Determining The Quality And Value of Diamond Solitaire Earring
Be it in the form of antique jewellery or a family heirloom, a diamond as a gemstone symbolizes legend, love, and affluence for centuries. Now, when it comes to a diamond solitaire earring, it is the perfect jewellery ornament for every gorgeous woman out there!
However, you must be wondering what is the value of your gemstone and how to determine its quality. It is normal for common people to think that the gemstone’s size mostly determines its value. But you should remember that it is not just carat weight that determines its quality and price. There are so many other factors involved, and is far more complicated than you can imagine.
Very few people know exactly how to determine the stone’s value. However, an individual needs to understand if they want to buy the perfect diamond solitaire earrings for their loved ones. This article will help you to get the best return on your investment.
Diamond Evaluations vs. Diamond Appraisals In A Diamond Solitaire Earring
The process of calculating the value of diamonds and lab grown diamond jewellery is known as evaluation. It helps you know the estimated worth of your gemstone as per the current market rates.
Most people have the misconception that it is the appraisal where most people come to know about the stone’s value. However, there is a difference between both them. Someone professionally trained to examine diamonds and jewellery is known as an appraisal. They require special credentials and can be seen in retail stores.
Also, the time taken for the evaluation varies for each of gemstone.
Factors Influencing The Value Of A Diamond Solitaire Earring
While every stone of this beautiful jewellery piece is made of carbon, every stone is unique and different. The factors that affect the value and quality of a diamond include the 4C’s, i.e., cut, color, clarity, and carat.
Cut
The cut of your lab grown diamond earrings will determine its value and brilliance. The cut of the gemstone influences the amount of light that can be reflected through the diamond. It helps unleash the beauty and fire within the gemstone by allowing the perfect amount of light to interact with every facet and every angle.
The cut’s value is determined by the following optical effects that it can create:
- The brightness, which is the external and internal white light reflection.
- “The Fire” is also known as the scattering of white light into seven rainbow colours.
- The sparkle that a gemstone can create with the pattern of light and dark areas due to the reflections within the diamond itself, also known as Scintillation.
Color
Although a diamond is available in several hues, the most common color is white or transparent. The more transparent a stone is, the more valuable it will be.
In layman’s terms, the more transparent a diamond is, it allows light to enter more and thus will appear more sparkly. A transparent diamond is graded on a scale from D (completely colorless) to Z (noticeable color). They are graded under strictly controlled conditions in a diamond grading laboratory.
Clarity
The purity of a diamond is determined by its clarity. It is determined by the amount of internal flaws (also known as inclusions) and external marks (also known as blemishes) present in the stone.
The various grades under which a diamond solitaire earring is graded are as follows:
- FL – Flawless
- IF – Internally Flawless
- VVS1/VVS2 – Very Very Slightly Included
- VS1/VS2 – Very Slightly Included
- S1/S2 – Slightly Included
- I1/I2/I3 – Included
The naked eye cannot tell the difference between gemstones beyond a certain level of diamond quality. But it significantly impacts how they are valued – the greater the clarity of a diamond, the higher its value will be.
Carat
A major factor that plays an important part in determining the value of a diamond solitaire earring is its carat weight. Do you know an interesting fact about the ‘carat’? It is taken from carob tree seeds utilized in ancient times to balance scales.
One carat is equal to 0.007055 ounces or 200 milligrams. As per the standardized system, the metric carats are further categorized into 100 points. For instance, a half a carat diamond is equal to 50 points.
Thus, like everything in the world, the heavier a material is, the higher its price will be. However, the other three C’s also influences the quality of your jewellery piece in determining its final value.
A large solitaire stone is far more valuable than smaller gemstones that add up to equal carat weight. For instance, a 3-carat solitaire earring is far more valuable than an earring with small stones that add up to 3 carats.
But as stated above, then the value of a diamond is so much more than its carat weight. All the 4C’s established by the Gemological Institute of America play an important role in determining its quality and its final price.
