Choose the Right Diamond

An engagement diamond may be the biggest purchase you've ever made. And with the right information, you'll be able to spend your budget on the diamond qualities that are most important to you. Read on and we'll provide you with a thorough understanding of diamond quality.

Choose Your Shape

To start, find out what shape she likes. Popular diamond shapes include round, princess, cushion, radiant, emerald, Asscher, pear, oval, marquise, and heart shape. See Diamond Shapes to learn about the attributes of each shape. You can also look for your diamond right away.

Choose The 4 C's

At A. Fishman & Son, it's our goal to help all our customers make an educated, confident buying decision. Below is a summary of what you'll find in our Diamond Education Center. To complement the basic understandings of the 4 C's we strongly recommend that you watch Josh Fishman's Diamond Educational Videos. In these videos, Josh goes well beyond the basic book knowledge available in many places and gives you the complexities and pitfalls which you need to be aware of when you look for your perfect diamond.

Cut:

The cut of a diamond has the biggest affect on its sparkle, also called brilliance. Even with perfect color and clarity, a poor cut can make a diamond look dull. We carry only Excellent, Very Good and Good cut diamonds, which produce the most brilliance. However, don't be fooled by sites that list "super ideal," "signature ideal," or other such branded cut grades. They are not better and only will cost more.
Read About Diamond Cut >

Color:

Colorless diamonds are the most highly valued and are priced accordingly. For the best value, choose a colorless or near-colorless diamond that has no noticeable color, grades D-J.
Read About Diamond Color > 

Clarity:

Diamonds free from internal flaws, or inclusions, are very rare and highly-valued. The best value in diamond clarity is a diamond with no inclusions visible to the unaided eye. A. Fishman & Son only offers diamonds graded FL–I1, some of the clearest diamonds available. Don't be misled by a clarity grade of "SI3." That is not a recognized grade at the Gemological Institute of America (GIA). Only less stringent laboratories give out that grade. You have to presume that a diamond from another lab which is graded SI3 is an I1 or I2 (imperfect to the eye) diamond if graded by the GIA.
Read About Diamond Clarity >

Carat weight:

Since larger diamonds are more rare than smaller diamonds, diamond value rises exponentially with carat weight.
Read About Diamond Carat Weight >

With a clear understanding of cut, color, and clarity, you can balance the overall diamond quality with the size of your diamond and your budget.

Get the Right Diamond at the Right Price!™   Click on the shape below to see what's available.

Choose Your Diamond Size

See the chart below to get an idea of the size of diamond that best suits your budget. You'll find a wide range of diamond sizes is available within a given budget. Next, you'll narrow this range when you decide on the quality of your diamond. The chart you see below represents the correct millimeter sizes for round diamonds for a given weight.

5.00 - 5.55mm	5.85 - 6.05mm

There are on-line internet diamond sellers who give you very wrong information about what a desirable dimension is for diamonds of a certain weight. For example, BlueNile states that a diamond measuring 5.98mm is acceptable for a 1.00ct round diamond. This is absurd! You should never touch such a diamond. Such a diamond may (and certainly will) cost less per carat than a well made diamond of 6.5mm, but all you would be getting is a diamond that looks like a 3/4 carat size. See Diamond Carat Size.