The Perfect Diamond

The Perfect Diamond
By Scott A. Gates
Is there such a thing as a perfect diamond? Everybody has there own opinion of what makes the perfect stone, is it color, cut, is it clarity or a designer cut. Its common knowledge that every jewelry dealer has there own “perfect” stone and thinks there’s is the best. Remember “beauty is in the eye of the beholder” and all diamonds are forever.

With the issue of color you need to take into consideration that diamonds do come in almost every color, called fancy. Most people say that a clear stone with absolutely no color and no inclusions is perfect. But what about pink diamonds or blue diamonds or black or canary or champagne colored stones. By the way, Mother Nature has a way of putting more “perfection” into a stone than man could ever take out. Some of the most expensive stones in the world are colored like the Hope Diamond or the Dresden Diamond. I personally feel that a red diamond would be perfect. Why do you think you rarely see fancy stones in the stores? It’s because must retailers can’t afford to keep this kind of inventory on hand, so they all push the most common color, white.

Cut, this is a huge subject because not only are there the common cuts like round, marquee and princess, there are fancy cuts like cushion, heart, emerald and trillion just to name a few. But it doesn’t stop there, we also have designer cuts like the Leo and the Radiant Star and the Celebration Diamonds.  It is true that the more facets a stone has the more light it will reflect, as long as they are cut at the proper angle. The refracting light or “fire” is that shine or glimmer that catches your eye. It can create the illusion of red or blue colors in a white or clear stone when properly done. At the same time it can also distract your eyes from some of the characteristics of that particular stone.

With the clarity of a stone you should think of an inclusion or characteristic in or on the stone the same as you would with freckles or a birth mark on a person. It doesn’t make them bad or ugly, just unique. No two stones will ever have the same markings, so they naturally identify themselves. With a stone graded an “F” in clarity, you don’t have any identifying characteristics and you will need something like a laser cut I.D. number on it. (Most certified stone already have this).  Keep in mind that most stones you will find in retail stores will not be an “F”, most bill be between an “I” and a “VS” and with a good cut must inclusions will not be extremely obvious at first. I believe a perfect stone should have some sort of distinguishing markings.

All in all you should remember that beauty really is in the eye of the beholder and just because it cost less doesn’t mean that it is any less perfect of a stone for your particular occasion.  There is a different cut and color for every piece and for every place. Perfect is whatever you want in each different piece of jewelry you wear. Just remember to buy what you like and don’t let pushy sales people try to tell you that one is better than another just because of color or clarity. Happy shopping.