How to Buy the Cheapest Diamonds Online
I received an email today from a guy who indicated that he wanted my advice on starting a web site that would provide people with a way to buy the cheapest diamonds online… It was clear from the context of the email that this person knows nothing about the diamond business, because he actually asked whether I would consider introducing him to some of the wholesalers who we work with, so that he could talk to them about marketing diamonds for them. Obviously the guy brings nothing to the table in terms of diamond related knowledge, or the ability to add value that benefits a customer in any way. I might laugh at the absurdity of this business model, but unfortunately there are quite a few sites selling diamonds online which are built upon this very concept of simply selling the cheapest diamonds possible, and some of them do a phenomenal business selling diamonds to people who don’t understand how the 4C’s of diamond grading affect price.
How the 4C’s of Diamond Quality Affect Price:
If your goal is to buy the cheapest diamonds online possible for your desired price range, then forget about the 4C’s of diamond grading and just look for the largest diamond available within whatever price range you are prepared to spend, but don’t be surprised when you open up the box and are presented with a diamond that looks like frozen spit and exhibits all the refractive properties of an ice cube.
For instance, I just conducted a search to find the cheapest one carat diamond and discovered that I can buy a round brilliant cut diamond graded by the EGL as weighing 1.01 carats, that is J-color and I-3 in clarity, for $985.00
According to the diamond grading report, EGL #65136420, the diamond measures 6.25 – 6.31 x 4.05 mm and has a total depth of 64.5% with a table diameter of 62% and a crown angle of 34.4 degrees which is offset by a pavilion angle of 42.7 degrees with a medium to thick, faceted girdle and no culet. The polish and symmetry of the diamond are rated as very good.
So what does all this mean in English? The diamond is cut extremely deep in terms of total depth and as a result it’s going to look more like the tip of a pencil than a diamond, and it’s going to leak light out the sides, instead of directing the light back up through the top of the diamond. Plus it’s considerably smaller in outside diameter than it would be if it were cut to ideal proportions, it should actually measure closer to 6.5 mm in diameter. And it has inclusions which are going to not only be readily visible to the unaided eye, but which are likely going to be hard to miss!
As far as the 4C’s of diamond grading go, it’s one Carat in weight; J Color, which actually isn’t bad at all; the bottom of the barrel in terms of Clarity; and the Cut Quality is horrible by our standards… but if your primary concern is Cost, and you just want to be able to tell your friends that you bought your girlfriend a one carat diamond, well then… there you go, but the diamond isn’t likely to provide the volume of light return and sparkle factor that she’s probably dreamed about for her entire life.
What Creates Light Return and Sparkle in Diamonds?
Unlike their male counterparts, the majority of women have been dreaming about their diamond engagement ring for their entire lives… and I’m not over-exaggerating. The odds are that your girlfriend has a picture in her mind about what her diamond will look like in terms of visual performance and sparkle, she might not have a specific color or clarity in mind, but she definitely wants it to sparkle, and thus the one factor which you should not skimp on is the Cut quality of the diamond. A diamond like this 1.160 carat, L-color, VS-2 clarity, Brian Gavin Blue round diamond with strong blue fluorescence will provide the exact look that you need!
And it will enable you to give your girlfriend a one carat diamond engagement ring without breaking the bank, because the L-color helps keep the price of the diamond down, without sacrificing on diamond cut quality, which is important because diamond cut quality and proportions are the primary factors of light return and sparkle in a diamond.
The American Gem Society Laboratory (AGSL) developed a proportions grading system which takes into account how different combinations of crown and pavilion angle measurements combined with the table measurement of a round brilliant cut diamond, affect the overall volume of light return exhibited by a diamond.
The measurements of the EGL graded diamond referenced above result in a proportions rating of Fair on the AGS proportions grading scale, the proportions of the 1.16 carat diamond from Brian Gavin are AGS Ideal-0 which is the highest rating available… Think of it as the difference in brightness between a 40 and 100 watt light bulb.
The EGL graded diamond mentioned previously, is cut so deep that it resembles the tip of a pencil and as a result, it leaks light like a sieve; but the Brian Gavin round brilliant ideal cut diamond has proportions which are known to produce the highest volume of light return possible and faceted with a level of precision that creates more sparkle too!
Regardless of what budget you have available to buy an engagement ring, my advice is to focus on the cut quality of the diamond first and foremost, because the cut quality will dictate how bright and lively the diamond will appear. Carat weight, color and clarity are not as critical as visual performance… so if you have a thousand dollars to spend, buy the best looking diamond that you can buy for that price range, not the biggest.
A diamond from the Brian Gavin Signature or Brian Gavin Blue collection, might not be the cheapest diamond that you can find online, but it is will be one of the brightest and most beautiful diamonds that you’ll find anywhere… and you can’t put a price on the sparkle that creates in her eyes, nor the spark it creates in her heart!
