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The Best Value Diamonds

Diamonds are one of the most expensive gemstones to purchase; therefore, knowing what to look for can help you get the best value diamond your money can buy. Best value diamonds are not necessarily the biggest diamond in the store for a bargain price. There are four major characteristics you must look into before buying a diamond. They are: cut, clarity, carat and color. Understanding the 4 C's of buying a diamond gives you a good start in choosing a diamond wisely.

Colored Diamonds
- Colored diamonds are considered to be the best value diamonds compared to clear or colorless diamonds. The reason is that colored diamonds are extremely rare. The best value diamonds out of any color are red and green, which are priced at 1 million dollars per carat, as of 2011. Next, purple diamonds are priced around $500,000 to $700,000 per carat. Finally, pink diamonds are $100,000 per carat. Obviously, the rarer the color, the pricier the diamond.
Flawless
- Best value diamonds are diamonds that have little or no spots or flaws. When a diamond is mined, the least amount of cuts and incisions needed to make that diamond marketable is a factor in making it a best value diamond. Many diamonds are cut into smaller pieces, which eventually diminishes the shine of the actual diamond. One negative factor that causes a diamond to lose value is the bow-tie effect, which is common with fancier diamond cuts such as the marquise, oval, pear and some heart-shaped diamonds. It looks like dark spots across the diamond, and it occurs because of variations in the pavilion facet angles required in cutting the stone. The goal is to find one where the effect is minimal or absent.
Pricing
- Best value diamonds are priced high, but if you know what you are looking for in the value of the diamond, you can shop around for the best value diamonds. Pricing correlates to the carat or size of the diamond as well as the other three important aspects of color, clarity and cut. Doing some research before buying a diamond is important as retailers know how to mark up certain precious stones to distract the consumer.
Shape
- The shape of the diamond and the symmetry of the cut is a factor of best value diamonds. The round brilliant cut is the most expensive cut but is worth the money. You may think that other cuts will make the diamond more valuable, but actually the opposite is true when it comes to the best value diamond. Heart and star-shaped diamonds actually are less valuable and don't have as much brilliance as the round cuts.

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