There is perhaps no greater symbol of luxury and love, than a diamond. Cherished the world over, a beautiful diamond is a symbol of romance and endurance.

It is a celebration of the wonder of nature and the skills of man. With our powerful ethos of fairness, integrity and extrodinary service driving us, we seek to help our valued customers take the confusion out of buying a diamond, and walk away with something they truly adore. This guide is the perfect place to start your diamond buying journey, with expert tips and real-life experience from our wonderful team.

Learn the importance of the 4 C’s, the ins and outs of diamond pricing, and buying online VS buying in-store. We know that no two customers are the same, so once you have read our diamond buying guide feel free to get in touch, so we can refine this advice to suit your personal needs.

Step 1: Set a Budget That Works For You

The beauty of the online experience is you can make loose diamond price comparisons and take your time assigning a suitable budget. Here’s our tips for setting a budget:

• Take a look at our loose diamond collection to get an idea of diamond prices

• Set out what’s most important to you (a higher carat weight, a higher clarity for example, or perhaps you’d rather set more aside for the setting)

• Never feel pressured into over-spending. Our team has decades of experience working to hugely varying budgets and will never push you to go beyond your budget

• Remember that making small changes of just one grade to color and/or clarity can make a negligible difference to appearance, but a significant impact on price. Prioritize cut quality and play with the other factors to find a diamond that suits your budget.

💎 Our Advice: If you need help with budgeting or a better understanding of diamond prices, take a look at our Diamond Price Calculator .

Buying a Diamond Step 2: Certification

Although many believe you should begin your diamond journey by learning ‘The Four C’s’, it is in fact the 5th C that should start your search. The 5th C is diamond certification. The process of diamond certification varies from lab to lab, but in short it is analysing and testing a diamond to determine its precise qualities. Offering certified diamonds gives customers:

• The assurance that they know exactly what they are paying for.

• A personal record of the precise quality of your diamond for insurance, resale, or simply sentimental value.

• Consistent grading allows the customer to make accurate price comparisons.

• Guarantees that the diamond is real. But not all labs are equal. At Washington Diamond, we only sell GIA certified diamonds. As an internationally recognized lab, the GIA offers concise and consistent grading and is considered the gold standard of diamond analysis. Take a look at our Guide to GIA Certified Diamonds to understand how important a good certification is for your diamond.

Buying a Diamond Step 3: Diamond Shape

The illustrious round brilliant? The perfect princess? Or perhaps a beautifully balanced pear shape? Choosing a diamond shape is one of the less technical aspects of diamond buying – or as we like to think of it – one of the most fun! Driven entirely by your own desires and style, this is the first opportunity to make your mark and express yours or your loved ones personality. We have created a little summary of the most popular diamond shapes to help you decide.

Marquise Cut

Elegant and whimsical. A unique, elongated shape that, like ovals, give the appearance of a bigger diamond. Be sure to protect the points of a marquise with the right setting.

Pear Cut

Stunning and asymetric. Unique in its asymetrical silhouette, the pear cut, or tear drop, is another flattering, brilliant shape. Beloved for its emotional representations and vintage influence.

Heart Shape

Romantic and eyecatching. Another beautifully modified brilliant, adored for its sentiment and story. An underrated shape that will truly turn heads in the right setting.

💎 Our Advice: Choose a shape that speak to you and best reflects yourself, your partner or your relationship.

Step 4: The 4C's of Buying a Diamond

The Four C’s are Carat, Cut, Color and Clarity and each plays a unique role in what makes a diamond so special. A diamond with a beautiful cut that is full of inclusions will fail to deliver sparkle.

A high clarity diamond with a very low color grade can still appear dull. The qualities must work together in harmony. Choosing the best diamond might not mean going for the top grades; instead, it is finding a place of balance between budget and beauty.

Diamonds are priced per carat. As carat weight increases, the price per carat increases too. For example, the price per carat for a 1.00ct diamond would not be the same as a 2.00ct diamond. Most people have some idea of how ‘big’ they want the diamond to be, but this can change once they’ve actually seen the size/price.

Remember that different diamond shapes can give bigger or smaller appearances at the same carat weight, and carefully designed settings can be used to create a bigger impact!

💎Our Advice: Carat is entirely up to you, but remember that an excellent cut will give the best  proportions, maximizing a diamond’s carat weight.

The GIA grades color on a scale from D down to Z. The presence of nitrogen in the diamond can cause a yellow tinge to diamonds.Diamonds in the D-E-F grades are ‘colorless’. Typically, diamonds that are bright ‘white’ are the most desirable. 

💎Our Advice: It is almost impossible to detect colour in diamonds in the G-H-I ‘near colorless’ category making them an excellent choice for fine jewelry, without reaching the prices that the colorless diamonds demand. For diamonds graded ‘J-K-L’ consider choosing a yellow gold setting to give the diamond a whiter appearance by comparison.

When a diamond forms in the earth, other materials can become trapped inside the diamond. These are inclusions. While almost all diamonds have some degree of inclusions (with the exception of FL (flawless) and IF (internally flawless), if there are too many or they have formed in an obvious place, they can dimish a diamonds light return and even compromise the durability of the diamond.  

💎Our Advice: For guaranteed, eye-clean diamonds (no inclusions visible to the naked eye) we recommend beginning your search in the VS1 category. However, diamonds with a lower grade can be analysed and it is possible to find eye-clean diamonds with a lower grade. Speak with our team who can give advice on finding eye-clean diamonds.

Cut is extremely important in making sure a diamond exhibits the qualities for which is is famed. Brilliance (the reflecttion of white light), fire (flashes of colored light) and scintilation (the blinking or flashing effect). The proportions and polish of a diamond must be executed with extreme precision to achieve these incredible results. 

💎Our Advice: Cut is an area that we advise you not to compromise. Look for GIA ‘Very Good’ and ‘Excellent’ cut grades to ensure your diamond is delivering the best possible light return.

Step 5: Deciding Where to Buy a Diamond

The question of online VS in-store diamond buying comes down to a few factors. At Washington Diamond, we have a curated collection of diamonds available online, and also offer one-to-one appointments at our Washington DC store.

With generations of experience under our belt, here are the questions you should be asking both online, and in-store, before you buy a diamond:

• Do they offer GIA certified diamonds?

• Can they offer professional advice from real diamond experts to help you narrow down your search?

• Can they offer both loose diamonds and pre-set styles?

• Do you feel pushed or pressured into going for higher grades beyond your budget?

• Can they offer a long term relationship & buyer assurance, such as inspection services, real-time advice, money-back guarantee & cleaning?

When it comes to deciding whether to buy online or in-store, decide what’s most important to you. Some individuals fall in love with a diamond and, assured by a strong customer-focused returns policy, are happy to go for it. For others, personal instore assistance is an important part of the experience.

Step 6: The Finishing Touches

Make sure you feel valued and heard throughout your diamond buying experience. Our family business is based on the belief that the diamond buying process should be as bright and brilliant as the diamond itself.

Whether it’s creating a bespoke setting for your diamond, sourcing an unusual diamond or simply ensuring your experience is as smooth as possible, we want to make sure all your finishing touches are taken care off.

No request is too much, so get in touch and let us know how we can make your diamond buying experience sparkle!