So you're looking for a diamond.
You're obviously very well aware of the 4Cs.
And today we're going to go into why we treat
diamond grading a little bit more like an iceberg.
Most of the 4Cs, what you see, what people learn about,
it's really above water.
Today we're going to go into all the things that we look for,
things that you will not see on a report, but that are just as important.
Everything that's off the grade.
Let's dive in.
I think we're just going to just show you a few of the visuals.
One of the things that we'll share with our clients is we will look
at well over 200 characteristics when we are curating stones
for our clients.
Here are some of the big ones that we look for.
So one of the first things that we're going to address that's off the grade
is transparency.
Diamonds are the most reflective substance out there
if they're allowed the chance to properly sparkle.
So now, how a diamond sparkles is affected by its transparency?
A lot of diamonds out there will actually have a transparency issue.
Now take a look at these five stones.
All of these five stones are identical on grade.
They're all G color, VS1 clarity. triple excellent cut.
Can you spot the dud?
Number five.
Number 5 is not sparkling the way that it should.
It's not sparkling the way it should even on grade,
because there is a transparency issue.
Do you see how that diamond has a milkiness to it?
It's inhibiting its ability to fully realize its sparkle transparency.
Yeah. I think one of the things to note is that,
what's tricky about what Mariam had just mentioned there
is it is not going to show up on a report.
So you might get a GIA report.
It is not on there.
And so how do you see it?
It's really when you see it side by side,
that even if you're not an expert, our brain has a capacity
to compare and contrast like nothing else on Earth.
And that's why you're able to spot,
Hey, this one looks a little bit odd compared to the other ones.
And so it has... Yeah, diamonds like that just don't have that life
that you can expect from a diamond that does not have this issue.
Absolutely. Okay. But here's the wrench.
Now, take a look at this diamond when it's alone.
Do you see that?
It doesn't look like it's not fully transparent.
It doesn't look like it has a milky finish to it
because you're not comparing it to other diamonds.
So we are huge on allowing our clients
to be able to compare multiple diamonds side by side.
Now, all of the diamonds that we get,
we always want to go with the full transparency.
No milky finish, no transparency issues.
But unfortunately, if you're only looking at diamonds
that have this transparency issue, you're overpaying for that diamond.
Because on the grade, it may look like it's a good score.
G color, VS1 clarity, triple excellent cut.
Perfect. Right?
But the problem is that there's something off the grade
that is inhibiting its ability to fully sparkle.
So let's move on to another thing that we'll often look for.
It's going to be color.
The color spectrum that you guys have learned about.
And if you haven't, you can watch our video on color.
But color has been oversimplified, right?
So most people think, Hey, it's just a letter grade,
and that's what it is.
But it's an oversimplification.
It would be me trying to say that there's only six colors in this world,
like a red, yellow, green, and so forth,
when, really, color is much more of a spectrum.
And we have so many millions, millions upon a millions of colors.
And when it comes to diamonds, it's similar in that
you're going to go get a lot more variation than people may think.
So sometimes it's referred to as an undertone or a shade.
There isn't really streamlined language to define this.
But you can get two diamonds that are an I as an example.
One might have, like, a grayish undertone.
One might have a brownish undertone.
It will present itself in two different ways.
And again, it's something where this is not a favorable thing
so it's something we definitely weed out all the time.
But if you don't know what you're looking for,
it's very common that you may end up
getting one of these diamonds that has them.
Now, why would this matter for yourself?
It is a devaluing characteristic
when there is an undertone that's not favorable, that's not white.
So yeah. Gray...
You can even get green or yellow, like a brown undertone.
Yeah. Those diamonds are going to be priced less at the wholesale level.
And so a lot of times people will think, Oh, I found a deal.
I found a steal.
It looks great on paper, or it looks great on the grade.
However, if it's selling for less than the other diamonds, buyer, beware.
There is something that is wrong with it.
But unfortunately, it's off the grade.
And only a professional would be able to walk you through that.
The last thing we're going to cover today is fluorescence.
So fluorescence.
It's stated on some of the reports that you'll see on a diamond certificate,
you're going to see a line,
and it says none, or might say faint, medium or very strong or whatnot.
Now, what is it?
So fluorescence is just basically referred to the fact that...
So first of all, it's a common thing about
a third of all diamonds that our mind have it. Okay.
Fluorescence, it just means that if you put it under a UV light,
like a black light, it's gonna glow, typically a purplish blue color.
The only problem with fluorescence is
the main source of that, of UV light, is natural sunlight.
So some stones, you take it out on a sunny day.
You're going to look at it.
It can cause it to look foggy.
People freak out, think it's messy or dirty or something.
They bring it back indoors. It looks fine.
And so again, it is a devaluing characteristics.
As a result, it brings down the value of the stone.
One of the reasons that we just like to weed it out all together.
What we'll leave you guys with is, especially for things that you're like.
So question is going to be like, How do I know?
And we can't stress this enough.
Look at them side by side.
You see three, four stones side by side.
If it has something off with it, an underlying characteristic,
it usually will show itself.
So you need to see it side by side.
Also, the other thing I will suggest is
look at it under different types of light.
We love to show client stones under national light, which is ideal.
We have LEDs.
We have regular, just like a flat, like fluorescent tube bulb.
And it just allows you to see it in different areas.
And that way, you can really see for yourself.
Is there something that stands out? And maybe it's not a good thing.
Final takeaway: work with someone you trust,
someone you have fun with,
someone you're compatible with, and the rest will take care of itself.