Why You Shouldn’t Choose a Diamond From the Certificate Alone
When buying a diamond, it is easy to become focused on the numbers — carat, colour, clarity and the details listed on the certificate.
These specifications are important, but they only tell part of the story.
At Stones Diamonds, we believe choosing a diamond should be about finding the best-looking stone for your budget, rather than simply finding the highest grades on a certificate.
We Look Beyond the Grades
When sourcing diamonds, we regularly work within the F/G colour and SI1/SI2 clarity grades. These grades can offer exceptional value, but only when the individual diamond is carefully selected.
Not all SI1 or SI2 diamonds are created equal.
We inspect every stone closely and are very particular about the diamonds we choose to stock. We regularly reject a large proportion of SI2 diamonds because their inclusions are too significant, too noticeable or detract from the overall appearance of the stone.
This is an important part of our job. We don't simply accept a diamond because its certificate says SI1 or SI2 — we look at the actual stone and decide whether it meets our standards.
Getting More From Your Budget
This approach can make a significant difference when you're purchasing an engagement ring.
For example, imagine you have a $10,000 budget for your engagement ring.
If you were to prioritise very high colour and clarity grades — such as E colour and VS clarity — you could spend a large portion of that budget achieving grades that may offer very little visible difference once the diamond is set and viewed with the naked eye.
You could potentially end up with a diamond around 0.60ct.
Our approach would be different.
We would likely look towards a carefully selected 1ct or larger diamond in F/G colour and SI1/SI2 clarity, while being extremely selective about the individual stone.
When properly chosen, a diamond in this range can appear exceptionally bright, clean and beautiful to the naked eye, while giving you considerably more size for your money.
The aim isn't to buy the highest grade. It's to buy the best diamond.
This Is Where Experience Matters
Diamond selection is something we have been doing for more than 55 years.
Every day, we assess diamonds, compare them side by side and make decisions about which stones are worth purchasing and which aren't. Over time, this builds an understanding that cannot be gained simply by comparing certificates online.
We know where you can spend more and see a genuine difference, and where you can make a saving without compromising the beauty of the diamond.
That's why we encourage customers not to take the entire diamond selection process into their own hands.
Take advantage of the experience of a jeweller who does this every day.
A GIA certificate is an important and trusted document. It provides valuable information about a diamond and gives you confidence in its characteristics. But it should be used as a tool to help select a diamond, not as the sole reason for choosing one.
At Stones, our role is to understand your budget, listen to what matters to you and use our experience to find the best value and most beautiful diamond we can.
