An SI1, is an SI1, is an SI1…. not true. We have all seen the amazing pillows people have purchased online only to receive them and realize they are made for a dollhouse. We don’t want you to make that mistake when it comes to buying your diamonds. You can’t trust everything you read online, unless of course its the Coastal Jewelers blog. 😉
That being said we wanted to delve deeper into the idea of buying diamonds online, and why some things are still best done in person. We can talk all day about the 4 C’s and we will plan to touch on those in another blog post but for now we want to explain how just reading a report is not enough to know what you are really getting. The 4 C’s of diamonds are Color, Clarity, Cut and Carat. While the scale of these do not differ the interpretation and execution can differ wildly. Let’s look a little closer at each one of these.
Color: The best diamond color starts at D, which means it is colorless. I can think of a few classes I wish D was the best grade but I digress. The color grades go down from there with D-E-F being colorless and G-I-H being near colorless. These grades are easy to read on a report you find online but some reports grade with a curve. Color is not the only subjective grade.
Clarity: Flawless, internally flawless, very very slightly included, very slightly included, slightly included, included plus the levels within each grade, these are all the possible grades for a diamonds clarity. I am not here to say that inclusions are bad; in fact, they make your diamond uniquely your own because no two diamonds have the same inclusions. Personally, I would prefer the diamond with a few small white inclusions on the side of the diamond versus a black inclusion directly under the table but both of these inclusions could be given the same grade.
Cut: A diamonds cut is crucial to the way it brings light back to the eye and shows the brilliance of the diamond. There are many factors that go into the cut such as the polish, symmetry and proportions but none of these can substitute for actually seeing the brilliance in person.
Carat: There is so much more to a diamond then just how much it weighs. Yes, to be able to say its a 1.0ct diamond is thrilling but if the cut and proportions are not well done the majority of the 1.0ct could be sitting at the bottom of the diamond never to be seen or appreciated, this will also mean it looks smaller because the weight is not evenly distributed.
We take all these factor into account when we are searching for diamonds for a client, while we have extensive experience and education on this matter we still get multiple diamonds in to see and select in person. The grading reports are where we all start and are a very important part of selecting a diamond, but I believe that they can not be the only part of selecting a diamond. Modern technology has offered so much with online shopping but this is a major purchase and event in ones life, we want to help guide you to get the very best. At the end of the day we want our customer to be thrilled with the diamond they bought, not just the great deal they got. She wont be looking at the receipt everyday but she will be looking at the sparkling beauty on her hand everyday.
Did you know we have an in house gemologist. Abbie got her graduate gemology degree from GIA in 2012 and Susan and Abbie have a combined almost 35 years in the industry. We are honored when a client allows us to help them with a diamond purchase. We have access to diamond dealers all over the country, purchasing from all over the world. We take our time to explore what our client is looking for with budget and style parameters and we take the time to walk them through each process of this exciting purchase. We are here anytime to answer questions and offer guidance. It is such a pleasure for us to see a piece of jewelry come to fruition and be presented.
Let us help you purchase that perfect diamond! 
