The Jewellery Quarter in Birmingham is the spiritual home of diamonds in the United Kingdom. This is literally the jewel of Birmingham, a tourist attraction in its own right and the place to come if you are looking for a gem of a gemstone. There are many reasons to seek out jewellery shops in Birmingham, but to be truly savvy one must undertake a bit of research first. Fortunately, there is a simple rule to follow that can allow you to spot the obvious defects in diamonds, and ensure that your not sold a zirconia instead of a natural diamond. The 4 Cs are your ticket to spotting a diamond in the rough!
Reputation And Certification
First, you must ensure that your diamond comes with documentation. Every diamond should be standardised and each shop that you find in the Jewellery Quarter will provide certificates with purchases. This will most likely come from the GIA (Gemological Institute Of America) or the IGI (International Gemological Institute). Both of these organisations independently affirm that the gem you are holding is what the seller says it is and is accordingly worth the asking price.
The 4 Cs
Carat, Cut, Clarity and Colour. These are the four areas you will need to know about in order to truly understand why a diamond is special. It is important to realise that the diamond is a naturally occurring stone that is by the processes that formed it, imperfect. This does not mean that diamonds cannot be very perfect, but the more perfect they are, the more they cost. Internal defects which can inhibit light performance are called inclusions and comes under the broad heading of Clarity. Some inclusions can be hidden by setting the diamond properly, but generally, the majority of trustworthy diamonds won’t have visible issues.
Colour is a very important part of the diamond, since it have a large impact on the pricing. The engagement rings Birmingham has to offer, for instance, typically make use of white diamonds (clear) for that classic crystal look. Coloured diamonds such as those that are pink, green and blue can fetch huge sums of money because of their rarity, while those that are yellow are not considered to be worth as much. The colour is created when certain other elements are present when the diamond was formed.
Cut is the shape of the diamond. Round brilliant cut is the typical cut for a diamond but others are common as well. The so-called fancy-cut diamonds include the princess, cushion, heart, pear, marquise radiant, emerald and oval. The jewellery shops Birmingham boasts will offer a wide variety possibly including some other rarer cuts as well.
Carat is the weight measurement for the mass of the diamond. Be aware that this means that some diamonds could be denser and weigh more, even though they are technically the same size. 1 Carat is typically akin to 200 milligrams and as you would imagine, the more carats, the more the diamond is going to cost. Large diamonds are quite rare and also subject to high demand which inflates their price a great deal.