Diamonds

Everything you need to know before you buy.

Diamonds are no small purchase. Be sure you’re an educated buyer so you get exactly what you want. If it’s size you’re after, pay attention to carat weight. Because large stones are hard to come by you can expect a two-carat stone will cost more than two one-carat stones.

For a diamond with depth, look for clarity, which refers to how many inclusions a stone has. No dents or scratches inside the stone or out is called Flawless, or FL for short. Stones with no inclusions inside are called Internally Flawless, or IF. Stones range from there to Very, Very Slightly Included (VVSI) to Very Slightly Included (VSI) to Slightly Included (SI) to Included (I1, I2 and I3).

And for brilliance, look at the cut. The facets should work together to reflect and refract light. If you’re looking for a diamond with flash, pay attention to the stone’s color. Diamonds and prisms filter light in similar ways. That’s why a flick of the wrist can make a ring sparkle with reds and blues. But a diamond with color, just like a prism with a color filter, will cut down on that sparkle. For that reason, a colorless diamond is most valuable. Stones are rated from D through Z, with D being colorless. Diamonds can also come with a distinct shade, like blue, brown, yellow and even black. Naturally-colored stones aren’t cheap, so consider artificially-colored stones. These come in a bright blue-green or yellow. They offer the same hardness and sparkle of a diamond, but have unique colors and cost much less than a similar-sized colorless stone.

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A round diamond is flanked by two marquis-cut diamonds for a total weight of 1.25 carats set in 18 karat gold and platinum, $11,500, from Albert Frank’s Fine Jewelry in Lewes.

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An .83 carat princess cut stone is surrounded by .42 carats of round diamonds in 18-karat white gold, $6,800, from Elegant Slumming in Rehoboth Beach.

 

 

 

A 1.75 carat round diamond is set in 14-karat white gold with another .65 carats of diamonds on the band, $14,700, designed by Albert Frank’s Fine Jewelry in Lewes.

 

 

 

A 1.34 carat pear-cut diamond is surrounded by micro-pave set diamonds on three bands made of 18-karat white gold, $11,150, for the set from Carl Doubet, Jr. Jewelers in Greenville.

 

 

 

A heart-shaped stone is flanked by two pear stones set in 18-karat yellow gold, $15,420, from Carl Doubet, Jr. Jewelers in Greenville.

 

 

 

A natural yellow diamond is surrounded by white emerald and princess cut stones set in 18-karat white and yellow gold, $7,500, from Carl Doubet, Jr. Jewelers in Greenville.

 

 

 

A natural yellow oval-cut diamond is flanked by two white octagon-cut diamonds for a total weight of 2.05 carats set in 18-karat white gold, $22,000, from Albert Frank’s Fine Jewelry in Lewes.

 

 

 

A .71 carat round diamond  is set in 14-karat yellow gold, $4,250, from Forney’s Jewelers in Dover.

 

 

 

A 3.32 carat criss-cut diamond is flanked by another 2.5 carats of smaller criss-cut stones, $45,000, from Stuart Kingston Galleries in Wilmington.

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