Diamonds are the hardest known natural substance on earth and will literally last forever if cared for properly. Diamonds are also the oldest thing you will probably own since they take millions of years to form naturally. Not including the time it takes Mother Nature to bring the diamond from deep below the Earth’s surface to be mined where it eventually reaches the display case at a jeweler.

As early as the 15th century, diamonds were valued as something special. In 1477, Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond engagement ring to Mary of Burgundy… they were married the next day. In those times, diamonds were uncut and were valued for their strength and protection. Today, we have to technology to bring the beauty out of diamonds.

We get our uncut diamonds from all over the world where they are sent to our facilities in India to be cut and polished.

Our white diamonds are not enhanced in any way. However, many of our color diamonds are color enhanced. We do not enhance the clarity of our diamonds.

We use any of four methods to color enhance our diamonds. Heat Treatment (HT), High Pressure High Temperature (HPHT), Irradiation (IRR), and Surface Enhancement (SE).

All of our diamonds are real, natural diamonds mined from the earth. We do not sell synthetic or lab created diamonds. There are some tests you can do test for yourself. Diamonds are the hardest substance on the planet. A real diamond cannot be scratched. A real diamond can scratch glass. Many fake diamonds can also scratch glass. Diamonds have high refraction properties. If the diamond is not set in jewelry, place it face down on newsprint. If you can read through it, it’s fake. (Only works with some shapes like round brilliant. You will be able to read through other shapes like the emerald cut because of the large facets.)
A jeweler can perform more tests performed on it to verify its authenticity. Make sure to keep an eye on your diamond as the jeweler is testing it. Some unscrupulous jewelers may switch diamonds on you giving you a lower quality or fake diamond in return.

All of our diamond listings include the actual image of the diamond excluding out black diamonds. Save this image for your files. The inclusions in the diamond act like fingerprints. They can be used to identify a diamond. Flawless or nearly flawless diamonds are harder to identify because of the lack of inclusions.
You can have your diamond certified by an independent lab such as GIA or EGL. They give you a report that documents the exact location of all the inclusions along with its color, carat weight, measured dimensions as well as other diamond details.
You can have your diamond laser engraved. Laser engraving will etch a non-removable serial number, logo or phrase along its girdle. When you get your item back, look for your engraving. You will need to use a loupe to see the microscopic lettering.

When asking about a diamond, always ask how much it weighs, not how big it is it is. How “big” a diamond is can mean many things. In this instance, when the jeweler told you that the diamond has a 2 carat spread, he is referring to the diamond diameter. A diamond with a 2 carat spread means that the diameter of the stone is the same as a 2 carat ideal cut stone. Without knowing its weight, the stone could be cut too shallow or too deep reducing its brilliance and its value.

“Blood Diamonds” or “Conflict Diamonds” are diamonds that are mined in war torn countries by rebels to fund their conflict. To mine their diamonds, these rebels abuse the human rights of the local population often murdering and enslaving them.

We do not deal with conflict diamonds. DiamondZul.com abides by the rules set forth by the Kimberley Process as does each company we deal with as far as we know

“Certified diamonds” have been tested and graded by an independent gemological lab. These diamonds cost more due to the extra cost of having the diamond certified. Certification also gives you the added insurance of knowing that what you get has been inspected by an independent lab. “Non-certified diamonds” do not have this independent report and relies solely on the sellers’ ability to grade diamonds.

We do not offer certified diamonds to keep our prices low. We post actual images of our diamonds in our listing except for our black diamonds. All of our diamonds are graded by experienced gemologists.

We cannot send diamonds out to be certified. It takes a long time to have a diamond certified. Once you receive your diamond, you can send it to an independent lab to be certified yourself. Usually, labs only accept loose diamonds for certification. Set stones will be guestimated or pulled out for a more accurate grading.

The “Ideal Cut” is a design based on the calculations made by gem cutter Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919. His ideal cut creates a balance between brilliance and fire (dispersion) in round brilliant diamonds. Any brilliant cut diamond that falls within his calculated proportions is considered Ideal.

The Four C’s of a diamond are Cut, Clarity, Color and Carat.

Really the fifth C which has gone unmentioned and that is COST!
Set a budget and stick with it.

This is dependent on personal opinion. In our opinion, in terms of value, they would rank:

        1.  color
        2.  Clarity
        3.  Cut/Proportion
        4.  Carat weight

This is dependent on personal opinion. In our opinion, in terms of beauty, they would rank:

        1.  Cut/Proportion
        2.  Color
        3.  Clarity
        4.  Carat weight

Looking at a diamonds cut can tell you a lot about the diamond. Here are some things to look for.

While looking straight down at the diamond table, look for a white donut shape within the diamond. If you can see a donut shape, this means that the diamond has been cut too shallow and the donut you see is the girdle reflecting back out.
While looking straight down at the diamond table, look for any dark reflections in the diamond. Dark reflections are caused when a diamond has been cut too deep. This will also make the diamond weight unnecessarily higher.

While looking straight down at the table, the table and four of the star facets will form a “square shape”. The square will bow inward very slightly on a well cut diamond. If it bows outward, it is less than ideal. Too much of an inward bow is less than ideal. If you’re not sure, a perfect square could be considered a decent cut. Severely bowed in squares is also undesirable.

While looking at the girdle, look at its thickness. An extremely thick girdle will reduce the brilliance and make the stone appear small for its weight.
While looking at the girdle, make sure the girdle is even around the stone.