If you are new to the world of diamond buying and you want the best possible stone, you may have told yourself that only a D-rated stone will do, because that is the ‘top’ color rating. Let us take a look at D-rated diamonds and see if they are worth the money paid for them – and they do command very high prices indeed!
Why D? What Happened to A, B and C?
Diamonds used to be rated on an A-to-Z rating and, in fact, this system is still used to grade and rate other precious stones, like emeralds and sapphires. To avoid any confusion with this old system, when diamonds were rated on an entirely new scale, which removed superlatives such as an AA or even AAA rating, it was decided to start the system at D so that any previously graded diamonds that might be carrying too high a label would have to be reassessed on a more regularized system.
Does D mean Best?
D refers to the color of the diamond and so you can say that when it comes to diamond color D is best. But any diamond must also meet the criteria of the rest of the four Cs: clarity, cut and carat, before you can decide on the rating of the overall stone. But very often, even within the diamond industry, you will find D-rated stones banded together with E and F-rated stones, simply because the differences between the three bands is so very slight.
What Does a D-Rated Diamond Look Like?
The clearer a diamond is with no hint of any color, the closer to being a D-rated diamond it is. D-rated diamonds are sometimes called ‘white’ although this is a misnomer, any diamond with actual white coloration or ‘cloudiness’ would be rated quite low and would probably be a poor-quality stone overall. Diamonds often look like ice, which is why the word is often used as gangster slang for diamonds in action movies!
Should you insist upon a D-rated diamond and pay a slightly higher price as a result?
The honest answer is, no, not really! As mentioned above, it is very hard to tell the difference between D, E or F rated diamonds, and that drops still further once the diamond is set into a piece of jewelry with a white or yellow metal surrounding or showcasing it.
This is because diamonds tend to pick up colors as much as light, and reflect those in and around the stone. This means that once the stone is set in a mounting, it is very difficult to be absolutely certain of the precise color rating – which means that you may as well save some dollars by opting for a lower color rating, as no one will be able to tell the difference! Find out more at www.pricescope.com/education/diamond_color to help you decide which ratings you want to insist on, and which you are prepared to let slide a little!
