How Do You Read ASET Diamond Images?

A more in depth answer can be found at How do You Read An ASET Diamond Image

Q: hi, I want to buy a diamond and have been looking at diamonds online and am wondering if you could shed some light on the images that are red and green. I see that they are labeled ASET, but I don't know what that means? Do you have anything on the topic? I know I can search online but I figured it would be better to ask someone that knows about diamonds. I like your way of explaining things very simply. All the jargon kind of is confusing so I need something simple to explain what it means. I get that it is something to do with showing how good a diamond is but when i look at the ASET photo I don't know when it shows that a diamond is a good diamond and when it is a bad diamond. Maybe you can help me in this problem? T.K.

A: Hi there TK, Congratulations on taking the first steps to buying a diamond. I know it can be a little daunting and many people find that a little nudge in the right direction goes a long way to helping them find what they are interested. I am assuming that you already are familiar with the basics of diamonds. If not I recommend checking out my book which can help with buying a diamond which I am giving out for free at diamondbuyingadvice.com. You can also check the "Education" section of most diamond jeweler websites as they provide a rundown of the basics known as the 4C's.

Even so in order to prevent sending you traipsing around the internet for even more answer I will give a quick run down of the 4C's.

These are the 4C’s everyone talks about:

1. Carat
2. Clarity
3. Color
4. Cut

The price you pay for a diamond is calculated based on these four characteristics. The one that I have placed at the top is often the one that newbies know (or think they know) about but it's a little more nuanced than you would think. We are of course talking about Carat weight. Carat is a gem only term used to describe the weight of gems and it is exactly 200 mg. What few people realize is that  just because two diamonds have the same carat weight won't necessarily mean that they are both identical in how big they look. There is more than one way to cut a diamond. Most diamond jewelers will stock between 1 and 10 different styles or shapes of diamonds. The most common is the round brilliant. It is the shape that yields the most brilliance, hence the name "round brilliant". Other cuts can be popular depending on trends. Maybe they think it suits their personality, or they just like the shape or they find it looks big for its size when compared to a round brilliant. The light return of an ideal cut round brilliant is invariably going to provide the highest light return but there's no accounting for taste. Some people want a super sparkly stone, and some don't. For those that want the "sparkliest" of stones the American Gem Society has created some excellent and useful tools so that jewelers can compare diamonds and demonstrate the superiority of one diamond over another diamond. One of those tools is the ASET. Color is another important factor. A diamond that has no tint at all (we're talking about natural tint, not artificial tint) looks better than a diamond that has a bit of color. Color in a diamond generally is avoided by most people. Most jewelers have diamonds that have some color an have very few completely colorless diamonds. The colorless ones are rare so they do have a higher price tag. some people seek out these diamonds as they have historically shown to hold value much better than diamond that do have a bit of color.  Clarity also confuses a lot of people new to diamond shopping. There are many jewelers that help their clients choose a diamond that is eye-clean. This means that the impurities in the diamond can’t be seen unless you have a 10x magnifying glass (called a jeweler's loupe). Of course as covered in my book The Complete Beginner’s Guide To Buying A Diamond Engagement Ring in some cultures the purity of a diamond is seen to be extremely important.  Cut is the word used to refer to the quality of how the diamond was shaped and polished by the diamond manufacturer. Manufacturer stems from the Latin words for fashioned by hand. So when we say diamond manufacturer we aren’t talking about an industrial type factory but a hand crafted item. We are talking about the diamond cutter. The skill of a diamond manufacturer or cutter is very important and a diamond is shaped to both retain weight (heavier means more value) but also to become as sparkly as possible. At the same time a cutter will want to avoid retaining any unsightly inclusions. Some diamond cutters though need to be able to show off their work and their incredible skill as the level of accuracy may not be appreciated without an intricate analysys of the diamond. This is why most super ideal cut diamonds (the best of the best of the best) get additional paperwork and imaging done. For example the American Gem Society has developed the ASET, a tool to analyze how light interacts with a diamond.  See more on this very useful tool in my article entitled How To Read An ASET Image. If you get a chance download my free ebook to learn more handy tips when buying a diamond available from Diamond Buying Advice