Confused by the diamond certificate?Have you ever looked at a diamond certificate and had no idea what all the numbers and percentages mean? Don’t worry, you are not alone. Starting out can be a bit daunting, not only do you have to find the ring that she likes but you need to make sure the rock you are putting your hard earned cash into is going to be worth it. The first thing that you are probably familiar with, if you have been paying attention to her subtle hints or done even just a little research is this thing called the 4C’s. They are Cut, Colour, Clarity and Cut Grade. The big question is which one is the most important? You can see my short video series here.
Is only talking about how well the diamond is cut – which ultimately means how much it is going to sparkle. It is that twinkle that her friends will see from across the room. Tip – Aim for an Excellent cut grade. Diamonds like a Passion8 diamond sit in the top 1% for diamond cut and will outsparkle normal excellent cut grade diamonds.
Is only talking about how white the diamond is. This is talking about the body colour of the stone and has nothing to do with the colour. The colour grade starts at D and goes down to Z. Tip – Aim for the top 3 colour grades – D, E, F. Any colour that is G in colour or lower will pull a lot of yellow.
Is only talking about the natural inclusions you can see with a 10x magnifying lens. Tip – Aim for eye Clean SI clarity. As everyone’s eyesight is different make sure you look at the diamond with a lens before purchasing it. Looking at the plot on the diamond certificate will not tell you how good or bad the inclusion is.
Is only talking about the physical size that you see. While this might seem like the most important to some ladies, it isn’t if it is coming at the expense of quality. Smaller more perfectly cut diamonds will actually have the same diameter as larger average cut diamond. Tip – Always go for a diamond that is slightly smaller of better quality. After all, do you want a diamond that looks better or one that weighs more? So now that we have that sorted, let’s look at what all the percentages mean. I wish it was as simple as looking at an excellent cut grade. The truth is the goal posts have widened significantly in the last 5 years. Today more and more diamonds are falling into the excellent category than ever before. 
In a recent price comparison on diamond certificates, I found as much as a 28% price difference between two identical diamonds (based on their paperwork). Both stones had been graded as a triple excellent cut grade. So it is vital to make sure you have a cut specialist look over your diamond. Just like going to a heart surgeon instead of a GP when you need specialist surgery, a diamond cut specialist will be able to show you where your diamond sits in the cut spectrum. Tip – Aim for a 57% table percentage – It will give the diamond more dispersion. (The blues, reds and yellows) If you want to make the best-informed decision on how to pick a stunning diamond and design a ring that will really blow her away – you can learn more about how to choose the perfect diamond by getting a free copy of the international award winning book and Amazon best seller – Rock Her World here.
