What Makes a Diamond Rare

DIAMOND BANC From 11th century Arabian merchants to the latest flash of Hollywood bling on the red carpet, rare diamonds have always captured our imagination. But what exactly makes a diamond rare? While we often hear about bigger and bigger diamonds valued at higher and higher prices each year, there are many other qualities beyond size that make a diamond rare and valuable. CARAT - While the value of a diamond goes up as the carat or weight increases, the size of the diamond can greatly affect its rarity. Large diamonds are more rare than small diamonds, so a larger stone doesn't just cost more; it also costs more per carat. CUT - The value and appearance Only about 1 in 1 million diamonds (sparkle, brilliance and fire) of a diamond depends more on cut than any other factor. Cut refers not to a mined are quality one-carat stones, only 1 in 5 million are diamond's shape (e.g. round, oval, pear, 2-carat; and 1 in 15 etc.) but to a diamond's million are 3-carat. proportions, symmetry and polish. MAKES CLARITY - Diamonds have internal features, called inclusions, and surface irregularities, called blemishes. Diamonds graded FLAWLESS don't have any of these visible clarity characteristics when examined under a microscope. Flawless diamonds are so rare that it's possible to spend a lifetime in the jewelry industry without ever seeing one. DIAMOND A The largest diamond ever sold at auction was a LOOKS CAN BE 118-carat egg-sized jewel that went for $30.6 million at Sotheby's in 2013, the highest price ever paid for a white diamond. DECEIVING: If there are two D-color round brilliants with identical clarity and cut, that are close in carat weight, the one that appears larger, but actually weighs less, can often be considered more rare to a COLOR -The world's foremost customer and fetch a higher price. diamond authority, the Gemological Institute of America, uses a grading scale that ranges from the most rare and valuable colorless "D" to the highly colored "Z". However some colored diamonds, especially saturated pinks, blues, and greens, can be considered more rare than diamonds with less color. WHAT RARE?