Expressing your feelings through jewelry can be difficult with all the options glittering within the shiny display cases. Choosing to buy a diamond represents a commitment requiring plenty of thought and researching. With so many diamonds to choose from, a diamond pendant can be the vehicle to distinguish your diamond and your sentiment from another piece of jewelry. Taking the time to understand the different pendants and their prices can better prepare you for the quest for the suitable pendant.
Understanding DiamondsFour factors determine the diamond’s quality: carat weight, clarity, color, and cut. One carat weighs 200 milligrams and is usually sold in smaller “points” so that 100 points in one carat, 75 point weighs 3/4 carat, 50 point is a 1/2 carat, and so on. Clarity refers to the number and depth of flaws in the diamond because completely flawless diamonds are extremely rare (and quite expensive). A perfect, very spendy diamond would be colorless; however, color describes the degree of “yellowness” many diamonds have naturally. The Gemological Institute of America (G.I.A.) grades diamond color from D-Z, with D being colorless.
Cut may be the most important of the four factors because it refers to the cutting style, the shape of the stone, its proportions, and the workmanship of the cutting process. How precisely the workman cuts the diamond determines how much light the diamond will reflect and refract, which in turn determines its brilliance.
Different Shapes and SizesIf variety is the spice of life than diamond pendants are very lively. Most pendants can be purchased holding diamonds of all sizes, with varying degrees of color and clarity, dealt with on a case by case basis. The best way to proceed would be to choose the weight of the diamond you want and then pick the most flawless and colorless diamond within your means.
If you choose to pick the pendant itself ahead of the diamond’s look or quality, another world of choices awaits you. Pendants can be made from a variety of metals including white gold, yellow gold, and platinum. The shape of the pendant varies from four-pronged, to heart-shaped, to tear drop-shaped, to floating with as many cuts from round, to bezel-cut, to princess cut.
Prices also vary depending on diamond weight, cut, pendant metal and shape and numerous other factors. Diamond pendants now can be bought not only at the jewelry store, but in magazines and catalogs, online and over the phone. However, seeing the diamond and being able to ask informed questions about its carat weight, clarity, color and cut can distinguish your diamond pendant from brilliant to unforgettable.
With as many choices as there are pearls in the sea, diamond pendants are like any other investment. Understand your product and you will make a well-informed decision regardless of your extensive knowledge on the various aspects of diamonds. Jewelers expect you to ask questions and if they are a caring dealer, they will help you find the perfect diamond pendant to express all the love you possess for the recipient.
By Jen Rybarczyk