For loose diamonds, you must distinguish a real diamond from a fake diamond. You also need to know how to gauge their quality. Here are standards including the Cut, the Clarity, the Color, and the Carat that help you purchase the highest quality loose diamonds.

When a loose diamonds expert describes the cut of each diamond, he is referring to how the diamond was cut so that its brilliance is stunning to the naked eye. The cut of the diamond will allow this gem to reflect light much better compared to the badly or poorly cut diamonds. When you encounter an artisan who has mastered the fine art of cutting diamonds, he can literally transform each diamond that passes through his hands into a masterpiece. But a novice or untalented artisan who gets even the best rough diamonds will produce badly cut diamonds that would never pass scrutiny at any time.

The clarity of loose diamonds becomes apparent when each stone is handled under 10-power magnification. This helps the artisan see if the loose diamonds have any surface flaws because surface flaws will diminish the brilliance of the final product. The rating for diamonds based on clarity start at “completely flawless” (which means these are the loose diamonds of the highest caliber) and culminate with “noticeably imperfect” (which means these are the loose diamonds with the lowest possible rating a gemologist can give). The “completely flawless” loose diamonds will sparkle the brightest under light.

The most desirable color for any loose diamonds is crystal clarity with zero color. But in reality, diamonds come in a host of colors aside from being just clear diamonds. You can get diamonds that may start at color yellow then progress to brown, and even some loose diamonds that have rare colors such as blue, green, and pink. (If you have ever heard of the famed “Pink Panther” diamond, then you probably know this is true.) There are other colors too for diamonds, dubbed “fancies.” The highest possible rating based on color is D (for those diamonds that are crystal clear with zero color) while the lowest possible rating is Z (for those diamonds that are colored a robust yellow.) It is believed that a diamond with zero color sparkles the best, especially when you compare it with colored diamonds.

All loose diamonds are measured in terms of carats when their weight is considered. Each carat is made up of 100 points. If, for instance, you have a diamond that merits 75 points then it is said that diamond weighs .75 carats. It does not automatically follow that two diamonds with equal points (meaning they have equal carats) have equivalent value though. Carat weight only helps you determine which diamonds have the biggest size but total quality per diamond is measured by combining each of the 4 C’s during appraisal. That is why you can get diamonds of superior quality which are much smaller than other diamonds of lesser quality.