Diamond Buying Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Diamond

When buying a diamond, it's essential to navigate through a series of important decisions to ensure you choose a piece that you'll cherish for a lifetime. From understanding the nuances of the diamond's cut, clarity, colour, and carat weight to selecting the right setting and style, each choice plays a crucial role in determining the final look, quality, and value of your purchase. This guide offers a comprehensive overview of the key factors you need to consider during your diamond-buying journey. Additionally, we've included links to more detailed articles on each topic, so you can delve deeper into specific aspects and make an informed decision with confidence.
Choosing the Right Diamond Shape
The first thing to consider when buying a diamond is the shape or cut that you would like. This decision is crucial because different shapes have distinct qualities that can complement your personal style or the wearer’s hand shape.
Round Brilliant Cut: The most traditional and popular diamond shape, designed for optimal brilliance with 57 facets that maximise sparkle.
Cushion Cut: A modern twist on a classic, this square or rectangular shape with rounded corners offers a contemporary yet elegant look.
Princess Cut: Known for its high brilliance and unique chevron pattern, this square-shaped diamond is a modern favourite and often more cost-effective due to less wastage in cutting.
Emerald Cut: Featuring parallel facets and a large open table, this cut highlights the diamond's clarity and colour, adding a sophisticated, slenderising effect to the hand.
Oval Cut: With 58 facets, this cut offers an elegant alternative to the round cut and can create the illusion of longer fingers, often appearing larger than a round diamond of the same carat weight.
For more information on each shape and its unique qualities, see our Ultimate Guide to Popular Diamond Shapes.
Understanding the Four C’s of Diamond Quality
Once you have decided on your preferred shape, the next step is to understand the Four C’s: Colour, Clarity, Cut, and Carat weight. This universal grading system allows you to compare diamonds and choose the one that best fits your preferences and budget.
Colour: Graded on a D to Z scale, where D represents a colourless diamond and Z indicates a light yellow or brown tint.
Clarity: Refers to the presence of internal inclusions or surface blemishes. The GIA clarity scale ranges from Flawless (no inclusions visible under 10x magnification) to Included (inclusions visible to the naked eye).
Cut: Not to be confused with shape, the cut measures how well a diamond's facets interact with light, impacting its brilliance and sparkle. The cut scale ranges from Excellent to Poor.
Carat Weight: This measures the weight of the diamond, with larger diamonds being rarer and therefore more valuable.
For a detailed explanation of each of the Four C’s, visit our Understanding the Four C’s of Diamonds.
For a detailed explanation of each of the Four C’s, visit our Understanding the Four C’s of Diamonds.
Setting Your Budget
After understanding the shape and the Four C’s, it’s time to consider your budget. The price of a diamond can vary significantly depending on the balance between these factors.
Prioritise Clarity: Some buyers prefer a smaller, flawless diamond over a larger one with visible inclusions.
Opt for Carat Weight: Others might prioritise size, willing to compromise on clarity or colour to afford a larger diamond.
Buying a pre-loved diamond can offer considerable savings compared to a brand-new stone, allowing you to acquire a higher-quality diamond or a larger carat weight within your budget while also making a more sustainable choice.
Expert Assistance
At Xupes, our team is always ready to assist you with your diamond purchase. Whether you need guidance over the phone, via WhatsApp, through a virtual appointment, or in our showroom with a glass of champagne, we are here to help you find the perfect diamond.