yellows, and fancy blues and greens. Some fancy color diamonds have doubled their money in recent years and there appears to be no slowdown in their increase in value in the foreseeable future. This is because although demand has risen for these unique and beautiful gemstones, supply is on the decline. The Argyle Mine in Australia which today produces most of the world's fancy colored diamonds - has announced that its closure is imminent - and this will have a huge knock on effect on the price of these diamonds

An Attractive Investment

Unlike as with most other investments, diamonds can be worn and enjoyed. Diamonds do not go out of fashion, and they don't break, providing an extra desirable quality for canny investors. In order to make the best investment possible, however, it is imperative to buy only GIA authenticated gemstones, and know the best cuts to buy. The best cuts of diamonds are multi-faceted and reflect brilliance and fire making them extremely rare and valuable, as well as being beautiful to look at.

Recession proof Investment

Other reasons to consider diamonds as an investment include the fact that they are not regulated by banks or affected by changes in the market. Also, diamonds can be traded throughout the world, so their value is not dictated by one economy - China in particular is seeing a huge increase in the demand for diamonds. One reason diamonds retain their popularity in the market place is because celebrities like to show off their latest diamond studded addition to the world - and where they lead, others will follow.

Diamonds are Forever

If investing in a diamond, it's essential to keep them safe and insured, as well as make sure to get a certificate or grading report. A gemologist will be able to grade the stone - and this grading will be essential when selling the diamond - which is why the certificate should always be kept with the diamond.