Diamonds are the
hardest known natural substance on earth and
will literally last forever if properly
cared for. Diamonds in fact are the oldest
thing you will probably own since they take
millions of years to form naturally. That’s
not including the time it takes to travel
from deep below the Earth’s surface to the
display case at a jeweler.
As early as the 15th century, diamonds were
valued as something special. In 1477,
Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a
diamond engagement ring to Mary of Burgundy
and a day later, they were married. In those
times, diamonds were uncut and were valued
for their strength and protection.
Our diamond listings include the actual
image of the diamond. (Black diamonds not
included). Save this image with your files.
The inclusions in the diamond act like
fingerprints. They can be used to identify a
diamond.
For an additional fee, you can have your
diamond certified by an independent lab such
as GIA or AGL. They will measure and grade
your diamond and give you a report that
documents the exact location of all the
inclusions along with its color, carat
weight, measured dimensions as well as other
diamond details.
You can have your diamond laser engraved.
Laser engraving is a permanent etching of a
serial number, logo or phrase along its
girdle. This will ensure you get the same
diamond back after it has been set
When asking about a diamond, always ask how
much it weighs, not how big it is. How “big”
a diamond is can mean a few things. In this
instance, a diamonds “spread” refers to its
diameter. A diamond with a 1 carat spread
simply means that the diameter of the stone
is the same as a 1 carat ideal cut stone.
Without knowing its weight, the stone could
be cut too shallow or too deep reducing its
value
“Blood Diamonds” or “Conflict Diamonds” are
diamonds that are mined in war torn
countries by rebels to fund their conflict.
To mine their diamonds, these rebels abuse
the human rights of the local population
often murdering and enslaving them.
No, we do not deal with conflict diamonds.
DiamondOction.com abides by the rules set
forth by the Kimberley Process as does each
company we deal with as far as we know.
“Certified diamonds” are diamonds that have
been tested and graded by an independent
gemological lab. These diamonds generally
cost more due to the extra cost of having
the diamond certified and for the added
insurance of knowing that what you get has
been inspected by an independent source.
“Non-certified diamonds” on the other hand
do not have this independent report and any
grading the diamond has relies solely on the
sellers’ ability to grade diamonds.
No. To keep our prices low, we do not offer
certified diamonds. Instead, we post the
actual image of the diamond in our listing.
All of our diamonds are graded by our
experienced gemologists
This is dependent on personal opinion. In
our opinion, in terms of value, they would
rank:
1. Color The “Ideal Cut” is a cut based on
the calculations made by gem cutter Marcel
Tolkowsky in 1919. His ideal cut creates a
balance between brilliance and fire
(dispersion) in round brilliant diamonds.
Today, any round brilliant diamond that
falls within a range if his calculated
proportions is considered an “Ideal Cut”
There are a few telltale signs of poorly cut
diamonds. You can see them by looking for
the following:
While looking at the face of the diamond,
see if there’s a white donut shape inside.
This is caused by a diamond that had been
cut too shallow and the donut you see is the
girdle reflecting back out.
White still looking face up at the diamond,
see if there are any dark reflections in the
diamond. This is caused by a diamond that
has been cut too deep. This will also make
the diamond weight unnecessarily higher.
Still looking at the face, the table and
four of the star facets will form a “square
shape”. On a well cut diamond, the square
will bow inward very slightly. If it bows
outward, it is less than ideal. An inward
bow could also be less than ideal. If you’re
not sure, a perfect square could be
considered a decent cut. Severely bowed in
squares is also undesireable.
Looking at the girdle, if it is extremely
thick, it will reduce the brilliance and
make the stone appear small for its weight.
Still looking at the girdle, make sure the
girdle is even around the stone.
