GOA Laboratory wants to arm you with the most comprehensive diamond education possible. As you are going to discover, the basics of a diamond education are pretty straightforward. However, in order to make the most of any experience that involves buying or selling a diamond, there are still a few things about the process of defining a diamond that you will want to keep in mind.

There are a number of characteristics of a diamond that you will want to be aware of. Furthermore, you will want to understand not only how these characteristics impact appearance, but which traits are ultimately more important than others.

With all of this information, you will be able to understand the options and possibilities that are available to you.

The Basics Of Your Diamond Education

Any worthwhile diamond education will tell you to start with the four Cs or diamond shopping. At GOA Laboratory, we couldn’t agree more:

1. Cut: The cut of the diamond will determine the brilliance of the diamond.
2. Color: With color grades for diamonds, what you are actually talking about is the lack of color. The less color featured on a specific diamond, the higher its grade is going to be. There are also natural colors to consider. Known as “fancy”, the color grading for these diamonds will differ from that of colorless diamonds.
3. Clarity: Virtually any diamond you are going to come across is going to have some imperfections. However, some have more than others. The less imperfections found on a diamond, the higher its grade is going to be.
4. Carat: Chances are, you’ve heard diamonds referred to as “carat this” or “carat that.” When someone discusses this feature of a particular diamond, they are actually talking about the weight of the diamond. Keep in mind that one carat comes out to around 0.2 gram.

Those are perhaps the four most important elements, when it comes to getting the best diamond for your particular budget. You will also want to pay attention to shape, which refers to forms. Round, princess, and radiant are just a few of the shapes you are going to want to keep in mind. You should also keep in mind that different shapes have different attributes.

Finally, certification is certainly something you should keep an eye out for.

Keep all of this in mind, and you’ll be fine.