Understanding Diamond Quality: D1/DI and Price Guidance
QuestionI want to purchase diamond studs for my daughter now similar in quality to ones I purchased in the past for my step- daughter. The first purchase was made in St. Thomas---and the receipt lists the quality of the stones as D1 or DI (hard to read)-plus the total wgt. as 1.83
What does the quality mean? Should I be looking for D1 or DI?...and any idea of the price I should be looking at?
Thank you
AnswerHi Linda,
Unfortunately, the tourist locations tend to be pretty vague on their paperwork. We have tons of pieces that are brought to us for appraisal that were purchased on vacation by customers, and the sales receipts typically don't give us much help with the appraisal information. We have to grade them and estimate weight, color and clarity by looking at them. I'm afraid the DI may simply refer to "diamond" as part of your description. There's really no way to be sure what they are without looking at them. Did you get an appraisal done on them at your local jeweler (or did your step-daughter)? An appraisal would most likely tell you what you need to know on the quality and verify the carat weight. As far as the pricing, it will depend on the color and clarity grade. If they are the lower end of the quality range they could be $2,000 or on the higher end they could be $25,000. You can go to www.gia.edu for information about the 4C's and what the important grading aspects are regarding diamonds. These are the specs that you would want to know on your step-daughters studs in order to match the quality for the pair you are buying for your daughter. Sorry I can't be of more help without seeing them. If your step-daughter doesn't mind taking them to a local jeweler that is qualified, they could probably give her a good estimate of color and clarity grade without charging her for an appraisal, however, it would be a good idea for her to have an appraisal and get them insured anyway if she hasn't already. Hope this helps to lead you to an answer.
